...for April 2003

April 30, 2003 -

• Harry is crowned the prince of hearts
  
  Prince Harry has beaten his brother William to be crowned the favourite young Royal, after a survey of girls aged 10 to 14. The poll among readers of Mizz Magazine found 72% overall fancied Harry over his older brother.
  
  The survey shows wide variations across the country, with as many as 81% of girls in Wales choosing Harry over William, followed by 76% of readers in London.
  
  But before Prince William becomes too concerned that his younger brother has stolen all the young hearts, the poll did reveal that Scotland remained loyal, with 82% of readers saying they preferred him. Sharon Christal, editor of Mizz, said: "Our readers love Harry's fun, devilish ways and his wacky hairdo - at last, a student Royal who doesn't know what a hairbrush looks like and doesn't care."
  
  

April 29, 3003 -

• Prince Harry will lead Eton parade
  
  Prince Harry was said to be "delighted and honoured" yesterday after beating stiff competition for the role of Parade Commander for the annual tattoo of the Combined Cadet Forces at Eton College next month. The 18-year-old Prince, who is rumoured to be considering a military career, will give the command to march to the 48-strong Guard of Honour as it moves on and off College Field on May 29. He was selected to play the pivotal role after excelling as a cadet at Eton. Prince William was also a member of the Eton cadet forces but was never accorded the honour.
  
  "It is a huge, huge honour," said a source. "He's trumped his brother on that one."
  
  Prince Harry, who has earned a reputation as an athletic and tough sportsman during his time at Eton, will also be responsible for the rehearsals for the parade. He is expected to set the standard for other cadets and to ensure their good turn-out, conduct and progress in learning military drill. On the day he will salute the Inspecting Officer and conduct him through the inspection of the cadets.
  
  "The Parade Commander has to remain calm and collected throughout the tattoo and will be in the spotlight," said an Eton spokesman.
  
  If Prince Harry does opt for a military career he will follow a family tradition. The Duke of York was a Commander in the Royal Navy, the Prince of Wales and Prince Philip also served in the Navy, while Prince Edward quit after training with the Royal Marines.
  
  
• Charles, Camilla move in
  
  PRINCE Charles and his sons William and Harry along with Camilla Parker Bowles will move into the late Queen Mother's former home, Clarence House, within the next few months. A spokesman said yesterday the palace was being renovated at a cost of $13 million – a bill that will be picked up by the British taxpayer. Prince Charles is believed to have spent some of his own money on parts of the refurbishment.
  
  Princes William and Harry will also leave York House, which is part of St James's, to move to Clarence House. The two compounds are at either end of Pall Mall. Prince Charles is believed to have kept much of the atmosphere of Clarence House as a memorial to his grandmother, who died last year.
  
  Ms Parker Bowles, Prince Charles's longtime mistress, will not officially live there but will keep her home in Wiltshire. But she has played a part in decorating the palace and will have offices and an apartment of her own with perhaps a small staff. In practice, she will share Prince Charles's quarters.
  
  There have been consistent reports that Ms Parker Bowles had been sidelined by the new staff running Prince Charles's official life headed by Sir Michael Peat. However, she apparently remains one of his closest advisers.
  
  There were reports yesterday that Prince William had opted out of any big public 21st birthday bash in June, preferring to delay his entry into public life until he finishes university. For the first time Clarence House will open to the public, from August 6 to October 17.
  
  

April 27, 2003 -

• Prince William turning into royal party pooper
  
  London - Efforts to coax Prince William into shouldering a public role have backfired after he refused to host a charity pop concert to mark his 21st birthday.
  
  The concert, due to be held in Windsor Great Park in June, was intended to raise $1.25 million for a new charitable foundation in William's name. His veto has convinced courtiers that he will not be budged from his determination to avoid regular royal duties until he completes his studies at St. Andrews University in the summer of 2005. It has also stalled efforts to groom him to take over from his father at the helm of the Prince's Trust. Although the Prince of Wales will this year announce record fundraising, up 12 per cent to $130 million, some palace sources suggest that it is time for him to move on. The charity supports deprived young people.
  
  One insider said: "There are signs of a generational logjam. The Queen is reluctant to pass on any responsibilities to Charles, and Charles is too jealous to allow William to take over from him."
  
  The June concert was planned by the same team that organized last year's Party at the Palace, which featured Ozzy Osbourne, Sir Paul McCartney and the Corrs. Senior representatives of St. James's Palace, the Prince's Trust and the BBC were involved.
  
