PRINCE WILLIAM has decided not to adopt the formal trappings of royalty
when he becomes 18 on Wednesday, St James's Palace announced last night.
He wishes to remain as "William" and does not see any need to be referred to
as "His Royal Highness" until he starts to undertake royal duties later in life.
Although he has been styled HRH since birth, convention dictates that royal
children are not addressed as such until they are 18.
Besides postponing the use of his royal style, the Prince has made it clear that,
for the moment, he does not wish people to bow or curtsey to him. Nor will
staff be expected to call him "Sir". His decision follows a discussion with the
Queen, who approved the arrangement.
A St James's Palace spokesman said: "That is the situation until such time as it
is appropriate to change." The announcement coincides with the most striking
insight into the formative years of a future Sovereign, which can finally be
revealed to the world today by The Daily Telegraph.
Four days short of his 18th birthday, Prince William can be seen as he really
is - not as a public figure but as a self-assured schoolboy with a fine line in
waistcoats and a fondness for the teenage pursuits of millions. His elaborate
uniform as a member of "Pop", the select band of Eton prefects, belies a
spirited individual who has studied everything from music technology to
motorcycle maintenance, who prefers copper bangles to a watch, and who
wears odd socks.
To coincide with the release of today's photographs, by the Telegraph's Ian
Jones, Prince William has also given a brief interview in which he says he is
"uncomfortable" with endless public attention. However, he is grateful to the
media for respecting his privacy during five years at Eton and expresses his
hope that he can enjoy "the same freedom" at university.
Now in the midst of A-Levels, the Prince confirmed his intention to study
history of art at university and has finally disclosed the full results of the GCSE
exams he took in 1997 and 1998. His three A* passes in French, Latin and
biology, five As in English, English Literature, geography, history and Spanish,
and two Bs in maths and additional French are better than had been predicted
and bode well for his A-Levels in history of art, biology and geography.
The indications from St James's Palace are that two Scottish universities,
Edinburgh and St Andrew's, remain the leading candidates as his next place of
learning. A foreign university seems unlikely. He says: "I can honestly say I
haven't thought about it." Decisions about royal duties or a career in the
Services remain a long way off.
The Prince points out that he has no private office and no personal staff.
These, like the formal adoption of his royal style and the other trappings of
royalty, will come only when he feels they are necessary. That means there is
unlikely to be much bowing or scraping in his direction for at least another
four or five years.
Birthday celebrations have been put on hold since his exams do not finish until
a few days after June 21. The Prince says in a written response to questions
submitted via St James's Palace: "I don't have an exam on the day but I will
be studying for my history of art exam the next day."
He is reticent on the subject of a party: "I haven't really thought about it, but
no doubt I will celebrate privately with some friends." Inevitable questions
about girlfriends are avoided - "I like to keep my private life private" - and he
is equally discreet when asked how he deals with so much female attention:
"In my own way. Trying to explain how it might be counter-productive!"
A particular source of irritation is publicists who attempt to forge links
between the Prince and their clients. He says: "There's been a lot of nonsense
put about by PR companies. I don't like being exploited in this way but, as I
get older, it's increasingly hard to prevent."
His musical tastes remain entirely in keeping with his age - dance and pop
music - although he admits that nightclubs are tricky. "I enjoy dancing but
don't go clubbing that often." Despite his fondness for his Pop uniform, the
Prince admits that he is happiest in casual clothes.
Even in this extravagant outfit he exhibits a few unconventional touches. For
example, he can hardly share his father's fondness for tweaking his cufflinks,
since, in the finest traditions of Eton chic, he prefers not to wear any. Nor can
there have been many Eton prefects to be found in a Union flag waistcoat
sporting the motto "Groovy Baby", a catchphrase of the film character, Austin
Powers.
His choice of general studies - cookery, motorcycle maintenance and music
technology - suggest impeccably mainstream teenage interests. With years of
student dinner parties ahead and a motorcycle expected as a birthday present,
they are also very practical subjects.
As a prefect, house captain and an accomplished sportsman with a good
brain, the Prince would seem to have made the best use of his days at Eton.
