Saturday June 14, 01:03 PM
Britain's Prince William, right, and Prince Harry leave
Buckingham Palace for the
Trooping of The Color at Horse Guards Parade in Central
London, Saturday, June 14, 2003.
(AP Photo/Chris Young/POOL)
Sunday June 22, 01:50 PM
Prince William sits in the Queen's Guard Chamber with
the Shakarimba band, who have been flown in
from Botswana to perform at the Prince's 21st birthday
party on Saturday evening, at Windsor Castle.
The prince has chosen an "Out of Africa" theme for
his party and the more than 300 family and friends
who have been invited have been asked to wear fancy
dress. AFP/Phil Noble
| Being king
is my duty, says Prince William on 21st birthday
LONDON (AFP) - Prince William, the
elder son of Britain's heir to the throne Prince Charles and the late
princess Diana, turned 21 with a pledge to one day serve his country as
king.
The young prince
disclosed his commitment to the crown in an unprecedented interview
ahead of an "Out of Africa" themed ball at Windsor Castle, west of
London, to celebrate his landmark birthday.
"All these questions about do you
want to be king? It's not a question of wanting to be, it's something
I was born into and it's my duty," William told the Press Association,
Britain's main news agency. "Wanting is not the right word. But those
stories about me not wanting to be king are all wrong. It's a very
important role and it's one that I don't take lightly." William, who
is second in line to the throne after his father, added: "The monarchy
is something that needs to be there. I just feel it's very, very important,
it's a form of stability and I hope to be able to continue that." Handsome
and photogenic, bearing a striking resemblance to his mother, William
appears to offer the best chance of survival to a monarchy lacking in
glamour and rocked by scandals for 15 years. In the wide-ranging interview,
William said he hoped to follow in the footsteps of his parents by doing
charity work for the homeless, adding that he had been greatly influenced
by his visits as a young boy with his mother to hostels. "I learned a lot
from it, more so now than I did at the time. It's made me aware and I think
homelessness is one of those topics that people kind of gloss over and
don't really focus on. It is an important issue that needs to be understood
and highlighted. "My mother used her position very well to help other
people, as does my father, and I hope to do the same." William said his
immediate task was to concentrate on completing the last two years of
his history of art course at Saint Andrews University in Scotland. "There
are a few areas that I am particularly interested in but at the moment
I've got to concentrate on university and get through that." William appealed
to the media to continue to allow him privacy while he finished his studies.
"I just really hope that continues because I've had such a good time
in my first two years at Saint Andrews and I would be absolutely gutted
if that disappeared." Among the world's most eligible bachelors, the prince
denied reports he has a steady girlfriend. "There's been a lot of speculation
about every single girl I'm with and it actually does quite irritate
me after a while, more so because it's a complete pain for the girls,"
he said. "I don't have a steady girlfriend... If I fancy a girl and I
really like her and she fancies me back, which is rare, I ask her out,"
said the modest prince. "But, at the same time, I don't want to put them
in an awkward situation because a lot of people don't quite understand
what comes with knowing me, for one, and secondly, if they were my girlfriend,
the excitement it would probably cause." There was plenty of excitement
to be found at William's African-themed birthday bash late Saturday,
with a number of guests turning up wearing leopard skin prints, loincloths
and grass skirts. One guest even came dressed as a banana and another
in a furry lion suit topped with a gold crown. Meanwhile, a six-piece marimba
band from Botswana was providing the music. William, who is teaching himself
Swahili, toured Africa two years ago prior to starting university.
|
Prince William Celebrates 21st Birthday
Sat Jun 21, 8:38 PM ET
By JANE WARDELL, Associated
Press Writer
LONDON - Prince William turned
21 on Saturday, proving himself to be the model of a modern
royal: He wears jeans, loves fast motorbikes, does his own grocery
shopping and holds tight to his independence.
True, William's coming of
age brought new responsibilities for the second in line to the throne. The
day was marked in traditional style with an official poem and newly minted
gold coins.
But the prince also made sure
it was celebrated his way, ordering the royal family — including
his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II — to ditch the usual
formal state function in favor of an African-themed costume party
at Windsor Castle.
William, who is teaching himself
Swahili and has been on safari in Africa several times, said
he wanted to avoid a "sterile" official function and have his relatives
let their hair down.
"I thought it would be quite
fun to see the family out of black tie and get everyone to dress
up," he said.
"My grandmother may be slightly
apprehensive as to what she's going to wear, and what's going
to happen, but she's very much looking forward to it. She's very
positive toward the whole thing."
Earl Spencer, the brother
of the late Princess Diana, was one of the early arrivals for the "Out of
Africa" party, driving through the castle gates dressed in a light-colored
safari-type suit.
