...for April 2002 April 19, 2002 -

• Prince Charles, Prince Harry, and other royals attended a memorial service for Princess Margaret today. Prince William was not in attendance it appears.

April 14, 2002 -

• William is dropping his art history course at university - because it bores him, the Sunday People can reveal. The royal Action Man will instead study for a degree in geography - a subject more in keeping with his love of travel and the outdoors. The swap should calm Prince Charles's growing fears that his 19-year- old son was so fed up he was about to quit St Andrews University in Scotland. William's interest in geography was sparked when he joined Operation Raleigh, an adventurous expedition to Chile, during his gap year in 2000. A senior royal aide said: "It gave him the desire to see the world, explore different places and learn about the environment and conservation. "He knows he will find those topics far more rewarding than dry and boring books about old paintings. They are all part of the geography course at St Andrews." The aide added: "He thought he would enjoy history of art, but that was before Operation Raleigh." There had been fears Wills was so disillusioned that he was thinking of moving to Edinburgh. Senior academics at St Andrews are concerned about him changing course halfway through his first year - but hugely relieved that he isn't leaving. The aide said: "He is still in the early stages of his course so there is plenty of time to change without damaging his prospects."
  
  
• Harry wants to follow his brother William to St Andrews University - and he even wants to study the same subject. Harry, who is regarded by his schoolfriends at Eton as a brilliant artist, has told close friends he has set his heart on taking a History of Art degree like William. Harry's current work towards his art A-level is said to be heavily influenced by late German artist Kurt Schwitters, who made collages out of everyday rubbish. The secret plan has already been discussed by Prince Charles and Harry's housemaster at Eton, Andrew Gailey, who also studied at St Andrews. Harry, 17, is predicted to get A grades in his History of Art and Art A-levels. He is expected to gain at least a C in his other subject, geography. These grades would be easily enough to let him claim a place alongside his brother William, 19, who is in the first year of his four-year degree course. A source at Eton said: "Harry has been telling everyone in his circle that he wants to follow in William's footsteps. St Andrews is renowned for having one of the best History of Art courses in the country. The fact that William is already there is another plus- point." Last summer Harry passed 11 GCSEs at top grades, one fewer than William. But before enrolling at St Andrews Harry is keen, like William, to have a gap year. It's understood that Harry, who has joined in the rough and tumble of the Eton Wall Game while at school, wants to spend at least part of the year with the Welsh Guards - part of the Household Division which is responsible for guarding the Royal Family. He has also discussed attending the military academy at Sandhurst with Mark Dyer, his father's former equerry. Dyer, 35, himself a former Welsh Guard, has become a key figure who is often consulted by both young princes. He is so trusted that he was invited by Charles to join Harry on his visit to a South London drug rehabilitation centre after he admitted smoking cannabis and drinking heavily. If Harry does take a year out he would go to St Andrews in autumn 2004 when William would be starting his final year. William has backed Harry's choice of university, dismissing previous reports that he wanted to quit St Andrews because he was bored. St James Palace sources say Prince Charles believes that headstrong Harry would benefit from studying alongside his brother. He feels that St Andrews, which has just one cinema and no nightclubs, will offer fewer distractions to Harry than other larger cities. Charles has been impressed with senior figures at the university. He believes they have allowed William to enjoy an ordinary student life. And Harry's choice could save taxpayers £3million. The Home Office has spent £1.5million on extra security at St Andrews, including CCTV cameras and 20 extra officers to protect Wills. Experts say the cost of guarding Harry at a major city university could be double that sum. Founded in 1411, St Andrews is acclaimed as Scotland's oldest and most academic university. William was a VIP guest at a recent university fashion show sponsored by Yves St Laurent, sipping champagne in his front row seat as female undergraduates modelled exotic lingerie.
  
  

April 13, 2002 -

• Prince William has returned to St Andrew's while Prince Harry has gone to Scotland with his father and Camilla. He returns to Eton on Tuesday.
  
