A spokeswoman for Buckingham Palace described the supplement as "grossly intrusive and
inaccurate", accusing the newspaper of dealing in "complete fabrication".
The Royal Family also objected to speculation about what the Prince felt as he neared his 16th
birthday and "silly comments" about girls.
"We object to its intrusive nature, what William may be thinking, what William's bedroom might be
like," said the spokeswoman.
"There are untrue allegations."
A British newspaper has "resolved amicably" a row with the Royal Family over a special
supplement for the 16th birthday of Prince William.
The teenage son of the Prince of Wales, celebrating his birthday at the weekend, had made a
formal complaint to the Press Complaints Commission over the supplement in the Mail on Sunday
newspaper.
It includes details of aides allegedly vetting Prince William's friends before invitations to tea. But it
was described by Buckingham Palace as inaccurate and intrusive.
Lord Wakeham, chairman of the industry watchdog, said the matter had been resolved.
He said: "This matter has now been swiftly and amicably resolved between the newspaper and the
Palace in line with the standard procedures of the Press Complaints Commission.
"I am satisfied that there is therefore no need for any further action by the PCC."
LONDON (CP) - He towers over his father and is now a composed, blond teenager for whom
the childhood nicknames Wills and Wombat now seem entirely inappropriate.
In fact, as Prince William turns 16 on Sunday, Sweet William or William the Conqueror - of teen
hearts, that is - would seem more apt.
The eldest son of Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, hits that milestone having endured
a year that saw his world turned on its ear with the death of his doting mother.
As William celebrates his birthday, however, he is likely wondering about the results of his
GSCEs, the all-important national school tests that separate the university-bound 16-year-olds
from the less scholastically inclined.
Though many in the world felt they knew Diana, and by extension her sons William and Harry, 13,
not that much is really known about the two.
The Royal establishment has enveloped the princes in a cocoon designed to provide them with as
private a childhood as possible.
True, images immediately spring to mind. William grinning broadly on his first day at his current
school, Eton. William and Harry, eyes glued to the ground, bravely escorting Diana’s coffin to her
funeral.
But images only tell part of the tale. And constructing a rounded portrait of the future king is a bit
difficult, given that little verifiable information is available.
The royal determination to give the boys privacy in which to grow has, for the most part, been
respected by Britain’s otherwise intrusive newspapers.
In fact, up until Friday, the industry watchdog had received no complaints about treatment of the
boys.
But a supplement on William in last weekend’s Sunday Mail that speculated about a screening
process for potential girlfriends appeared to have crossed the line. He filed a complaint with the
Press Complaints Commission, which later announced the issue had been resolved amicably.
It was a sharp and timely reminder that under the industry’s code of practice, William is still off
limits. The voluntary code of practice stipulates that the lives of children can’t be poked into while
they are under 16 or still at school.
The commission expects the papers to continue to respect that fact.
"The British press has been very restrained," says spokesman Tim Toulmin.
Toulmin thinks the public would not tolerate newspapers hounding Diana’s sons in the way they
hounded her. Even if they wanted to, they would run a real risk the government will scrap a
voluntary code for a legislated one.
"Just because Prince William is suddenly 16 doesn’t mean to say that they can suddenly start
poking long lenses at him," Toulmin insists.
"If they indulge in the sort of voyeuristic spectacles which in the past dogged Princess Diana . . .
Parliament’s going to look at the whole matter."
PRINCE William, who will be 16 tomorrow, has followed his father's keen interest in art, he says
today in his first major media interview. He will take one of his three A-levels at Eton in the history
of art.
The Prince, who will celebrate his birthday quietly with friends, will also study geography and
biology at A-level, after sitting 12 GCSEs this year and last year. But he is undecided about which
university and degree course to choose.
The Prince says he is enjoying Eton, but that he is not always comfortable in the spotlight.
Sometimes he finds it difficult to deal with the adulation of teenage girls. His interest in art will
delight the Prince of Wales. Sketching and watercolours have long been one of his enthusiasms
and he has frequently gone to Tuscany to paint.
