Will and Harry Unlimited

...For April 2004

April 25, 2004 -

Skater Boy

PRINCE HARRY has landed a date with teen rocker AVRIL LAVIGNE — after he persuaded her to sing at the Party In The Park.

He’s thrilled the scruffy Sk8er Boi beauty has agreed to headline the July 11 concert hosted by his dad, PRINCE CHARLES. And the wild-child pair could have a royally good time — because lucky Harry has blagged a VIP backstage pass to meet his idol.

A friend of the party-loving prince told me: “Harry put Avril right at the top of his wish list of performers — and it has paid off for him. He really likes her music and thinks she’s cute. He can’t wait. Not only will he see Avril sing, he’ll also get to meet her backstage and will be able to take a few friends as well. Avril is no doubt very excited too about meeting a member of the Royal Family — and who knows what could happen.”

At least 100,000 fans are expected to pack London’s Hyde Park for the music spectacular in aid of Charles’s youth charity The Prince’s Trust. Harry can look forward to other acts including WILL YOUNG, BUSTED, THE CORRS, NELLY FURTADO, THE CALLING and JAMELIA.

Last week I revealed the event will be presented by GERI HALLIWELL and BLUE star DUNCAN JAMES. At last year’s Party In The Park, Prince Charles cheekily tried to fix up his eldest son PRINCE WILLIAM with bootylicious BEYONCE. Charles chatted with the sexy DESTINY’S CHILD star after she belted out her No1 hit Crazy In Love at the concert.

And he confided to her: “Both my sons have your album — and I think Wills quite fancies you.”

If Harry fancies striking up sweet music with Avril, he’s got tough competition.
Avril's sk8ter prince

AVRIL LAVIGNE may be an unusual match for a royal but the Canadian rocker is going to hook up with England's Prince Harry. Destiny ... Harry, left, and Avril already share a love of Australian animals. The fun-loving prince picked Lavigne, 19, to headline the annual Party in the Park concert in London and he is reportedly thrilled the grungy singer has agreed to perform.

Harry, 19, will spend time with the Complicated teen idol after managing to get his regal hands on a VIP backstage pass, reported Britain's The Sun today. The tabloid quotes a friend of the red-haired royal as saying the prince is a huge fan of Lavigne.

"He (Prince Harry) really likes her music and thinks she's cute. He can’t wait", the friend said.

"He can't wait ... not only will he see Avril sing, he’ll also get to meet her backstage and will be able to take a few friends as well", the friend said. Avril is no doubt very excited too about meeting a member of the Royal Family - and who knows what could happen."

The concert which is held in aid of Prince Charles’s youth charity The Prince’s Trust is expected to attract thousands of music fans to the capital's Hyde Park on July 11. Harry may have to swap the rugby field for the skate park, though, if he wants to be in with a chance of becoming Lavigne's special Sk8ter boi.

April 24, 2004 -

Rector slams prince's army of American 'stalkers'

IAN JOHNSTON

THE rector of St Andrews University has hit out at the number of female American students who are "stalking" Prince William. Sir Clement Freud, who is 80 today, said he felt sorry for the prince because everywhere he went he was chased by a crowd of "fleet-footed Americans". A network of admirers alert each other to his presence by sending text messages on their mobile phones, he said.

The former MP added: "If he is seen going into a shop or a bar, a text on every female American’s mobile gives the location and it’s like the potato riots."

The rector said other students felt the university was being dominated by "followers" of William. "You suddenly see 120 fleet-footed Americans racing down Market Street. You think either there’s a fire or Prince William. I should think it frightens the hell out of him. He does incredibly well, but it can’t be fun."

Sir Clement said he and William were "related in a sort of way", but he had not actually met the prince at the university. "My daughter-in-law and my son divorced and she married Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer," he said. It would be very silly for rectors to go around saying ‘I hear you are one of my famous students, we must go and have tea together.’"

Sir Clement said the presence of so many of the prince’s fans was disturbing other students who "rightly feel the university will no longer be represented by human beings who live north of the Border, but much more by Prince William’s followers, whose fathers in North Dakota say: ‘Why don’t you go to St Andrews and marry the Prince?’" Meanwhile, Sir Clement is due to appear on Breakfast with Frost tomorrow to review the Sunday papers. He joked: "My wife asked me ‘Will it be live?’ I said ‘That really depends on the next few days.’"
Queen to 'Heal Rift with Spencers' at Diana Fountain Tribute

By David Stringer, PA News

The Queen will seek to heal her rift with the Spencer family by officially opening a memorial fountain to Diana, Princess of Wales, it was reported today. She is expected to make an emotive tribute at the July inauguration of the Ł3 million monument, in Hyde Park. It is thought members of the Spencer family will attend the event alongside the Royal Family, marking their first public appearance together since Diana’s funeral in 1997. Reports also claim that the Queen has been urged to show affection for the Princess, following criticism of the Royal Family’s reaction in the wake of her death.

