PRINCE WILLIAM, who is on Army survival exercises
deep in the Central American jungle, is considering a
career in the Armed Forces when he leaves university.
The teenager's surprise decision to spend time with the
Welsh Guards in Belize is the clearest evidence so far that
he may follow in the footsteps of his father, grandfather
and two uncles, all of whom had military careers.
A senior royal courtier said last night: "It is still very early
on, but Prince William is definitely considering going into
the Army. He loves the outdoor life."
Prince Charles suggested the expedition with the Welsh
Guards, which would be the regiment Prince William
would almost certainly apply to join. He is spending the
next four days in the jungle, sleeping in a hammock
covered in mosquito netting, taking part in marches, as
well as ambush and hand-to-hand combat exercises. The
Prince will be invited to join in all the activities of his
Welsh Guard companions, with the exception of live firing.
"He won't be firing any weapons," an Army spokesman
said.
Although the Army jungle training programme in Belize is
normally reserved for the military, an exception has been
made for Prince William to give him a taste of the soldier's
life. The temperature in the rain forest is 27C (80F) but
the humidity, which makes the conditions so harsh, is 90
per cent.
The fascination with the Armed Forces - Prince Charles
and the Duke of York joined the Royal Navy when they
had completed their education - has been encouraged by
one of William's closest confidants. Mark Dyer, 34, who
was a Captain in the Welsh Guards, has helped Prince
William to devise his gap year programme.
The officer, known as Captain Charming by the female
staff at St James's Palace, was an equerry to the Prince of
Wales, who regards him as an important sounding board
over his son's future.
Prince William, who was a member of the Combined
Cadets Force at Eton, has also been influenced by the
example of Prince Felipe, the 32-year-old heir to the
Spanish throne, who combined his interest in yachting with
serious academic study and a three-year stint in the
Armed Services.
The Prince of Wales has given discrete encouragement to
his heir's military pretensions. Last year he took his sons
to watch a mock Army attack on an airport, complete
with exploding bombs, at Wattisham Airfield, Suffolk.
Prince William, who has been accepted for a four-year
history of art course at the University of St Andrews, is in
communication with his father from Belize by mobile
telephone and e-mail. The Army has kitted him out in
combat uniform suitable for the heat and humidity of jungle
life and he is having to live on "compo" rations, including
boil-in-the-bag curry and stew.
Marching through the rain forest can be an exhausting
experience for anyone unused to exerting himself in such a
dense and humid environment, but Prince William will be
looked after as part of the Army's traditional
"buddy-buddy" system, under which one soldier is teamed
with another to ensure each other's safety in difficult
environments.
The Prince's uncle, the Earl of Wessex, faced some of the
toughest conditions when he signed up for the Royal
Marines, at the behest of his father, and carried out the
legendary endurance course. The military life did not suit
Prince Edward, who left the Marines and went to work
for the Really Useful Theatre Company.
At the end of his jungle experience, Prince William will be
able to relax at the adventure training location at St
George's Caye, a scattering of small islands off Belize,
where the permanent detachment of about 20 British
Army instructors provide scuba diving over the barrier
reef, windsurfing and sailing.
When the military stint is completed, Prince William will
go on a private educational course. He will then spend
time on his father's Duchy of Cornwall properties and visit
Poundbury, the suburb of Dorchester designed according
to the Prince of Wales's environmental principles.
~*~
William's troops hurt in Belize(UK Times)
BY ROBIN YOUNG
THIRTEEN British soldiers have been injured on a jungle
warfare course in which Prince William is taking part. The
soldiers, on exercise in Belize, were hurt when their truck
crashed off a jungle track.
Most of the hurt soldiers suffered cuts and bruises but two
were more seriously injured, though it is not yet known
how badly. The accident happened two days before the
Prince joined the Welsh Guardsmen.
An Army spokesman said last night: "There was an
accident. A four-tonne truck was involved. The Army will
launch an investigation to find out what happened."
The Prince has now joined the 140 soldiers on the
six-week course. During his stay he will sleep in a
hammock slung between trees, eat army rations and wear
jungle combat uniform but will take part only in "low-level"
training without weapons.
He will also have the chance to go scuba diving on one of
the world's largest barrier reefs, 19 miles off the Belize
coast.
A spokesman for the Welsh Guards said yesterday: "On
an exercise such as this soldiers will be adapting to the
environment, practising how to move in the jungle and
learning how it is difficult to fight in the difficult terrain.
~*~
Queen gives to 50ft cross appeal (Electronic Telegraph)
By P J Bonthrone
THE Queen has made a donation to an appeal for money for a 50ft Jubilee
Cross to mark the millennium.
She is believed to have acted after reading reports of plans to erect the cross,
which was the idea of the late Cardinal Basil Hume, on the piazza outside
Westminster Cathedral. The project will cost around £50,000, of which
around £32,000 has now been raised or pledged.