When he leaves in a few weeks, it will clearly be a wrench. Touchingly, he
says he will not only miss his friends but his housemaster, Dr Andrew Gailey,
"who has been a tremendous support".
Until now, the most famous alumnus of Dr Gailey's house has been the first
Duke of Wellington. It is safe to assume that the portrait of another old boy
will soon grace the walls. As the Eton motto goes: Floreat Etona or "May
Eton flourish". This Etonian certainly seems to have done so.
~*~
Inquiry into royal guard's gunshots(Electronic Telegraph)
By David Graves
AN INQUIRY was launched yesterday to discover why a Scotland Yard
protection officer guarding the Queen and Prince Philip fired his gun twice
despite it having a "safe action system".
Scotland Yard said the officer, attached to the Royalty and Diplomatic
Protection Squad, "accidentally discharged" his weapon in the staff dining
compartment of the royal train. But it was disclosed last night that the
Austrian-made 9mm semi-automatic Glock pistol, widely used by law
enforcement agencies around the world, could be fired only by the trigger
being deliberately pulled.
The "safe action system" is designed to make it impossible to fire if the gun is
dropped or if only lateral pressure is used. The Queen and Prince Philip were
sleeping two carriages away. It is believed that they were not woken.
Although the protection officer, said to be widely experienced with firearms,
was not suspended from duty, he was immediately relieved of his duties and
returned to London pending the outcome of the inquiry.
The gun has been sent for tests at a Scotland Yard laboratory. The officer
fired the first round at 5.30am. The second shot was fired moments later as
the officer tried to make the weapon safe. Scotland Yard said one bullet hit a
table and the other the floor.
The train, which had left London on Wednesday, had halted for the night on
Thursday in a siding in Gwent on its way to Cardiff.
~*~
Royal cousin held over drug(Electronic Telegraph)
A COUSIN of Prince William and godson of Prince Charles has been
arrested and cautioned for possession of cannabis.
Nicholas Knatchbull, 19, and two others were found with a small quantity of
the drug during a party near Eton College. It is the second time that Mr
Knatchbull, an Old Etonian and the great-grandson of Earl Mountbatten of
Burma, has been questioned by police over drugs in the past six months.
He was taken to Slough police station, Berks, on Thursday afternoon together
with Simon Baring, 17, an Etonian, and Sophia Alexander, 20.
~*~
Panic as princely paella survives flood(Electronic Telegraph)
By Sandra Barwick
WHEN Etonians come to choose a course from a long list of general studies
"options", cooking is always one of the most sought-after subjects.
Prince William has proved an eager
student during his final year. At each
lesson, the Prince and five other boys
prepare a three-course lunch under the
guidance of a master's wife. As well as
making and serving the meal, the boys
do all the washing up.
In one lesson, Prince William was
reduced to fits of laughter as he put
together the main course, a paella, with
a friend called Ned. As with any gathering of chefs, there was the odd
disagreement. The Prince said as he went through the recipe step by step: "I'm
just following the orders.
"It usually works out, even though Ned and I are the worst cooks in the
world." "No we're not. We're the best," said Ned. "Gary Rhodes at his best,"
he added as he sprinkled in chopped peppers.
Ned said: "It's like worms." The Prince said: "Oh shut up." "It feels like it,"
said Ned. As he poured in the chicken stock, measure by measure, disaster
struck and he swamped the pan. After noisy guffaws, the Prince finally
regained his composure and reprimanded his friend: "Do something - quickly!"
Eventually, a respectable paella appeared and the class sat down to eat it with
the master and his wife. For some boys, cooking lessons serve a very
practical purpose. One Old Etonian said yesterday: "Because the food isn't
that good, people do their own cooking out of self- defence."
The standard of cooking is rarely high and pasta is a staple. Another former
pupil said: "Anything much more than that is thought a bit poncey."
~*~
He's the height of elegance, just like
Diana(Electronic Telegraph)
By Sandra Barwick
LIKE mother, like son. Prince William has inherited Diana's looks and
elegance as well as the maternal genes that make him the tallest in Royal
Family groups.