The Prince's education plans are disclosed in an interview with the Press Association news agency,
which submitted written questions. His answers were returned by St James's Palace, with
previously unpublished details of his earlier life, to enable media organisations to publish more
information than usual about him to coincide with his birthday.
Although carefully monitored by palace officials, the information gives a relatively rare insight into
the Prince's thinking and attitudes. A Palace spokesman said that the Prince of Wales was happy
for his son to give the interview, as the media had largely respected his privacy since he went to
Eton and particularly since the death of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
The decision to allow the interview has not prevented the Prince from making a formal complaint
to the Press Complaints Commission over a Mail on Sunday supplement about him. A spokesman
has described the supplment as "grossly intrusive and inaccurate".
Although Prince William's first birthday without his mother could be a poignant time for him, he
says he plans to spend the day with friends and will speak to his family by telephone. Talking of
Eton, he says he likes the college's distinctive uniform of tailcoat and striped trousers. He describes
himself as a keen sportsman who likes rugby, football, swimming, water polo and tennis.
Asked about his favourite pastime, he says he particularly likes action-adventure fiction and
non-fiction. He also enjoys action films at the cinema. The Prince has a black Labrador bitch
called Widgeon and shares the Royal Family's love of horses.
One of his ambitions is to go on safari in Africa to see big game in the wild. Because of
commitments at Eton, he missed out when his younger brother, Prince Harry, went on safari in
Botswana last year.
Like most teenagers, the Prince says he enjoys pop music, particularly techno, but also listens to
classical composers. His taste in food is wide and, illustrating the somewhat ordinary life he leads
away from the rest of the family, he says he likes simple dishes and fast food. He is able to shop
for himself and likes modern styles of clothing.
It is clear from the interview that Prince William is quickly learning the skills of diplomacy and the
advantages of keeping his own counsel in certain matters. For example, he refuses to express a
public preference for a particular pop group or to discuss his friends at Eton.
The 6-year-old boy with a cap of soft brown hair and a grin that could melt Stonehenge had
climbed to the top of a 30-foot-high playground slide, but he wasn't quite ready to take the
plunge. Something was missing; he didn't have an audience. ''Papa, Papa,'' he called down
excitedly. ''Watch me, watch me.'' Below, his doting father, wearing a gray herringbone coat,
looked up proudly and smiled. ''Go on, then. I'm watching.''
Prince Charles isn't the only one watching the little boy at the top of the slide. William Arthur
Phillip Louis, H.R.H. Prince William of Wales -- the tyke, who according to laws of succession,
will one day become King William V -- turns 7 this Wednesday, June 21, and the whole world
will be looking on. Up to now, he has been raised by Charles and Diana in as normal a manner as
possible. But as Willie the Wombat -- his dad's moniker for him -- approaches his 7th year, the
traditional age of reason, he's beginning to understand that he is anything but a normal child.
Normal children, after all, don't have cameras trained on them at every turn. Normal children don't
have articles written about them. Normal children don't get a department store like Harrods all to
themselves to do their Christmas shopping.
Once known as the Prince of Wails (particularly when he didn't get his way), Wills, as his mother
calls him, is slowly shedding his willful image and turning into a little charmer, gradually adapting to
the knowledge that he has a big future in store. ''William knows he's special,'' says a recent visitor
to the family's country estate at Highgrove in Gloucestershire. ''He's incredibly confident for a little
boy his age. It's a bit like talking to another adult.''
Adult was not the word that would have sprung to mind when describing the old William, known
by the British press as the Basher. Recent generations of royal progeny have been ready for
formal appearances by age 3. Not so Wills, who even at 4 and 5 was rarely trusted to behave in
public. His first major gig -- page boy at his Uncle Andy's 1986 wedding to Sarah Ferguson --
didn't exactly provide evidence that here was a kid with the regal stuff. He fidgeted, squirmed and
whispered all through the ceremony. This was hardly a child poised to wear the purple.
