All Hail King Gruff?

It just recently struck me that in the episodes of the opening of the School of Friendship, one character seems out of place. Each of the foreign students are accompanied by the Leader or Noble of their species, except for Gallus, who is escorted by Grandpa Gruff. If the relationship between student and escort is maintained, then this would make Grandpa Gruff a descendant of Griffon royalty, if not of the Kingly family itself. The other possibility is that Gruff is a well respected elder () that was selected to choose which Griffon would be selected to attend the school.
Any other possibilities occur to anypony else?