Comedian Rowan Atkinson,
better known as the character "Mr. Bean," and his wife followed, both dressed
in linen suits. One partygoer was dressed head-to-toe in a furry lion suit
topped with a gold crown.
A palace spokesman declined
to reveal what members of the royal family would wear.
"They have been wanting to
keep it a secret even from each other so it will be a surprise,"
a spokesman said on condition of anonymity.
The party for more than 300
family and friends was strictly off-limits to the media.
In an interview to mark the
occasion, the sporty prince described his desire to support
charities, following in the footsteps of his mother, Princess
Diana. He also defended his father, Prince Charles, from critics
and described the values he lives by.
"My guiding principles are
to be honest, genuine, thoughtful, and caring," William told
the Press Association, the British news agency.
He also quashed newspaper
speculation he did not want to be king. In the weeks before his birthday,
newspapers speculated William would shun his royal duties and intended to
move to New York after graduation.
"It's not a question of wanting
to be, it's something I was born into and it's my duty," he
said. "But those stories about me not wanting to be king are all
wrong. It's a very important role and it's one that I don't take
lightly."
William said he was greatly
influenced by his visits to homeless hostels as a teenager with
Diana, who was killed in a Paris car crash in 1997.
"I learned a lot from it,
more so now than I did at the time," William said.
"My mother used her position
very well to help other people, as does my father, and I hope
to do the same."
The prince also revealed his
love of fast transport causes his 54-year-old father as much
worry as any other parent whose children do not have round-the-clock
security.
"My father is concerned about
the fact that I'm into motorbikes but he doesn't want to keep
me all wrapped up in cotton wool," he said.
"So you might as well live
if you're going to live. It's just something I'm passionate about."
William spoke fondly of Charles,
saying his father has been an important influence, particularly
on rural issues such as organic farming and sustainability, and
that he deserved more respect from the media.
"He does so many amazing things,"
William said. "I only wish people would see that more because
he's had a very hard time and yet he's stuck it out and he's still
very positive."
Charles is often derided by
the British press as out-of-touch, and his relationship with
the divorced Camilla Parker Bowles has led to some speculation
he should pass his right to the crown on to the popular William.
At just under 6-feet-4, "Wills,"
as he is known to friends and family, is an excellent sportsman
and a competent academic whom royal aides like to portray as an
average young man.
Unlike his father at the same
age, William refuses to be served by a valet or chauffeur. He
shares a flat near St. Andrews University in Scotland with three
other students, does his own shopping at the supermarket, cycles
around town and enjoys a cider in the pub.
He said he has opted not to
use the title His Royal Highness because "I don't want all the
formalities because they're not needed for the time being."
In the latest of a series of
interviews designed to ease William into the spotlight, the
prince wears the jeans and casual shirt uniform of his peers.
But the gold sofa on which he reclines and the sumptuous surroundings
of St. James' Palace, his London home, reveal his blue blood.
William described himself as
"not an over-dominant person," but a necessarily confident one.
"I like to be in control of
my life because I have so many people around me, I can get pulled
in one direction and then the other," he said.
"If I don't have any say in
it, then I end up just losing complete control and I don't like
the idea of that. I could actually lose my identity."
But the royal birthday comes
with more than a big party and William has a few new official
duties, the most important of which is his appointment as a Counselor
of State. The prince, along with five others — including his father,
is delegated powers to act on behalf of the queen, Britain's head
of state.
Britain's poet laureate, Andrew
Motion, gave the prince a gift of two poems — one in rap form
and one a sonnet.
Motion said the tribute, "On
The Record," is a sort of literary double-sided record to reflect
William's role as a "new kind of royal figure," who also retains
traditional responsibilities.
The Royal Mint marked the occasion
by releasing a 22-carat, 1,000-pound gold coin — the highest
face value given to a coin in Britain. Twenty-one of the coins
have been minted and are on sale for 14,500 pounds, or $23,200,
each.
Prince William to Continue Diana's Work
Sat Jun 21, 3:12 AM ET
By JANE WARDELL, Associated Press Writer
LONDON - Prince William pledged
to carry on the charitable legacy of his mother, the late Princess
Diana, as he celebrated his 21st birthday on Saturday.
William's coming of age is
accompanied by a host of new responsibilities for the second in
line to the throne, but the prince is also planning on some fun,
throwing an African-themed dress party.
The royal birthday — the
only event on Britain's social calendar Saturday to rival the release of
the latest Harry Potter book — was also marked with the release of a rap-style
poem by the country's poet laureate.
In an interview to mark the
occasion, William said he was greatly influenced by visits to
homeless hostels as a teenager with Princess Diana, who was killed
in a Paris car crash in 1997.
