Harry tells teenagers he did not enjoy Eton and wanted to be a bad boy

Updated

Prince Harry may have gone to prestigious Eton where excellence is expected of its students but he has confessed he wanted to be the "bad boy" at school.

Harry also suggested to a group of teenagers at a correction centre in South Africa he would have liked to have come to an institution like theirs, where practical tasks are given to the youngsters.

The prince was visiting the Ottery Youth Centre in Cape Town, which looks after teenagers from troubled backgrounds who have been referred there by the courts.

When he was introduced to a dozen youngsters by Professor Ruben Richards, an expert in gang culture whose foundation runs a programme at the centre, they had no idea who their visitor was.

"I told you I was going to bring a friend of mine," Prof Richards said.

But he when he asked if any of them knew who he was, he was met by a room of blank faces and a laughing Harry said: "That's the right answer".

Introducing himself to the group, Harry said: "My name is Prince Harry, the Queen of England's grandson, Princess Diana's son. I've come all the way from England to see you guys. I'm interested to hear all your stories.

"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."

But what was important, he said, was not to bow to peer pressure. "It's much harder to stand up for what you believe in."

Harry spoke to them of the importance of role models in avoiding the lure of gang culture - but even while delivering the a serious message he could not help getting in a quick dig at his brother William.

"If you've got an older brother that's not into gangs, that's a huge positive," he said.

"Older brothers are supposedly the cool ones. I'm a younger brother but I'm much cooler than my older brother."

Prof Richards laughed and said he would not tell Harry's brother William. That was all right, said Harry. "He knows it!"

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