  
• The Prince of Wales has given Prince William one of the finest sporting guns in the world so that he can pursue his passion for deer stalking. The gun, costing an estimated £20,000, was handmade in Scotland, engraved with a special motif and inlaid with gold. Built around a Mauser action, it is a full-bore sporting rifle of .243 calibre, a weapon designed for a skilled shot. Prince Charles is thought to have made the gift after his son started his studies at St Andrews. The university is about two hours' drive from the Balmoral estate, which is renowned for its deer stalking. Early last year William was given the run of a cottage near Balmoral for use as a weekend retreat while at St Andrews. The prince shot his first deer at the age of 14, prompting protests from animal rights activists. He "took the stag" on the Spittal at the western end of Loch Muick, near Balmoral. The late Diana, Princess of Wales was forced to disclose that she had not fallen out with her son over his enthusiasm for deer stalking. William has also become an accomplished game shot, a passion he shares with the Duke of Edinburgh, his grandfather. Last autumn, Prince Philip entertained William and his friends to a weekend shoot at Sandringham. Charles once justified his love of field sports by telling students at Cambridge: "The fact that I do go hunting is not because I actually enjoy massacring other creatures. I deeply revel in nature; I really do enjoy animals as such. It is part of man's curious instinct over thousands and thousands of years to go hunting, but per- haps my breeding is wrong." That breeding has been passed on to William, who, friends say, is an excellent shot. His gun was made by Michael Lingard, a craftsman based at Friockheim, Angus,near some of the finest country homes in Scotland, including Glamis Castle, where the late Queen Mother grew up. Shotguns and rifles range from the basic, such as those used by Vinnie Jones in the film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, to the elaborate and very expensive. Last week the famous gunmaker Holland & Holland was advertising shotguns and rifles at up to £45,000 each. Lingard prefers a more discreet approach. Well known among collectors and sportsmen, he does not advertise. His prices are a matter for negotiation, depending on the requirements, from type of stock to engraving.Last week Lingard said: "I am sorry, I am not able to talk about this." But other sources said William's gun had a stock of highly prized Turkish walnut. Lingard is known to travel to Turkey to find the right wood. The floor plate of the gun was engraved by Alan Brown, a craftsman in such demand that there can be a waiting list of years for his work. Charles offered to have William's coat of arms engraved on the gun but his son, known for his dislike of royal distinction, preferred a simple W. Up to 30,000 deer a year are culled in Britain to control the population. Older animals are often shot to prevent them from starving in winter. Animal rights activists, however, have complained that deer are being killed by sportsmen to provide venison for Sainsbury's, under a deal brokered by Charles. The prince asked Sainsbury's last year if it could help venison dealers whose businesses had been affected by the foot and mouth epidemic. Activists claim that charging sports shooters to take part in the cull could encourage landowners to allow more deer to be killed.
  
  
• The Mail on Sunday (a tabloid) has published an article saying Prince William is to share an apartment with three undergraduates next year including Fergus Boyd (an Etonian) and Kate Middleton. Kate modelled in the St Andrew's fashion show. Friends say that her and William are not romantic, that she has a boyfriend, and is closer to Fergus.

April 9, 2002 -

• The Queen Mother's funeral took place this morning at Westminster Abbey. At the ceremony, her coffin was moved to Windsor where theere was a private ceremony.
  