Today, happily, Wills is a changed child. Some in the family retinue credit his transformation to the
replacement of indulgent nanny Barbara Barnes with sterner Ruth Wallace (called Roof by brother
Harry, 4); others say he has simply matured. All agree that the days of Wills's king-size tantrums
appear to be over. And if he does sometimes type ''naughty'' words like wee and bottom (which
he spelled botem) onto the computer screen at his exclusive pre- prep school, Wetherby, what
6-year-old, royal or otherwise, is incapable of that?
''William is being molded into a delightful young person,'' says a Windsor family friend. ''Diana
supplies the comfort and security of a solid, loving family existence. Charles supplies the discipline
he will need through his whole life.''
* Of course, Charles isn't always around, given his love of fishing in Scotland and painting in Italy
-- and the royal tradition of distant parenting. According to one longtime observer of the royal
family, ''The children get upset when Charles goes away for so long, but I honestly don't think
William has suffered too much because of these absences. Charles does blow hot and cold in his
relationship with both children, but when they are all at Highgrove, full family life is experienced.''
At Highgrove, Charles takes his sons fishing, chaperones them on tractor rides and walks them
around the fields, sharing his love of nature and his environmental concerns.
Clearly, Mom, Dad and Nanny are doing something right, since William is already showing
qualities of leadership. He's even evincing an instinctive flair for one of its perks: ordering people
around. ''Prince William can be a really bossy-boots,'' says the mother of one of his classmates. ''I
suppose it shouldn't be surprising. But he is a natural leader and likes to take command. He likes
to organize games of tag that can get quite boisterous.'' A few months ago, William served as a
page boy at the wedding of Diana's cousin Edward Barry. Perhaps because he considered himself
an old hand at the job -- remember Fergie's wedding -- he began barking commands to the other
five page boys, among them Harry, and the four tiny, utterly awestruck bridesmaids. ''Get back!
Get in line!'' William shouted to his short subjects as they all waited outside the church.
As Harry has apparently learned, having a brother who's a monarch-in- training is almost like
having a third parent. Last summer it was Wills, not Diana, who spotted Harry sticking his tongue
out at the press after a visit to see newborn cousin Beatrice at Portland Hospital. Immediately he
grabbed the royal rascal and hissed, ''Stop it, Harry. That's very naughty.'' Yet, lest anyone think
King Tot is turning into a tyrant, William has also absorbed certain crucial tenets of royal
deportment, like putting yourself in the other guy's shoes. ''I've often seen him comforting a young
child who's clearly unhappy,'' says the schoolmate's mom. ''He'll talk earnestly to him and make
sure he's all right before resuming playing. He really does think of others.''
He's no less protective of Harry. That was clear the day Charles took the boys to the Windsor
Safari Park, near the castle, to play on the giant slide. ''William was absolutely charming,'' said a
woman who was waiting in line with her own children. ''He very much took over as leader and
was really encouraging. He said to his brother, 'Harry, Harry, take your coat off. You will go
much quicker.' He looked after him and was very gentle.''
While learning the rudiments of statesmanship, William is acquiring another kingly skill:
horsemanship. He competed in his first horse show a year ago, won a rosette as the third-best
young rider at his level and has recently won another rosette for best-turned-out rider. He saddles
up nearly every weekend at Highgrove on his favorite pony, Trigger. And at his weekly teas with
the Queen, the chatter almost always centers on ponies.
Her Majesty can attest to his equestrian skills. Last fall, Charles and Wills had just wrapped up a
riding lesson when they trotted past Elizabeth leaving the Balmoral Castle stables on her favorite
horse, a bay called Greenshield. ''Where are you going, Granny?'' called William, mounted on
Trigger. ''Can I come with you?''
According to an observer, Elizabeth turned and beckoned to her grandson. Later at a picnic
lunch, she laughed as she told everyone, ''William trotted along so fast on his pony I could barely
keep up. I thought the bay would pitch me head first into the road at any minute.''
''Few people can lead the Queen on a merry chase,'' noted this source. ''But William is one. He
has inherited his mother's beguiling manner along with the Spencer looks, and like most of the
women in his life, his grandmother simply adores him.''
Wills's academic performance, on the other hand, is not quite on a par with his horsemanship. But
his presence in Wetherby's less-advanced group, the class known as form Three Red, causes no
distress to his parents. ''Being too bright can be a positive disadvantage for the sort of life that
William has before him,'' Charles has said. ''We're open-minded about William and his education.