"I learned a lot from it,
more so now than I did at the time," William told Press Association, the
British news agency, in an interview published Saturday. "It's made me aware,
and I think homelessness is one of those topics that people kind of gloss
over and don't really focus on. It is an important issue that needs to be
understood and highlighted.
"My mother used her position
very well to help other people, as does my father, and I hope
to do the same," he said.
William defended 54-year-old
father Prince Charles, who is often mocked by British tabloids.
"He does so many amazing
things," William said. "I only wish people would see that more because he's
had a very hard time and yet he's stuck it out and he's still very positive."
The prince said he would concentrate
on finishing the last two years of his four-year degree at St.
Andrews University in Scotland before deciding how he would commit
himself to charitable work.
The royal family has allowed
a series of rare interviews and photo sessions with the young
prince as his birthday approached.
On Thursday, "Wills," as he
is known, knocked back liqueurs and joked with photographers
that they were trying to get him drunk as he toured Wales with
his father.
On Friday, the nation saw
the prince in TV footage joking with his father and being teased by his
younger brother Prince Harry, 18, at a polo match.
More frivolity was expected
later Saturday when William is guest of honor at an "Out of Africa"
party for more than 300 family and friends at Windsor Castle.
William, who is teaching himself
Swahili and has been on safari in Africa several times, said
he wanted to avoid a "sterile" official function and have his family,
including grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, let their hair down.
"I thought it would quite
fun to see the family out of black tie and get everyone to dress up," said
William, the picture of a modern royal himself in denim jeans and an open-necked
shirt.
"My grandmother may be slightly
apprehensive as to what she's going to wear, and what's going
to happen, but she's very much looking forward to it. She's very
positive toward the whole thing," he said.
Britain's poet laureate, Andrew
Motion, gave the prince a gift of two poems — one in rap form
and one a sonnet.
Motion said the tribute, "On
The Record," is a sort of literary double-sided LP to reflect
William's role as a "new kind of royal figure," who also retains
traditional responsibilities.
The rap version begins:
"Better stand back
Here's an age attack,
But the second in line
Is dealing with it fine.
___
The sonnet ends:
That's what our `happy birthday' means today:
A wish that you'll be free to claim your
life
While destiny connects with who you are _
A prince and yet familiar common clay;
Your father's heir but true to your own faith;
A mother's son and silvered by her star.
He is beginning to look less like
a soft, pretty Spencer; he has acquired the horsey expression
of the Windsors
Johann Hari
24 June 2003
At last William has admitted to having "anxieties"
about the cruel, weird world of monarchy. Who wouldn't? Solely
because of the tragedy of his genes, he is required to give up
his freedom of religion, his freedom of speech, his right to choose
a career, his right to vote, his privacy, his romantic and sexual freedom...
you get the idea. And, thanks to the joys of monarchy, William - a
randomly selected person who never chose to be a public figure - is a
direct target for terrorists, and most of them aren't comedians.
And yet - despite the very anxieties (stirrings of common sense, more
like) that I have reported over the last year - he has now declared that
"those stories about me not wanting to be King are all wrong... It's not
a question of wanting to be [King], it's something I was born into and it's
my duty."
Princess Diana
Airs:
Aug. 31, 7 p.m. on E! Online
Princess Diana was one of the most celebrated--and
photographed--public figures of the 20th century. At the time of
her royal wedding, this shy Englishwoman seemed to be living a fairy-tale
life, but the story turned tragic as she suffered through an unhappy
marriage to Prince Charles, eating disorders, scandals, a very public
divorce and, ultimately, her untimely death while she tried to escape
pursuing paparazzi. But the tale of the "People's Princess" doesn't
end with her death; her influence continues to be felt by all who were
touched by her life.
What You Don't
Know:
• At prep school, Princess Diana
became an accomplished pianist and won an award for giving the most help
to the school and her classmates.
• Princess Diana had 17 godchildren.
• At her wedding, Princess Diana
wore a silk taffeta dress with a 25-foot train. Her veil was held in
place by the Spencer Family diamond tiara.
• On her last official engagement,
Princess Diana visited the emergency unit of a children's hospital.
• She met Dodi Al Fayed at a
polo match in July 1986.
• Princess Diana auctioned her
clothes to raise money for charity. Christie's in New York raised
millions auctioning 79 of her dresses.
• More than 1 million people lined
the streets of London to say goodbye to Princess Diana. A further
2.5 billion people worldwide watched her funeral on television.
The memorial fountain looks like a mud hole. There
is a stain on the Royals.
There are stains now on Clarence House. How
dare they do this.
The public that loved Diana will never forget
her, never.