  
• Heads bowed, the Queen Mother's four grandsons mounted a poignant vigil over her candlelit coffin yesterday. For 20 minutes Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and Princess Margaret's son Viscount Linley stood motionless at the four corners of their beloved grandmother's purple catafalque in Westminster Hall, London. With sunlight reflecting off the diamond-encrusted crown atop the coffin and six candles gently flickering in the dim 11th century hall, it was a scene of extraordinary dignity and emotion. Their hands clasped in front of them, each grandson - a mute guardian alone with his thoughts - seemed strangely vulnerable in the solemn silence. For the first five minutes of the vigil, the public were forbidden from walking past the coffin. No one said a word and no one moved. Then subdued mourners were allowed to file slowly past as the grandsons stood so still it was impossible to detect their breathing. This was both a public and private expression of grief - and one that was sbathed in royal history. The four men stood in exactly the same positions as George V's sons - King Edward VIII, Albert, George, and Henry - who honoured their father when he was lying in state at midnight on January 27, 1936. Exactly as the grandsons ended their vigil the Queen went on TV to thank the nation for its support over the death of her mother who had left "a void in our midst". Yesterday's moving tribute began at 5.37pm when members of the Royal Family filed quietly and without ceremony into the hall. Princes William and Harry were joined by Princess Anne, her husband Commodore Tim Laurence, son Peter Phillips and the Countess of Wessex who watched from a VIP dais at the side. At precisely 5.40pm there were two knocks on the floor from the Royal Company of Archers, the Queen's personal bodyguard in Scotland, at the top of the West Steps. An oak door swung open and Andrew, in the uniform of a Royal Navy Commander, strode through. He was closely followed by Viscount Linley, who wore a black morning suit. Then came Charles - the Queen Mother's favourite grandson - dressed in the uniform of a Rear Admiral, upright and desperately trying to contain his sorrow. He was followed by Edward, also in a black morning suit. Their arms held straight down their sides, the men walked in unison down the 19 stone steps. Then they slowly walked to their posts around the catafalque, timing their strides so that each reached his corner at the same time - Andrew and Viscount Linley on the east side, Charles and Edward on the west. With three steps each, their gazes fixed ahead, they stood alongside the Archers standing shoulder to shoulder facing out. As the Archers, holding bows, moved off in unison the grandsons took their places, Lord Linley with two short steps, Edward with a single stride. Then at 5.45pm, as Big Ben tolled, the public were allowed to file past and the press were asked to leave. Mourners were joined by William and Harry who left the VIP dais to join the queue paying homage. Talking quietly - and with their faces a picture of controlled emotion - they inched forward with Princess Anne, Commander Laurence, Sophie Wessex and Black Rod. Perhaps out of deference, some in the crowd hardly seemed to notice their presence. Seeing the princes so bravely conceal their grief was a painful reminder of the time they followed their mother Princess Diana's coffin at her own emotional funeral in 1997. The public, some of who had queued for more than five hours, now padded silently forward towards the coffin across the brown carpet on the stone floor. Quiet and subdued the young, the old, smartly dressed businessmen and people in casual clothing streamed in a slow moving river down both sides of the catafalque. For some reason, maybe politeness, the first few hardly glanced towards the grandsons. Then people began stopping to look, one man crouching down to his daughter to point out the tribute. The vigil ended as it had begun, with two knocks on the floor and the opening of the door at the top of the West Steps. The grandsons were replaced by four members of the Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard. Waiting crowds cheered as the three princes and Viscount Linley emerged into the daylight. Charles smiled briefly and waved before being driven away. Andrew also saluted the public. Later, the Duke of Kent and his family paid their respects. The duke spent a short while on the VIP balcony overlooking the catafalque before walking a short distance alongside the public bowing his head to the coffin. Earlier former Premier Lord Callaghan and Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens joined the mourners. Only a few hundred of the tens of thousands of people who have filed through Westminster Hall had the opportunity to see the moving vigil. Several dozen members of the public who left the hall just before it began, were allowed to return to see the four grandsons take their places. However, once in place, mourners were then urged to continue filing through to allow as many others as possible to witness the historic rare occasion. Derek Jhingoree, 41, from Buckingham, said: "It was brilliant and I'm so glad to have seen it. It was certainly worth the wait." Pam Thompson, of Orpington in Kent, said: "There was complete silence. It was an astonishingly reverent occasion. "We wondered why we were told to stop moving all of a sudden. Then the grandsons came in." Christina Moore, of Vauxhall, South London, said: "There'd been some chatter beforehand. But when the princes arrived it all went silent." Mourner Des Cunliffe, 36, from Derby, said: "As you'd expect, the four grandsons all looked very solemn and dignified. Charles was not tearful. But he did look vulnerable and a bit fragile." Sue Copperthwaite, 42, of Barnsley, South Yorks, said: "It was a very moving sight and made all the hours of queuing worthwhile." Olive Snailham, 73, from Surrey, said: "It was very impressive and absolutely right that they did this. The Queen Mother is going to be a very hard person to follow." Linda Yates, 35, living in West London but originally from Kentucky, added: "It was amazing and said so much about the respect for royalty in this country. I think the grandsons looked wonderful and very sombre." Former serviceman Kevin Wadey, 36, from Kent, met the Queen Mother three times and felt it important to take his family to pay tribute. He said: "We keep hearing the Queen Mother was everybody's grandmother and I simply wanted to come and pay my respects. "The fact that we came just at the right time, with the four grandsons making their vigil, was an added bonus." SUPPORT for the monarchy has risen following the Queen Mother's death, a poll showed last night. The survey, conducted by NOP for The Independent newspaper, found only 12 per cent of people wanted the monarchy abolished compared to 34 per cent a year ago. Fifty four per cent wanted the monarchy left as it is now, while 30 per cent felt it should be retained but radically reformed. A year ago, people were evenly divided on whether the country would be better off without the Royal Family. The findings fly in the face of predictions that the Queen Mother's death would spell the end for the Royals. The poll revealed strikingl support for the monarchy among the young. Only 14 per cent of those aged 15-24 wanted to see the monarchy abolished, with 58 per cent wanting it left as it is now and 20 per cent favouring radical reform. Backing for the monarchy was strongest among older people, with 64 per cent of those 65 and above supporting the no change option and 10 per cent favouring abolition. Anti-Royal sentiment was strongest in Scotland, where 21 per cent favoured abolition. In Wales, just nine per cent endorsed abolition.

