Due to his father’s political activism, Prabowo experienced a childhood of constraints living outside Indonesia starting from his third grade. Despite this, the love for Indonesia, instilled by his parents and grandfather, led him to choose the National Military Academy over attending a top American university, despite his high school achievements.
In Jakarta, Prabowo divided his time between his father’s house on Jalan Kertanegara, Kebayoran Baru, and his grandfather’s house on Jalan Matraman. His grandfather, R.M. Margono Djojohadikusumo, lived next to K.H. Hasyim Asyari’s home, the grandfather of Indonesia’s fourth president, Gus Dur.
Prabowo also spent time in Switzerland due to political disputes between Prof. Sumitro and President Sukarno regarding the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI). Prof. Sumitro could not accept the PKI’s involvement in Sukarno’s government, resulting in surveillance of Prof. Sumitro’s overseas home by intelligence services.
His education continued at the American School in London, where Prabowo excelled as captain of the football, debate, and chess teams, and served as the editor-in-chief of the school magazine. Notably, during this time, Prabowo was the only Indonesian student at his school.