The young Prince, whose face could be a
masculine copy of his mother's, is 6ft 2in tall,
towering over his 5ft 9in father. Diana, Princess of
Wales was descended from Charles II, a monarch
who was six feet tall at a time when the population
was much smaller than today.
Her 5ft 10in and physical fitness, founded on a
childhood spent swimming and dancing, made her,
like William, a natural clothes horse.
Unsurprisingly, born to two parents who were both
fitness fanatics and into a family of sportsmen and
women, the Prince is unrelentingly athletic,
becoming Captain of Games for his house before
he became House Captain in April.
He swims so well that he won the 50 metre and
100 metre freestyle competitions at junior level soon after he arrived at Eton,
is now Joint Keeper (captain) of Swimming and he is fanatically keen on
water polo. Like his mother, he loves dancing.
But William is also keen on the sport his father loves: polo, a game which
Diana once said she loved to watch but which her lack of confidence on
horseback meant she never dreamt of playing. Her son has played for Eton at
polo and has a handicap of minus two.
Like his father, the Prince is also keenly interested in the countryside, so much
so that he became secretary of the agricultural society at Eton. Unlike his
mother, whose education was not a priority for her aristocratic family because
she was expected, as a girl, to make a career of marriage, William has had the
best of schooling.
Diana failed all five of the O-levels she took and her self-confidence suffered
as a result. William, by contrast, took 10 GCSEs, scored three A* passes in
French, Latin and biology, five As in English, English literature, geography,
history and Spanish and two Bs in maths and additional French.
The wide-ranging education that Eton provides means the Prince has also
studied divinity, chemistry and physics, plus courses in art, music and design.
He has been taken to watch the Royal Shakespeare Company at
Stratford-upon-Avon, to the National and to plays at the Theatre Royal,
Windsor.
He has acted on stage, taking a small part as an attendant lord in The
Tempest, performed by his house at Eton on Feb 27, 1998, before the Queen
and Prince Philip. Provided he gains three grade Bs at A-level, William can be
reasonably sure of a place to study history of art at any of the 15 universities
that have been rated best at teaching it.
They include University College London, the School of Oriental and African
Studies - which specialises in African and Asian art - the Courtauld Institute,
Nottingham University, Reading and Oxford Brookes. However, although
none demands more than three Bs, most are heavily oversubscribed, with a
dozen or more students applying for each place.
Applicants most likely to succeed are those who have made extensive visits to
art galleries, are familiar with the main European schools of painting and who
can show evidence of a lively interest in the subject. William has been on
school trips to various art galleries, including the National Gallery, Royal
Academy, Victoria and Albert and the Tate.
He has also attended occasional lectures at the Royal Society. In February
1999, he joined Spinks, the art dealers in St James's, on a work experience
course during which he saw the art world from the auction houses and great
galleries to the restoration workshops of craftsmen.
If, as is rumoured, the Prince favours a university in Scotland - where the
course lasts four years rather than three - his choice is likely be between
Edinburgh and St Andrews, which also require three Bs. At both, the teaching
of history of art has been rated "highly satisfactory" - a category below
"excellent".
If he chooses Edinburgh - described by the assessors as an outstanding city in
which to study the subject - he will find the first year consists of a
"straightforward survey of Western art from Leonardo da Vinci to the
present".
St Andrews - where the Prince might feel less in the public eye - has the
second biggest history of art department in Britain after the Courtauld.
Overall, two thirds of those who take a history of art degree obtain a first or
upper second and the employment record of graduates is good.
~*~
Eton, girls and my life in the media spotlight(UK Times)
TO MARK his 18th birthday on June 21, Prince William gave an insight into his feelings about his past, present and future, answering written questions put to him by Peter Archer, the Press Association's Court Correspondent.
QUESTION: What will you be doing on your birthday
and do you have an examination on the day?
ANSWER: I don't have an exam on the day but I will be
studying for my history of art exam the next day.
Q: When will you finish your exams?
A: A few days after my birthday.
Q: When and how will you be able to celebrate your
birthday?
A: I haven't really thought about it, but no doubt I will
celebrate privately with some friends.
Q: Have you enjoyed Eton and what will you miss most
when you leave?
