Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Style at Large
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    The ultimate daily digest for women of power, purpose, and style.


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Nordstrom's Sale
    • Brushed Cashmere
    • Hopeful Books
    • Nice Talk
    • Airport Dressing
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Former Classmate Says King Charles "Could Have Had as Many Girlfriends as He Wanted," as Evidenced by the Regular "Disappearance" of His Underwear

    "Special precautions were taken to ensure that nothing marked with his name would ever get 'lost' again."

    Amy Mackelden's avatar
    By Amy Mackelden
    Published 2 May 2026 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    King Charles has gray hair and is wearing a gray suit
    (Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    King Charles is happily married to wife Queen Camilla, but according to one of the monarch's former classmates, life could have been very different for the royal. In fact, when King Charles was attending school, his underwear was reportedly known to get "lost" from time to time.

    In the book My Mother and I, royal expert Ingrid Seward discussed King Charles's seemingly shy approach to romance when he attended Gordonstoun Boarding School in Scotland. In spite of his reticence when it came to dating, King Charles allegedly had no shortage of romantic prospects at the time.

    "One thing Charles was suspicious of was social functions," Seward shared. "When a party of 25 girls were invited to a dance at Gordonstoun, Charles went off to spend the weekend with his grandmother [the Queen Mother] at Birkhall, her house on the Balmoral estate."

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    According to the royal expert, King Charles refused to return the next day, even though the girls were engaging in a game of tennis—a sport he was very passionate about. Per Seward, "[H]e didn't reappear until well after the girls had departed."

    My Mother and I

    Ingrid Seward
    'My Mother and I'
    $11
    SHOP NOW

    King Charles driving his convertible Aston Martin

    "Charles could have had as many girlfriends as he wanted."

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    The King's former classmate, Ross Benson, told Seward, "Charles could have had as many girlfriends as he wanted, and even the school maids would stare and giggle amongst themselves if they saw him. They also had a penchant for purloining his underwear, and after the disappearance of some of his clothes sent for washing, there were special precautions taken to ensure that nothing marked with his name would ever get 'lost' again."

    You may like
    • King Charles wears a military uniform and Queen Camilla wears a white outfit and looks at him tearfully Why Queen Camilla Dislikes One of King Charles's Habits
    • King Charles wearing sunglasses and a tan suit One Member of the Royal Family Keeps King Charles "Sane," Says Royal Expert
    • King Charles and Queen Camilla wearing tweed jackets and kilts sitting next to each other King Charles Treats Queen Camilla Differently Than Diana in One Major Way

    King Charles and Queen Camilla waving wearing crowns

    "They also had a penchant for purloining his underwear."

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Basically, at one point in time, King Charles's underwear was hot property. And if he hadn't built a life with Queen Camilla, he'd reportedly have many romantic suitors.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    The ultimate daily digest for women of power, purpose, and style.

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
    Explore More
    King Charles Romance relationships
    CATEGORIES
    Sex and Love
    Amy Mackelden
    Amy Mackelden
    Social Links Navigation
    Weekend Editor

    Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.

    Read more
    King Charles wearing sunglasses and a tan suit
    Royals One Member of the Royal Family Keeps King Charles "Sane," Says Royal Expert
    By Kristin Contino
    King Charles and Queen Camilla wearing tweed jackets and kilts sitting next to each other
    Royals King Charles Treats Queen Camilla Differently Than Diana in One Major Way
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    King Charles and Queen Camilla on a royal tour of Antigua
    Royals Royal Aide Reveals King Charles and Queen Camilla's "Secret"
    By Amy Mackelden
    King Charles has white gray hair and looks to the sky with a wrinkled face while wearing a suit
    Royals King Charles's "True Colors" Were on Full Display
    By Amy Mackelden
     
     
    Latest in Royals
    Prince William wearing a camouflage jacket
    Royals Prince William Has Been on a Secret Fact-Finding Mission to Support Women
    Prince Harry and Meghan Markle holding hands and wearing dark coats
    Royals Prince Harry Says He's "Here as a Father" in Emotional Speech
     
     
    Marius Borg Hoiby wearing a black suit and tie
    Royals Queen Mette-Marit's Son Marius Borg Høiby Attacked at Royal Palace
    Princess Kate wearing a black coat and hat and a poppy pin
    Royals Jewelry Expert Weighs in on Kate and Camilla's Remembrance Sunday Jewelry
     
     
    Latest in News
    Prince William wearing a camouflage jacket
    Royals Prince William Has Been on a Secret Fact-Finding Mission to Support Women
    Hailey Bieber's New Balance 740 sneakers are discounted for Nordstrom's early Black Friday Sale
    Celebrity Style Hailey Bieber's New Balances Are Black Friday's Biggest Sneaker Sale
     
     
    Prince Harry and Meghan Markle holding hands and wearing dark coats
    Royals Prince Harry Says He's "Here as a Father" in Emotional Speech
    Kendall Jenner and Jacob Elordi wore '90s-inspired denim for their date in New York City
    Celebrity Style Kendall Jenner and Jacob Elordi Complement Each Other's "Cute Jeans"
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.