It has the support of most Christian denominations, and donations have been
received from Jews and Muslims. Early donors included the
Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, and
Conrad Black, the chairman of The Daily Telegraph. If sufficient funds can be
raised, it will be dedicated on Nov 29 this year.
The project organiser, Father Michael Seed, told The Telegraph in June that it
was hoped that the ceremony would be attended by a member of the Royal
Family and the Prime Minister. He said last night: "The Queen has made a
donation. She read about it in the press and responded the same day.
"I have received a letter from Balmoral in which Her Majesty sends us her
best wishes for the fund." Of the other gifts he said: "I am amazed at the range
of donations, from all over the United Kingdom." Gen Sir Charles Guthrie,
Chief of the Defence Staff, has agreed to MoD assistance, probably with
erecting the cross.
Designed by mural painter Alan Dodd, the cross has its precedent in one
which stood on the site during construction of the cathedral. Now under
construction in Dewsbury, West Yorks, it will eventually be returned to stand
at Ampleforth Abbey, where Cardinal Hume was monk and Abbot.
The plan was conceived in 1999 when the Archbishop of Westminster
declared at an ecumenical gathering that "the Crib is more important than the
Dome". His fellow guests, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George
Carey, and other national church leader, agreed. Cardinal Hume, who
developed cancer, did not live to see his dream realised.
Donations for the Jubilee Cross should be sent to Fr Michael Seed,
Ecumenical Officer, at Cathedral Clergy House, 47 Francis Street, London
SW1 1QJ. Cheques should be made payable to Westminster Cathedral.
~*~
William: The student
Prince(BBC News)
By Chris Jones of the news profiles unit
The handsome young Prince's blond locks could
be turning to grey before he ascends the
throne but, long before that, he is likely to
become the foundation stone of the
monarchy's public standing among its subjects.
His decision to study at Scotland's oldest
university, St Andrews, was an easy one to
make for an 18-year-old aware that he can
never live among the people, but intent on
sharing at least some of their experiences.
A generation ago, a
committee of advisers
had decided his father
would attend Trinity
College, Cambridge,
even though Charles's
subsequent A-level
grades would not have
earned him admission
to the hallowed halls.
But William had
determined to go to
Cambridge only if his
grades merited a place,
and he knew that was unlikely.
But he still needed to satisfy St Andrews'
requirements.
And so, far away in the jungle of Belize, where
he is on exercises with the Welsh Guards in the
first stage of his gap year, the Prince will have
felt the odd twinge of nervousness like
thousands of others before his housemaster at
Eton telephoned him with the glad tidings.
And when the Prince arrives in the wide open
spaces of Fife to start his four-year History of
Art MA (Honours) course in the autumn of next
year, he will be content in the knowledge that
his three passes, an A.B and C, have earned
him his place.
Almost from the day he was born, tradition has
not been ignored, but qualified.
William Arthur Philip
Louis Windsor was
initially breastfed by a
mother intent on
bonding with her child.
At Diana's insistence,
the baby Prince went
with her to Australia,
where Brisbane
subjected them to a
sweltering 100 degrees
in the shade.
Unlike previous heirs to
the throne, who were
taught at home by private tutors in their early
years, William's formal education began, at the
age of three, at Mrs Mynor's Nursery School in
Notting Hill Gate, West London.
Aged eight, the Prince was sent to Ludgrove
Preparatory School in Wokingham, Berkshire,
where his bodyguard could not prevent an
accident with a golf club that fractured
William's skull. But Princess Diana insisted he
should spend the weekends at home.
At 13, he passed the Common Entrance exam
and went to Eton, where he gained 12 GCSEs,
excelled at a variety of sports, was secretary
of the renowned Agricultural Club and received
the Sword of Honour, the College's highest
award for a first-year army cadet.
So much for the CV. But how is William
equipped to deal with the pressures that will
arise in a life subjected to intense scrutiny?
He has already endured, with dignity, some of
the toughest experiences any life could
encounter - the break-up of his parents'
marriage and the sudden death of his mother in
1998.
While he has
apparently inherited his
mother's milk of human
kindness, his
relationship with his
father is also an
affectionate one,
notwithstanding
William's frequent
assertions of his
independence.
The pin-up Prince, with
his love for club-life
and designer-label clothes, may appear to be
the essence of cool, lusted after by millions of
teenage girls.
But he also acknowledges Royal traditions, and
is thought likely to serve part of his King's
apprenticeship in a military uniform.
The publishing director of Burke's Peerage,
Harold Brooks-Baker, says despite William's star
quality, the Queen could not abdicate, even if
she wanted to, which means if Charles lives
longer than his mother, he will be King.
But he says William remains "the best bet for
the Royal Family, even if the public have to
wait more than 20 years to see him crowned".