  One palace source said: "This was to be the first of a new summer tradition, switching in coming years to Sandringham, Holyroodhouse and other locations. A different member of the royal family would host it each year."
  
  However, a source in William's camp said: "Why should he be bounced into endorsing an outdoor version of the Royal Variety Show? He is aware that he will have to devote most of his life to the public arena so what is the hurry? He is not the Prince of Wales, so there is no point in making comparisons with his father's age at the time of his investiture."
  
  However, it is thought likely that the Queen will confer some sort of title or honour on William to mark his birthday.
  
  A spokesman for St. James's Palace said of the concert: "Discussions took place but nothing was agreed."
  
  It is thought that William will give an interview next month about his life as a student at St. Andrews, and will carry out public engagements on June 21, his birthday. The Queen is also taking a deliberately low key approach to the 50th anniversary of her coronation. A ceremony at Westminster Abbey, to be attended by the public, was arranged at the request of the church authorities. A children's garden party at Buckingham Palace will have modest sideshows, and will not be covered as a televised event. Other anniversaries have also been played down.
  
  Little was made of the 400th anniversary of the death of Elizabeth I, nor of the subsequent union of the English and Scottish crowns in the person of James VI of Scotland and James I of England. However, the BBC will this week announce that the the Queen has agreed to attend a Promenade concert for only the second time in her reign. The other occasion was to mark the centenary of the festival in 1994.
  
  A concert in her honour on July 30 will be billed as the BBC's "return match" to last year's Prom at the Palace.
  
  
• 'I'm the future King. Wanna pull?'
  
  PRINCE William self-mockingly uses his royal status when chatting up women, according to an intimate new book on the heir to the throne.
  
  The prince, who will celebrate his 21st birthday in June, uses the line: "Hi, I’m the future king. Wanna pull?" according to author Ingrid Seward.
  
  Seward, a renowned royal-watcher, details tensions between what she says is a flamboyant, fun-loving side to William and his intense consciousness, and wariness, of the role he is expected to play in public life. In her book, William and Harry, to be published next month, Seward reveals that William remains self-conscious about his status, making four-letter outbursts when teased over his position as the future king. Seward claims the prince went skinny-dipping with a mixed group of friends last summer, showing his fun-loving side, while he berated a fellow pupil at Eton - the public school he attended before going to St Andrews University - with a foul-mouthed outburst when the boy blocked his path.
  
  The author also reveals that William’s relationship with his brother Harry has improved since William took a gap year out. Harry has been landed with a reputation as a drinker after a string of high-profile escapades, but William was also present at many of these nights-out, according to Seward. The older prince was kept out of the newspapers by officials from St James’s Palace in horse-trading, resulting in William being ‘airbrushed out’ of the stories, it is claimed.
  
  William felt particularly unhappy about the deal because it resulted in a friend, Guy Pelly, being accused of leading Harry astray. William then publicly supported Pelly by inviting him to an England-Ireland rugby game as a sign of loyalty to a friend, royal officials may have preferred he ditched him, said Seward.
  
  Harry had resented his brother, Seward said, but their relationship was much-improved now. "I get on much better with him now. He has changed a lot," Harry said, according to Seward.
  
  The younger prince has often described himself as a minor player in the royal story, said Seward. "I’m not the important one. It doesn’t matter what I do," the author quotes Harry as saying.
  
  Seward also details the turbulent time William suffered in his first year at St Andrews, where he struggled with loneliness in an episode known within the royal household as ‘William’s wobble’. Seward reveals that Prince Charles used the example of his brother Edward, who was lambasted for leaving the marines halfway through his training, to inspire William to stick with his original choice of university.
  
  Seward wrote: "Edward had never lost his image as a wimp after that volte-face. Was William really going to follow in his uncle’s footsteps and be a quitter?"
  
  She added: "He [Charles] promised William his loneliness would pass and dwelt gently on the cautionary tale of his uncle."
  
  The author said William was gradually coming to terms with his public role after a childhood where he was resentful. Seward details an amusing episode involving the prince and his late mother, Princess Diana, in 1997. The pair had been watching a television documentary on the Royal Family which asked viewers to take part in a telephone vote on whether the monarchy should be abolished. Diana is said to have voted in favour of its abolition 250 times. But on a question as to whether Charles should be passed over as king in favour of William, the young prince placed his own vote of no. Seward said Diana told a friend: "I’m not sure he [William] will ever accept it [being king]. It’s everything he doesn’t want to do."
  
  
• WILFUL WILLS UPSETS PALACE WITH 21ST BIRTHDAY PHOTO SNUB
  
  PRINCE William has thrown a furious tantrum over arrangements for his 21st birthday, The People can reveal.
  
