'William Wales' Graduates From College
Oct. 6, 2005 — -- For four years, "William Wales," aka Prince William, second in line to the British throne, enjoyed the relative quiet of his Scottish university life.
But when the 23-year old royal hunk left the University of St. Andrews with a diploma in hand in June, many expected him to take on a more public role at the palace.
The globe-trotting Queen Elizabeth II hoped to get No. 2 to the throne to step up to the "Buckingham" plate and do some handshaking and ribbon-cutting in her place. He did just that this summer by visiting far-flung islands representing Britain. Now he's "farming" before he has to shape up for the military academy. Ultimately, though, Wills has no choice but to settle in London and join the family business.
Reality Doesn't Bite
Wills' schedule after school let him stay out of the fray.
First stop: New Zealand for a part-time official gig accompanying the British and Irish Lions rugby team. Reality doesn't bite when you've got sun, sports and plenty of beer flowing as your first post-college job.
The prince flew solo on this one, representing the queen. And unlike her, he laced up his booties and practiced with the lads.
With that first official tour of duty done, Wills was likely in grandma's good graces, which bought him more time.
Following in Diana's Footsteps
William has told his college buddies that he would like to return to Africa and pursue Princess Diana's humanitarian efforts fighting landmine proliferation and raising money for AIDS.
Prince William was especially close to his mother who died when he was 15. The prince helped plan his mother's funeral and suggested that Elton John, his mom's friend, sing "Candle in the Wind." William walked in the funeral procession with his father, brother, uncle (Diana's brother, Charles Spencer) and grandfather (Prince Philip).
After high school, William took a year off and spent some time in Chile and in Africa. Like his mother, William is said to dislike the excessive royal protocol so getting away is probably a godsend. Just like Diana though, perhaps he's thinking that humanitarian causes will help him step out into the world while at the same time helping others. Mommy would be proud!
Wills' passport will likely darken with stamps as he jet-sets to Africa, the United States, Spain, Portugal and most definitely, India.
"I have so many things I want to do, and I am scared -- really scared -- that I won't have enough time to see them through. It's as if the clock is ticking already," he told The Daily Mail, a British paper.
Tick-tock, tick-tock, indeed, since daddy has supposedly put a limit on his eldest son's gallivanting about the globe. Royal sources say that the palace wants to keep the prince "busy" with projects so that it doesn't look like he's partying at taxpayers' expense.
He's not partying these days as he embarks on a "farm" job. No heavy lifting, I assure you, Wills is "managing" daddy's friend's estate, Chatsworth House. The prince would like to pursue countryside management, a fancy term for gentleman farmer allowing one to wear "green wellies" (rubber boots) and get out of London's traffic-infested center.
Putting On Hold the Royal Career
Another way to avoid the family business a little longer will be to follow his warrior (and less academic) brother, Prince Harry. The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst will soon have two "Officer Wales" in their midst. Sources close to Wills say he plans to don army fatigues in January.
It's a tradition for royal males to serve in the armed forces. Prince Charles holds honorary ranks, including vice-admiral in the Royal Navy, lieutenant-general in the British Army and air marshal in the Royal Air Force.
Prince Andrew served in the Royal Navy and retired as a commander.
But these are different times with England at war. The last English king to lead his forces into battle was George II in 1743. Not exactly yesterday.
It's fine to follow tradition but this isn't skeet-shooting in the country. It doesn't seem to frighten William, who declared, "If I was to join the Army I'd want to go where my men went, and I'd want to do what they did," according to Hello magazine.
Bummer for his girlfriend Kate but then again she hasn't been forgotten.
Wills Sans Kate?
While Wills learns the finer details of combat, his sweetie pie Kate Middleton has already undergone a different sort of training.
The 23-year-old brunette has had several meetings with the queen. Clarence House has given her lessons in how to handle the paparazzi as she becomes a more permanent fixture in Wills' life.
Sounds like the eventual king is going public with something we all knew.
For the past two years, William and Kate have shared an off-campus cottage with fellow students. And she's not hiding in the background; she's accompanied Wills on family ski trips to Switzerland.
Does that mean one of the world's most eligible bachelors will tie the knot post-college? The hunky blond babe has repeatedly said that he's not ring shopping for at least another five years.
William is free to marry whomever he wants except if he wants to inherit the throne. Marrying a Roman Catholic means he loses the crown. And until he reaches the age of 25, Wills needs the queen's permission to "live happily ever after" with his dream girl.
Living together doesn't shock anymore. The very wealthy future king has supposedly been apartment hunting in London for a place with room for Kate and himself.
The palace also seems to have eased some of its restrictions since Charles and Diana got married (remember the dress was white, not cream, when she walked down the aisle with Charlie?).
But does Kate want to hang around while Cadet Wills trains with the boys at Sandhurst?
She joined William for part of the summer to work on her tan and has settled in London hoping to score a job at an art gallery. No worries about rent or getting hit on by fellow city dwellers. Wills is footing the bill for his girlfriend's bodyguard.
Prince Charles reportedly has given his blessing to his son's relationship with Kate. Perhaps he sees her as a way to keep Wills close to home. Although if Prince William's popularity catapults him past his father to the throne, does daddy really want his son to step out from his shadow?
Brightest Heir?
The second in line to the throne definitely has the smarts to be a king. He kicked butt at St. Andrews. He got better grades than his father did in his university career, despite reportedly considering dropping out his first year.
Acclimating to Scotland and campus life as a "regular student" took its toll on the Eton graduate when he first started school in 2001. By Christmas though, his uneasiness had worn off. It probably helped that the palace got the British media to back off and let William study in peace in return for guaranteed photo and interview opportunities. The paparazzi "willingly" agreed after they were more or less blamed for Princess Diana's fatal car crash in Paris in 1997.
Some say he stuck it out thanks to his on-again, off-again girlfriend who mentored him on and off campus.
Switching majors from art history to geography, Prince William received a 2:1 grade, which translates to "cum laude." His daddy graduated with a 2:2 grade, basically a "laude" from Trinity College in Cambridge.
But Charles didn't mind being bettered by his son. He was "delighted," according to his office at Clarence House. The queen even plans to attend William's graduation.
The prince was able to access the final results of his master of arts degree on the university's Web site on June 11. The good grades ended up being a perfect gift for grandma's 79th birthday celebration the next day.
She probably pestered him about his future plans. Did Wills fess up and say he wanted to take some time off? Or did he reassure the queen that he'd be glad-handing his subjects as soon as possible?
Looks like he told her he would be a dutiful grandson if he could get some acknowledgment from the top dog regarding his private life so that Kate could tag along on his royal missions.
Meanwhile, Wills is just like any college grad. He's barely left campus and his alma mater's already trying to get him to pitch in and contribute to the university fund.
Good luck William, because you probably won't get away with complaining about your crushing student loans or lame office job.