I would like to try and bring up our children to be well mannered, to think of other people, to put
themselves in other people's positions. That way, even if they turn out not to be very bright or very
qualified, at least if they have reasonable manners, they will get so much further in life than if they
did not have any at all.''
At least Wetherby has taught its most celebrated pupil one thing -- how to write a creditable
letter. When his folks went off to the Arab Emirates this spring, there was a surprise message
waiting for them in a suitcase: a carefully penned note from their No. 1 son. ''Dear Mummy and
Papa,'' it read. ''I hope you have a lovely time on your tour. But come home soon. I miss you.
Lots of love, William.'' Two kisses adorned the bottom of the epistle. ''The princess was so
touched by her son's letter,'' said Sheikha Mariem, one of Diana's hostesses on the state visit.
''She said it was the first one he had ever written to his parents.''
Many more may follow. By September 1990, Diana and Charles will have to decide the nature of
William's education beyond Wetherby. Charles and the Queen are said to believe William is ready
to go off to boarding school, while Diana thinks he's still too young. There is speculation that Wills
will soon enroll at St. Paul's, a day school in West London, before moving on at 13 to Eton,
where Diana's father and brother were educated. It seems certain that William will not go to his
father and grandfather's alma mater, Gordonstoun in Scotland, which Charles considers too
spartan and remote.
William himself might eventually like to follow in the footsteps of Uncle Andy, who went to the
Royal Naval College at Dartmouth. From the time he was a toddler, a royal aide recalls, Wills
watched wide-eyed as army officers saluted Prince Charles, and he began copying their salute.
''He still makes Harry line up with him at the front door, and they snap to attention when their
father goes out,'' says the aide. ''The Prince of Wales is tickled pink by their antics, but he always
returns the salute with a straight face.''
Prince William's fondness for martial matters is evident. A few years ago he received a uniform
like the one worn in the Parachute Regiment, of which his father is colonel-in-chief. Since then,
says an observer, ''He has saluted anyone he encountered in uniform.'' And while other boys at
Wetherby content themselves with painting beach scenes and futuristic cars, Wills sketches castles
with yellow splotches in the battlements, which, as he points out to his mates, represent gunfire.
Last summer the Gordon Highlanders, on guard at Scotland's Balmoral Castle, realized they were
dealing with a kindred spirit and, as a special treat, made William a member of the regiment for a
day. This meant suiting up in specially tailored camouflage gear, learning to handle a gun and dining
at a field kitchen up in the hills. ''I really love soldiers' food,'' William told an envious Harry on his
return to civilian life.
Such is the life -- by turns both extraordinarily glorious and typically boyish -- of the future King
as he approaches his birthday. He's now going through a phase few people experience, a period
of recognizing that he has been set apart by destiny. ''I can't pinpoint any particular moment,''
Charles said of his own realization. ''I didn't suddenly wake up in my pram and say, 'Yippee.' I
think it just dawns on you slowly, that people are interested, and slowly you get the idea that you
have a certain duty and responsibility.''
And so it will be a different Wills who sits down to his birthday cake this year -- more the budding
little King than the bad little boy. The grand celebration will be held at his London home in
Kensington Palace. Jell-O (which the British persist in calling jelly), strawberries and cakes will be
served. The select group in attendance will include a dozen of the prince's buddies from
Wetherby, the children of Diana's two sisters and perhaps Aunt Anne's children, Peter and Zara
Phillips. If William has his way -- and he probably will, it's his birthday -- there will be a few
rowdy rounds of tag. Later, following the age-old custom, the prince will blow out the candles on
his cake. Some of those gathered around will no doubt wonder what he could possibly be wishing
for, but that's easy: Like most 7-year-olds, he will ask for the world. The wonder and the
challenge of being William is that his wishes may well come true.
People Weekly- June 26, 1989
Back to Prince William Page
From BBC, UK
HELEN BRANSWELL
William on Eton, girls and life at 16
By David Graves
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCE CHARMING
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