Prince William is delighted and relieved after passing three A-levels and gaining a place at the
University of St Andrews to study History of Art, St James's Palace says.
The 18-year-old prince has gained an A grade in Geography, a B in History of Art and a C in Biology.
William will start the four-year MA (Honours) course at the oldest university in Scotland in the autumn
of 2001, after his gap year.
The Prince of Wales, who attended Cambridge University, says he is delighted with his son's results
and his wish to attend a Scottish university.
"I know how hard William worked to achieve these excellent results and I am very proud that he has done so well," he said.
William, in the jungle in Belize on the first stage of his gap year taking part in exercises with the Welsh Guards, had been
anxiously waiting to learn his grades.
He was given the good news by his housemaster at Eton, Dr Andrew Gailey.
A St James's Palace spokeswoman said: "Prince William is obviously delighted and relieved that he has got into St Andrews
and is very much looking forward to becoming a student in a year's time."
While in the jungle the prince received an e-mail from his father congratulating him on his success.
A spokesman for St Andrews University said it would provide a unique, nourishing and challenging environment for the prince.
"We are pleased for Prince William, as we are for all successful applicants to the University of St Andrews, and look forward
to welcoming him to our community next year," he said.
~*~
Home is where the art is for a royal
researcher(Electronic Telegraph)
By Harry Mount
THE history of art degree that Prince William is expected to begin next year is
rigorous - but he has the advantage of private access to many buildings and
works of art that could be highly beneficial to his studies.
At the end of his first two years at St Andrews, Prince William must pass
exams in four out of 80 subjects, ranging from The Age of Giotto, to Cubism
and its Influence, 1907-1921. Among the topics on offer, he might choose
The Classical Country House 1650-1750 and The Informal Country House
1750-1840. The Prince could do worse than look at his grandmother's house
- Buckingham Palace - which neatly straddles the two periods under
examination.
Built in 1677, it was transformed in 1702 by the Duke of Buckingham into a
brick mansion with two wings connected to a central block by curved
colonnades. Soon after George II bought it in 1762, some of the finest
architects in the country were let loose on it. Sir William Chambers, James
Wyatt and John Nash all played a part in remodelling the palace before it
took its current form in 1913, when Sir Aston Webb refaced it in Portland
stone.
The Prince might combine his studies with a trip to his childhood home,
Kensington Palace, a Jacobean mansion much altered by Sir Christopher
Wren, Nicholas Hawksmoor and Colen Campbell over 30 years from 1689.
Or he could visit Hampton Court, the palace of Cardinal Wolsey, which
underwent considerable changes again under the guidance of Wren, when
William and Mary took up residence in 1689.
If William wants to see some less grand buildings, he could look at his father's
country house, Highgrove, completed in 1798, or visit his aunt, The Princess
Royal, at Gatcombe Park, Gloucestershire, built in the 1770s out of Bath
stone.
If he settles for the course entitled Domestic Architecture in Britain
1840-1914, William can take a particular interest in his family's holiday
homes. Balmoral Castle, a fine example of the Scottish Baronial style, was
commissioned by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1853 to designs by
William Smith. Sandringham House was built in 1870 for the Prince and
Princess of Wales - later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra - in the
neo-Jacobean style.
When it comes to paintings, the Queen has probably the finest private
collection in the world. She has examples from most periods on her
grandson's syllabus, but he might be well-advised to go for Art Of
Renaissance Italy as she has a particularly good selection of drawings by
Leonardo da Vinci.
He might do even better in European Art and Architecture in the 17th and
18th Centuries. Masterpieces in the Royal Collection include Charles I In
Three Positions by Sir Anthony Van Dyck, Portrait of the Artist's Mother by
Rembrandt, and in the Grand Corridor at Windsor, an extraordinary
collection of Canalettos.
