‘Bad boy’ Prince Harry wishes he could have quit Eton to go to Cape Town state school
PRINCE Harry has revealed that he would have rather gone to a state school in South Africa than posh Eton College because he wanted to be a “bad boy” in his youth.
Prince Harry revealed he would rather have gone to school in South Africa
The 31-year-old royal revealed that he “didn’t enjoy” his time at the prestigious £20,000-a-year boarding school during a tour of a correction centre in Cape Town.
He told children at the Ottery Youth Centre that he would have been more at home amongst its humble surroundings than the grandeur of his own upbringing.
He said: “I didn’t enjoy school at all. I would like to have come to a place like this. When I was at school I wanted to be the bad boy.
In a cheeky dig at his older brother William he then added: “I’m the younger brother but I’m much cooler than my older brother.”
During a tour of the facility the Prince was shown how its teachers, who are former gangsters, use practical methods including a livestock farm and woodwork classes to help educate children from troubled backgrounds.
The Prince told children at the Ottery Youth Centre he would rather have gone there than Eton
The Prince looked relaxed as he played football with youngsters
The Prince is in South Africa for a four-day tour
He later played football with youngsters in one of South Africa’s poorest and most crime-ridden townships amid vastly heightened security.
The Prince’s visit to the densely populated Khayelitsha township on the Western Cape - where the body of murdered honeymooner Anni Dewani was discovered - was so sensitive it was kept a secret until it was almost over.
Prince Harry visited the Sharks rugby team in South Africa today
Earlier on the tour the Prince met Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Harry revealed that he did not enjoy his time at Eton
When I was at school I wanted to be the bad boy
Security guards patrolled the edges of the pitch as the Prince played football with youngsters as part of a Grassroots Soccer initiative helping disadvantaged youngsters.
But the Prince looked visibly relaxed as he messed around with the young footballers, jokingly giving them electric shocks from the static build up in his shoes.
Following the game Harry also urged more Premier League footballers from Africa to speak out to young people on difficult issues including HIV.
Prince Harry plays football with kids in Cape Town township
He said: “The younger kids are so obsessed with football if the player of their dreams - even better if it’s an African player - came and spoke positively about HIV or whatever it is that would make a huge difference.”
During his four-day visit to South Africa the Prince has also met Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who he presented with the Order of the Companion of Honour, awarded for outstanding achievements in arts, culture and religion.
Before the ceremony he raised eyebrows by turning down a woman’s request for a royal selfie, telling her: “I’m afraid I’m anti-selfie.”