A: Yes, very much. I'll miss my friends and Dr Gailey
[Andrew Gailey, housemaster], who has been a
tremendous support to me. And I've really enjoyed being
able to go about Eton as just another student without the
media attention.
Q: Do you still like the uniform - what is different about
the "Pop's" uniform - and have you enjoyed being in Pop?
A: I've enjoye d being in Pop, which is a school prefect.
I've always liked the uniform, particularly the Pop uniform
which allows you to wear your own waistcoats, and the
stick ups [stiff-wing collar] and tie.
Q: Will you have a gap year and, if so, how will you
spend it?
A: Yes, I will be having a gap year, but at the moment I
prefer to keep the details private until all the arrangements
have been settled.
Q: Which university do you want to go to?
A: Until I know my results, I'm unsure. I know there's
been an awful lot of speculation but you'll have to wait.
Q: What will you study at university?
A: The history of art.
Q: Would you like to study abroad?
A: I can honestly say I haven't thought about it; it hadn't
yet crossed my mind.
Q: Which sports do you enjoy best?
A: I enjoy water polo, football and rugby - mostly team
sports.
Q: What do you do in your spare time?
A: I enjoy being with my friends, going to the cinema, and
watching football and rugby matches.
Q: Do you enjoy reading and, if so, who are your
favourite authors?
A: Yes, when I get the time. I enjoy a wide range of
books but I don't have any particular favourite authors.
Q: What sort of music do you like?
A: Much the same as I did a couple of years ago - dance
and pop.
Q: Do you enjoy clubbing and dancing?
A: I enjoy dancing but don't go clubbing that often.
Q: How often do you manage to get to the cinema, and
what films do you like?
A: I go to the local cinema when there is a good film
showing. I prefer action films.
Q: Do you still shop for your own clothes and what style
do you prefer?
A: Yes; I much prefer casual wear.
Q: How difficult is it to cope with public and media
attention?
A: I don't like the attention. I feel uncomfortable with it.
But I have particularly appreciated being left alone at Eton
which has allowed me to concentrate on my school work
and enjoy being with my friends without being followed by
cameras. I am grateful to the media for helping to protect
my privacy and I hope I can enjoy the same freedom at
university.
Q: How do you cope with the attention of girls?
A: In my own way. Trying to explain how might be
counter-productive!
Q: How do you feel about being linked with
showbusiness personalities like Britney Spears?
A: There's been a lot of nonsense put about by PR
companies. I don't like being exploited in this way but as I
get older it's increasingly hard to prevent.
Q: Do you think you might join one of the Services after
university and, if so, do you have a preference?
A: It's too early to say. I haven't really thought about it.
Q: Have you thought of any other profession?
A: At this stage I just want to get through university. I
know there's been a lot of speculation but the truth is I
haven't made up my mind yet.
Q: When will you begin solo royal duties?
A: My father wants me to finish full-time education before
doing royal duties and so do I. It will be a few years
before I do royal engagements although I expect, as in the
past, I will sometimes accompany my father.
Q: Are you looking forward to it?
A: I don't know because it's a long way off yet; I haven't
really thought about it.
Q: How often do you manage to see family members?
A: As often as I can, especially my cousins.
Q: What do you enjoy most about driving your car?
A: Like anyone my age, it gives me some independence.
Q: Do you have a horse?
A: No, but I ride my father's.
Q: How is your dog, Widgeon, and do you have any
other pets?
A: Widgeon had eight pups about 18 months ago. I have
no other pets.
Q: Now you are 18, will you have your own staff to look
after your diary and correspondence?
A: No, I don't need them. My father's office looks after
my mail and diary, and that will carry on as before.
Q: Do you have a girlfriend?
A: I like to keep my private life private.
Q: Why did you agree to be photographed at Eton for
your 18th birthday?
A: The media have left me alone while I have been at
Eton, for which I am grateful. But I knew there would be
a lot of media interest in my 18th and I didn't want a
whole host of media involved. Neither did I want any
distractions as I was revising for my A levels. So, I agreed
to allow one photographer and a TV cameraman to spend
a little time with me at Eton.