The prince is heading for the town
St Andrews is known around the world for its
reputation as the home of golf.
Its residents are well accustomed to
journalists, television crews and
photographers.
But if this Fife community thought it was in the
limelight before, a new sensation will descend
on it in the autumn of 2001.
The decision by Prince William - just plain
William as he wants to be known - to accept a
place at St Andrews University will see the
return of monarchy to the ancient institution.
Founded in 1411 by
Bishop Henry Wardlaw,
King James VI also
studied there.
Other, rather more
recent students include
the leader of the
Scottish National Party,
Alex Salmond.
"It will assist St
Andrews' international
reputation - it's a lovely town, a lovely
university and a sensible choice for Prince
William," was his opinion.
"The only thing the university will have to
watch is that it has a reputation for having a
high percentage of privileged people among its
students.
"It will have to
reinforce its efforts to
make sure Scotland's
oldest university is
seen as a people's
university, not just for
the privileged.
"My advice to him
would be to attend to
his studies, play a bit
of golf and enjoy the
social life to the full."
Should he wish to, William will have plenty
opportunity to do just that in St Andrews,
where there are 22 pubs and more hostelries
per square mile than any other university in
the country.
Paul Brown, 21, manager of the fashionable
Doll's House Restaurant, said: "We're used to
serving royalty. We once had Princess Anne in,
so hopefully she'll recommend us."
Vicki Blackley, 25,
manageress of the new
La Posada Mexican
restaurant, said:
"Students here have a
lot more money than
anywhere else, which
definitely works in our
favour, especially with
Prince William."
How do other students
feel about having
royalty in their midst?
Jennifer Munro, 19, a second year history
student from Glasgow, said: "It is pretty
secure here and it should be pretty easy for
his bodyguards to keep an eye on him, even
though security would be a problem wherever
he went really.
"He is extremely good-looking but to be honest
I don't think it will be such a great thing having
him here because he's fit to such an extent
that everyone will be trying to grab hold of him
when he's on a night out.
"Prince William is certainly welcome to come
out with me and my group of friends.
"But he won't get any
peace because he'll
attract so much
attention and all my
mates would probably
be trying to chat him
up the whole time."
The history of art
course itself offers a
wide range of courses
that aim to be "visually
stimulating and
intellectually
challenging", according to the university.
Paintings, sculpture, architecture, the graphic
and applied arts are all considered in their
historical context to enable students to
understand their creation.
William will be expected to look extensively and
critically at works of art, both in reproduction
and in the original, and there will be mandatory
visits to the galleries and monuments of
Scotland.
~*~
Prince will be treated like any other
student(Electronic Telegraph)
By Tara Womersley
AT the start of the university year the population of St Andrews swells by
almost a quarter. However, Prince William's arrival may have a greater impact
than that of the 5,000 other undergraduates put together.
The university is keen to stress that he will be treated like any other student,
most of whom opt to spend their first year in one of 11 halls of residence
where they have more than a one-in-five chance of sharing with a stranger.
Whether he will do so, or take a house in the town to accommodate both
himself and his security entourage, has yet to be decided.
David Corner, the university's secretary and registrar said: "We have no idea
where he will be staying. A typical start for a student at university would be to
spend two years in halls of residence and then find a flat with friends. We
guarantee everyone starting in their first year a residence place. The
residences vary. There are some which are self-catering and others fully
catered for. Some are in small blocks of flats and others are very traditional
collegiate structures with wardens."
If the prince does decide upon university accommodation he can expect to
unpack his bags in a spartan room that comes equipped with a stock sink,
wooden cupboard, shelves and desk. There are also Bibles courtesy of the
Gideons, which helpfully point out specific psalms to which students can turn
should they feel discouraged or depressed. Alternatively, they can opt to call
their new-found friends on an internal phone system, which also allows
students to pre-pay for outside calls.