April 7, 2002 -

• As thousands of Britons paid last respects to the Queen Mother Elizabeth, Princes William and Harry recalled their great- grandmother as a vivacious and inspirational figure who loved "a good giggle," often at her own expense, and once left them howling at her impersonation of a satirical hip-hop comedian. The two princes, giving a rare interview, provided a vivid glimpse of their relationship with the royal matriarch and, with it, unusual insight into a corner of domestic life for Britain's royals. "She had such a young sense of humor. Every single thing that went wrong or was funny for any reason, she laughed herself stupid about it — it kept us all sane," 19-year-old William told the Press Association news agency. The boys remembered how she once astonished them and their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, by mimicking the spoof hip-hop character Ali G when she joined them for a Christmas lunch. After she had finished eating, she thanked her daughter, the queen, by snapping her fingers in imitation of the TV character and blurting his catchphrase, "Respec." The Queen Mother was 101 when she died last Saturday. More than 50,000 mourners queued up this weekend on both sides of the River Thames to pay their respects as her coffin lay in state in Westminster Hall. The teen-age princes honored their great-grandmother by walking in her solemn but elegant cortege on Friday. They spent the past week comforting their father, Charles, the Prince of Wales, who they said was particularly close to the Queen Mother. "She gave him a lot of advice and help," William said. "They always joked about everything," added Harry, 17. The princes spoke Friday at York House, their home in St. James's Palace, moments after returning from their somber march behind the Queen Mother's coffin. They remembered their great-grandmother as a singular source of inspiration. "She was determined to do things without help. She always wanted to walk up steps on her own. She was amazing. And she was very interested in everything we did, whether it was school or polo or anything," Harry said. William described how her "great war stories" brought history to life. "I looked up to her because (of) what an achievement it was to live to 101," he said. "She was incredible — nothing stopped her at all. Whenever I felt ill, I always used to remember that in the same circumstances she would battle on, no matter how she felt. She never gave up," William said. The royal matriarch earned the devotion of many Britons with her warm smile and visits to London's bomb-damaged East End of London during World War II. But it was her lighter, mischievous side that seems to have bridged the generations and endeared her most to the youngest royals. "She loved to hear about all my friends and all they got up to, and relate it to her own youth," William said. "And she loved to hear about how much trouble I got into at school." He added: "She loved a good laugh, even if the joke was about her. ... "Anything that was meant to be formal and went wrong, she enjoyed. She would have a good giggle." William and Harry recalled with delight how quickly the Queen Mother picked up on the antics of street-wise character Ali G, played by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. "It was two or three Christmases ago, and we were sitting down watching Ali G on TV," William said of their lunch at Sandringham, the Queen's Norfolk estate. "We were laughing when she came in. She couldn't understand what was going on, so we explained to her what he was doing. She saw Ali G click his fingers and say 'Respec', and Harry and I showed her what to do," William said. Harry recounted what happened afterward. "It was at the end of the meal, and she stood up and said: 'Darling, lunch was marvelous — Respec,' and clicked her fingers," Harry said. William said the entire family burst out laughing, including the Queen. The Queen Mother could be curious about — and bemused at — modern technology, William said. "I was given a mobile phone for Christmas and showed it to her. I invited her to press a few buttons and it kept blinking and flashing at her, until she put it down and said, 'I think I'd better leave that to you'." Still, he said, "She loved seeing what we got for Christmas and asking what was the latest, trendy thing." Last September, William and the Queen Mother had lunch together before he arrived for his first day at St. Andrews University in Scotland. As he set off for St. Andrews, full of anxieties about his college experience ahead, the Queen Mother found words to bring a smile to his face. "As she said goodbye, she said: 'Any good parties, invite me down'," William recalled. "I said 'yes,' but there was no way. I knew full well that if I invited her down, she would dance me under the table."

April 5, 2002 -

• The greatest funeral procession for 50 years is winding its way through London with three generations of the Royal Family following it on foot. The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles and Princes William and Harry are among 14 senior royals accompanying the Queen Mother's coffin from St James's Palace to Westminster Hall where it will lie in state. The teenage princes are bare-headed and dressed in morning suits, in contrast to other family members in their military uniforms. The Queen Mother's coffin, draped in her personal standard and surmounted by her diamond-encrusted crown, was carried from the Queen's Chapel at St James's Palace and placed on a horse-drawn gun carriage. The Royal Family were immediately behind the coffin, followed by members of the Queen Mother's personal staff, including her loyal page William Tallon, known affectionately as "Backstairs Billy". The royal mourners stood in perfect silence for several minutes awaiting the signal to move off on the stroke of 11.30am. A military band played as the half-mile long procession made its way down The Mall, the crown atop the coffin sparkling in the spring sunshine. To the strains of Beethoven's Funeral March, and as the first of a 28-gun royal salute was fired - one for every minute of the procession - the Queen Mother's cortege began its journey to lie in state at Westminster Hall.