Prince William Coy About Marriage Rumors in New Documentary
William says his heart is with the Army and he wants to go to Afghanistan.
Oct. 21, 2010— -- Royal watchers, gossip columnists and biographers have all named 2011 as the year Britian's Prince William will finally tie the knot with longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton, but the prince himself is still being coy.
"There is always speculation," Prince William said as part of a documentary that aired on Britain's Sky News. "But, you know, it comes with the job, so get on with it."
The interview was shot over the summer during William's trip to Africa with his brother, Prince Harry, to carry on their charitable work.
William said he is resigned to the fact that his personal life will always be headline news.
"Like I said, again, everyone has their own problems. It just happens to be a slight disadvantage," he said. "But you know, I'm very lucky to be in my position, so why complain?"
The latest marriage rumors are that Prince William will officially ask his grandmother, the queen, for permission to marry over Christmas and that the wedding will be held during the summer.
So sure are British bookmakers that the wedding will take place next year, they've stopped taking bets.
But royal historian Robert Lacey said he's not so sure wedding bells will ring in the next year. He pointed out that 2012 might make more sense as the queen's diamond jubilee and the London Olympics will also take place that year.
"I think in these tough times we're going to get two celebrations for the price of one," he said of a possible wedding and the queen's jubilee. "But who knows."
The queen's official permission, he noted, is a must, even though there is no indication that the queen has been anything other than supportive of her eldest grandson's girlfriend.
"It's a Constitutional duty," Lacey said. "There are rules about who his wife can be."
Prince William Still Hopeful to Serve With British Army in Afghanistan
Rumors of a possible royal wedding -- the likes of which Britain hasn't seen since the 1981 nuptials of Prince Charles and Princess Diana -- have been swirling for years.
After eight years together, the prince and Middleton, both 27, will have had the benefit of plenty of time to get to know each other, something the prince's parents didn't seem to get enough of.
"They've seen the mistakes that happened with Charles and Diana, their parents," Lacey said.
But for now, the prince is focused on his charity work and his military service. As a qualified military helicopter pilot, William said he still wants to serve in Afghanistan even though his royal status has prevented it so far.
Prince Harry did serve in Afghanistan, but was pulled from the war zone amid kidnapping threats.
"To be honest, my whole heart was in the Army. That's why I joined them and I did everything, as much as could be done. It's just a pity I couldn't get to Afghanistan," Prince William told Sky News. "I still have hope and faith and real determination to get out there."
In the meantime, he'll continue the charity work that Princess Diana was so passionate about.
William said he enjoys the relative anonymity he gets in Africa, where his brother's charity work has made Harry the bigger star.
"I hate to say it was actually quite fun travelling around Africa with Harry," he said.
"Just seeing their smile makes you feel really happy. You know how difficult their life is here, so the fact that they smile so regularly as well to complete strangers shows you how fantastic they are as people," he said. "And I'll definitely come back in the future."