There are two furniture papers at St Andrews - British Furniture 1700-1840
and British Furniture 1840-1920. The Royal Collection is strong in both
periods. Highlights include a cabinet mounted with Sèvres porcelain bought by
George IV, and a suite of Chippendale giltwood chairs and sofas at Prince
William's great-grandmother's home, Clarence House.
The Royal Collection does have some gaps. Prince William may find it difficult
to find much that will help him with the Dada and Surrealism paper. He may
also have reason to curse Oliver Cromwell who sold off a good deal of the
collection, although subsequent monarchs did much to restore it to its former
glory.
Perhaps Prince William will start his own collection when he completes his
degree. Since 1936, anything acquired by the Sovereign is private property
and not part of the Royal Collection.
~*~
Prince will learn his future today (UK Times)
BY ANDREW PIERCE
PRINCE WILLIAM is unlikely to have much appetite for
breakfast this morning until he receives the telephone call
that will determine which side his bread is buttered in the
coming years.
Like tens of thousands of teenagers he awaits the results
of his A levels with a good deal of trepidation.
The Prince needs a minimum of three Bs to secure the
place he has been offered, and wants, to study art history
at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
Andrew Gailey, his housemaster at Eton, has promised to
telephone the news around breakfast time.
The Prince of Wales, who is at Balmoral, will be
telephoning his son shortly afterwards, hoping, no doubt,
to be offering congratulations rather than condolences or
reassurance. St James's Palace will release details of the
young Prince's results later today.
Prince William, who is away with friends, prompting
speculation that he has already started his gap year, has
not been given advance notice of his results. "He has been
nervous and has had an anxious wait like every other
teenager," a courtier said yesterday.
St James's Palace will also release official details of the
arrangements for the gap year that will come before
Prince William takes up his university place.
Details of the gap year have been kept secret by St
James's Palace but reports that Prince William plans to
follow in his father's footsteps and go to Australia for a
protracted period are incorrect. One favoured option is a
spell in the Welsh Guards serving abroad and in the
Principality.
Dr Gailey, an important influence on his young royal
charge as he made the transition from adolescence to
manhood, was also a key figure in Prince William's
decision to opt for St Andrews as his first choice. Dr
Gailey is an Old Boy of the university and encouraged
Prince William to study history of art North of the Border.
The decision has delighted the Queen and the Prince of
Wales because they hope that the presence of Prince
William on a four-year academic course will strengthen
the monarchy's ties with Scotland, which they feared had
been strained by devolution.
Dr Gailey, who has been a guest at Highgrove, Prince
Charles's Gloucestershire home, was invited to join the
select group of advisers who helped Prince William to
decide on his future. They included Captain Mark Dyer,
34, a former Welsh Guard and equerry to Prince Charles.
Dr Gailey, 47, an Ulster-educated historian, was
recommended to Prince William's parents by Eric
Anderson, then Head Master of Eton. While Prince
Charles may have hated his time at Gordonstoun, his
Scottish school, Dr Anderson, who was his tutor, remains
a close confidant.
It was not long before Dr Gailey, who became a master at
the college in 1983 and was promoted to House Master
of Manor, the Duke of Wellington's old house, was to find
his skills called upon.
Only two months after Prince William went to Eton in
September 1995 his mother gave her Panorama
interview. Dr Gailey invited the teenage Prince to watch it
in the privacy of the House Master's study, out of sight of
his schoolmates.
His support and understanding were called upon again
two years later, following the death of Diana, Princess of
Wales. Dr Gailey insisted that Prince William keep to the
school routine - while being on hand for helpful private
chats.
Under Dr Gailey's tutelage Prince William rose to be head
and captain of games for his house. He was a member of
Pop, Eton's 19-strong, self-electing board of prefects.
While most pupils never see their teachers again after they
leave school, primarily because they don't want to, Prince
William has made clear that he will continue to consult the
House Master who has become a friend. In his 18th
birthday interview Prince William said: "I'll miss Dr Gailey
who has been a tremendous support to me."