  He is refusing to take part in a photocall to mark the event on June 21. And he has yet to carry his first formal Royal engagement which has angered courtiers.
  
  An insider said: "Prince Charles was giving speeches and getting involved with the public long before his 21st birthday, but William just seems to want to hide. The Palace knows that William is their prize weapon in winning support for the monarchy in the 21st century. But if he is seen to be sullen, petulant and unco-operative that could all change."
  
  William is insisting he will only release selected pictures taken by a photographer of his own choice. His stroppiness comes three weeks before a sensational new book is published lifting the lid on his private life.
  
  William and Harry, by top Royal writer Ingrid Seward, tells how the heir to the throne enjoyed saucy naked romps in a river with a group of skinny-dipping girl and boy pals and has been known to launch a foul-mouthed outburst when recognised in public.
  
  

April 23, 2003 -

• 'MATURED' HARRY IS A GODFATHER
  
  PRINCE Harry may soon be a godfather - as a reward for his growing maturity. The 18-year-old royal has been invited to fill the role for the nephew of his ex-nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke "because of his approachability and easy-going manner".
  
  Her brother, also Harry, sounded out his wife Iona after the arrival of their son Lachie three weeks ago. And she agreed the young prince, who has dabbled in drink and drugs, is now adult enough to cope. Prince Charles is also keen - wanting to increase his son's sense of duty.
  
  A royal insider admitted: "Charles hopes it will be the making of Harry. This is not to be taken lightly."
  
  Harry will be following in the footseps of brother William, who was a godfather at 16 to Constantine Alexious, second child of Greek Crown Prince Pavlos.
  
  Mr Legge-Bourke, 30, a former Welsh Guards captain, said: "It's not really done to talk about these things, but we expect Harry to be at the christening."
  
  

April 21, 2003 -

• Harry's 20-a-night habit
  
  Prince Charles has told friends of his grave concern about his youngest son's chain-smoking. Charles, who is known to watch closely over Prince Harry after he admitted smoking cannabis two years ago, is said to be "very worried" about his son's habit.
  
  Charles is known to hate smoking, but his 18-year-old son has developed a taste for cigarettes and often smokes a packet of 20 on a night out. His preferred brand is Marlboro Lights.
  
  At a recent party he was seen smoking one cigarette down to the butt before immediately lighting another. A royal insider said: "Harry has been chain-smoking for years. His dad nags him constantly about it but he really doesn't care. Harry just does his own thing and won't listen to his father's advice."
  
  
• Pink Set To Play Prince William's 21st
  
  Wild-child singer Pink is set to appear at British Prince William's 21st birthday in June. The Prince, who is a big fan of the Get the Party Started hitmaker has put her on a wish-list of artists he wants to appear at his party.
  
  The handsome blonde is having a formal coming-of-age bash at Windsor Castle on the actual day of his birthday on June 21. But it's at the unofficial event, which is expected to take place at Highgrove where he plans to hold a private pop concert for pals.
  
  A pal says, "Prince William is very happy with the Windsor Castle event, but he also wants a party that won't be as formal where he can let his hair down with his friends. He feels that a party with big bands performing will be much more enjoyable for his group of young friends."
  
  He adds, "He knows it's going to be difficult to get Coldplay as they are touring overseas but he's made it clear he would like them there. It's also the same with Pink who is busy recording an album at present."
  
  

April 20, 2003 -

• Royals of the Rovers
  
  PRINCES William and Harry take each other on at football - and, no, neither is playing for Palace!
  
  The pair showed off skills worthy of comic strip legend Roy of the Rovers during a friendly clash on the lawn at Birkhall, on the Queen’s Balmoral estate. Each captained a side made up of friends, members of staff and royal protection officers, as dad Prince Charles sat watching in the sunshine with Camilla Parker Bowles.
  
  Aston Villa fan William wore a shirt with "Wales" - the surname he uses - written across the back and the number 20, his age.
  
  Arsenal-mad Harry, 18, wore a T-shirt supporting a polo charity, which gives financial aid to seriously injured players and grooms. The Princes borrowed some No Waiting signs from the estate to use as makeshift goalposts for the Easter Saturday game at the former home of the Queen Mother.
  
  Both managed to put a couple away - although Harry hotly disputed one of William’s goals as being offside.
  
  After an hour, they called it a day and relaxed with cool drinks - presumably served by a footie-man. But when somebody asked the final score, nobody was quite sure.
  
  At least, as Royals, they could both reply: "One won".
  
  

April 13, 2003 -

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