It is a far cry from what would have greeted James V when he studied at St
Andrews in the early 16th century. Other royal links include Queen Elizabeth,
the Queen Mother, who received an honorary degree in 1929, and James
Ogilvy, a cousin of the prince and the Queen's godson, who also read history
of art. Prince William will choose two other subjects, probably
humanities-based, to study alongside his art history when he starts university
on Sept 23, 2001.
Because St Andrews is made up of only three main streets he will never have
to walk for more than five minutes to reach his classes. Mr Corner said: "He is
likely to have about 10 hours of lectures and eight hours of seminars and
tutorials. We have something like 160 students studying history of art in their
first year.
"The system is flexible so you can express your intention as to what to study
for a degree but then change your subjects in the third year, so we have about
50 students ending up with a degree incorporating history of art. Specialising
in the third year means you can chose to study subjects ranging from the
Italian Renaissance to Scottish furniture."
In the first year Prince William will focus on renaissance, baroque and rococo
art. Most of his lectures will be in "schools" off the quadrangle off St
Salvator's chapel. The nearby library, where history of art books take up
more than six lines of shelves on the third floor, does not reflect the
university's historic surroundings. Inside the concrete Seventies-built building,
students work behind smoke-tinted windows where private booths shut off
any views of the St Andrews coastline.
Prince William will also be able to ensure privacy while studying by asking for
a key to one of a number of small, windowless cubicles.
~*~
William is close to top of the royal
class(UK Times)
BY ANDREW PIERCE
PRINCE WILLIAM'S three A-level passes make him
one of the brightest of the young royals, although the
distinction of being the cleverest belongs to Lord
Frederick Windsor, the son of Prince and Princess
Michael of Kent.
Prince William secured an A in geography, B in history of
art and C in biology, ensuring that he can take his place on
merit at St Andrews University in Scotland to study the
history of art. The requirement was two Bs and a C.
"Lord Freddie" achieved excellent results in French, Latin,
Greek and English before going to Magdalen College,
Oxford, to read classics.
Prince William was deep in the jungle in Belize yesterday
morning, taking part in exercises with the Welsh Guards
as part of his gap year, when his mobile telephone rang. It
was Dr Andrew Gailey, his housemaster at Eton,
announcing the good news.
The Prince of Wales sent an e-mail congratulating his
eldest son. The Prince, who went to Cambridge, said he
was delighted with his son's results and approved of 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 in a
statement.
Prince William's first cousin and the Queen's eldest
grandson, Peter Phillips, achieved some of the Royal
Family's more respectable A-level results with a B and
two Cs. He has graduated with flying colours from Exeter
University's exercise and sports sciences course. Last
year his sister, Zara, passed three A levels but her grades
were not disclosed. She is expected to study equine
physiology at university.
The academic acievements of the young generation of
Windsors contrast strongly with the results of their
forebears. At Gordonstoun, Prince Charles managed only
two A levels: a B in history and a C in French. Despite his
low grades, he gained a place at Trinity College,
Cambridgeand left with a 2:2 in history.
After Prince Edward was awarded a place at Jesus,
Cambridge - he gained a C in English and D in history and
politics - undergraduates signed a petition against
favouritism. Prince Edward graduated with a 2:2 in
history. The Princess Royal did worse than her brothers,
passing only two A levels, a grade D in history and an E in
geography. She turned to sport and became an Olympic
horsewoman.
The Duke of York passed three A levels, but his grades
were too poor for any university so he went straight into
the Royal Navy.
Princess Margaret's son, Viscount Linley, left school at 18
to pursue a career in the design world and his sister, Lady
Sarah, went to art school having passed one A level - art.
Prince William's efforts are all the more creditable
because his mother, the late Diana, Princess of Wales,
never sat A levels, achieving the distinction of one CSE -
equivalent to a low grade at GCSE - in domestic science.
She once told a 15-year-old boy that she could not
answer a Trivial Pursuit question because she was as
"thick as a plank".