William to spend birthday with friends Prince William celebrates his 16th birthday on Sunday- a shy teenager still coming to terms with the momentous loss of his mother. Just 10 months ago, William's world seemed to fall apart when Diana, Princess of Wales was fatally injured in a Paris car crash. Watched by the world, he showed great fortitude walking behind Diana's coffin at her Westminster Abbey funeral. Since then the Windsors and the Spencers have rallied round to help William - and his younger brother Prince Harry - through a difficult time. Nevertheless, his first birthday without the Princess could be a poignant and trying time for William. He plans to spend the day with friends, having finished GCSE exams at Eton, and will speak to his family on the telephone. William wants to be left alone to live his young life, sheltered from the glare of publicity. But he is not only the subject of some fascination among members of the public - good-looking William has also become a teenage pin-up. He does not feel comfortable with the adulation of screaming and swooning girls. However, as evidenced during his recent skiing trip to Canada's Rocky Mountains with Harry and the Prince of Wales, William warms to the public attention and eventually relaxes. With the backing of the newspaper watchdog, the Press Complaints Commission, William's school days at Eton - and presumably his time at university - will continue to be shielded from the public gaze. The Prince of Wales appreciates media cooperation over the past few years to ensure that his children are able to grow up, as far as possible, away from the spotlight. In return, St James's Palace has made available, previously unavailable archive material on William's early years.