King Charles III’s Australian schoolmate says ‘no doubt’ he’ll be a great monarch

An old school friend of King Charles III from his time at a remote Australian school says there is ‘no doubt’ he’ll make a great ruler.

An old school friend of King Charles from his time at a remote Victorian grammar school says “there’s no doubt” the monarch is fit to rule. Picture: Odd ANDERSEN / AFP

An old school friend of King Charles from his time at a remote Victorian grammar school says “there’s no doubt” the monarch is fit to rule.

Chas Armytage attended Geelong Grammar’s country campus Timbertop in the Victorian alps where, in 1966, the then-17-year-old Prince attended for two school terms.

King Charles has often referred to the period as “by far the best part” of his entire schooling.

The then-17-year-old King Charles attended Geelong Grammar's Timbertop campus in 1966 for two terms.

Mr Armytage told the Nine Network on Tuesday morning it was “unbelievable” the time had finally come for his old school friend to assume the crown, but he believed he would make a great King.

When asked whether he thought the King had always been “up to it”, Mr Armytage said: “There’s no doubt about that”.

“You could see this young man from England who came with this huge responsibility on his shoulder,” he said.

“He was born into this role, and you could see this was going to happen.”

Chas Armytage said he was ‘very proud’ of his old friend. Picture: Today Show

On Monday night, he told Network 10 he was “very proud” of his old friend.

“He came there (to Timbertop) two years older than us, he was very very shy and you could see he had been dropped into the bush … it was a hell of a shock to him,” Mr Armytage said.

“Like all of us, before you go there you’re not fit. With all the rigours of having to do cross country running and hiking every weekend, it took a lot to get used to

“(But) he was not treated any differently to anyone else. He was one of us.”

Mr Armytage, who has been able to catch up with the now-King a number of times since he left the Australian bush in 1966, said he knew he would “follow in the footsteps of his mother”.

“He’s got to uphold integrity and that wonderful community spirit. She was a woman who died for her people,” he said.

“I think Charles will be the same.”