One adviser to the Queen told the Sunday Times: “She needs to use the world “love“, which was absent in her address on the eve of the funeral.”

It is reported that the Prince of Wales and sons Prince William and Prince Harry will attend the event with the Spencer family, represented by Earl Spencer and Lady Sarah McCorquodale. Work began on the fountain last year at the side of the Serpentine after a design by American architect Kathryn Gustafson was chosen by a memorial committee. Based on a large oval stone ring, water pours into the structure from the top of a hill at the Serpentine Bridge, before running in two directions. In one area it forms a tight, fast-flowing torrent, creating water jets, while in the opposite direction water forms a dish that “rocks and rolls” through a gentle incline. Water from both sides collects in a dish shaped pool, which will be shallow enough for children to paddle in. Construction of the 260ft by 150ft fountain was beset by delays and Diana’s mother Frances Shand Kydd criticised the design for a “lack of grandeur“. Buckingham Palace last night declined to confirm whether or not the Queen will carry out the opening ceremony.

April 18, 2004 -

William's team dunked out

Prince William failed to prevent his water polo team from losing in a tri-nations competition in Cardiff. The 21-year-old student joined the Scottish national universities squad to compete for the Celtic Nations cup on Saturday. He took to the pool to try and help his team-mates triumph over Ireland, but they eventually lost 14-7. He had earlier been greeted by an enthusiastic crowd outside the Welsh Institute of Sport in Sophia Gardens. It was the prince's international debut, with him appearing on the team sheet as William Wales. His talents were not called on until the second quarter of the game, after spending the first quarter standing on the edge of the pool cheering his team-mates on. Wearing black and grey Speedos, and a navy blue polo cap, he attracted loud support from Scotland's female swimmers when he helped to prevent the Irish scoring at one point. But his efforts were not enough to hold back the Irish team, who had taken the lead straightaway. The game is noted for being one of the most physically demanding team sports, with squad members frequently substituted.

William was called on a total of three times during the game, and suffered his share of duckings. The prince, who captains St Andrew's university's water polo team, is said to be an attacking player, but left the attempts at scoring in this match to his team's centre player.

Clothes

There are 13 members in a water polo squad - seven in the water, including the goalkeeper, and six substitutes. Before the game began, William had shaken hands with a group of wellwishers outside the venue and autographed programmes for a group of girls who had taken part in a trampolining competition. Casually dressed in a black jacket, faded jeans and worn-in trainers, his appearance prompted Jo Morgan, 75, of Abertillery south Wales to remark: "I think he could do with a new pair of shoes or jeans or something." The Scottish team also lost their second match to Wales, who won the overall competition. Welsh captain Oliver Newcombe said William did not receive any special treatment.

"He played pretty well I think. The standard this year was very hard. We didn't single him out for any special treatment. Water polo is a hard sport to play," he added.

April 17, 2004 -

William makes a splash for Scotland

YAKUB QURESHI

THANKS to the flashbulbs of photographers and the screaming of adolescent girls, the atmosphere was more like a pop concert than a sporting event. But Prince William added a touch of glamour to the normally obscure world of waterpolo when his young fans cheered and gasped each time he got possession of the ball. The handsome prince who, at 6ft 3in, towered above his team-mates in the Scotland universities team, was making his debut in international sport at a pool in Cardiff. Although his team failed to win the Celtic Nations tournament against Ireland and Wales, William put in a solid performance and established himself as the new star of the sport. Not that defeat seemed to matter much to the legion of adoring fans who crowded the Welsh Institute of Sport in Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. They were there to witness a rare public appearance by the prince, who has kept a low profile since starting his degree in St Andrews in 2001.

William, who is studying geography at the university, was following in the tradition of other royals who have made their mark in the sporting world. His father Charles has maintained a keen interest in non-aquatic polo through the decades, while Princess Anne has represented Britain in the Olympic equestrian team. Clad in black and grey Speedo trunks and blue swim cap, the 21-year-old royal pin-up made his debut representing Scotland. The second-in-line to the throne, or Number 12 in the team, started the game on the substitutes’ bench but was called on by his coach after a few minutes of play. The prince produced no goals during the match and on his first touch of the ball overthrew a pass, allowing his opponents to gain possession. He did secure a huge cheer from the assembled fans when he prevented the Irish team from scoring. The fast-paced game can prove extremely exhausting for players, and is not without some dangers. Players, including William, were ducked under the water and roughly tackled by the opposing side. Organisers of the event had correctly anticipated that the venue would be overrun by the prince’s adoring fans, warning the families and friends of players to apply early for tickets. A tough and demanding sport, waterpolo originated in the rivers and lakes of England during the mid 19th century as a version of rugby in water.

There are 13 members in each squad, seven in the water, including the goalkeeper, and six substitutes, and due to the exhausting nature of the sport all substitutes get a chance to play. Under the rules, players pass the ball to each other and must swim around the pool without touching the bottom. Goals are scored by throwing the ball past the opposing goalkeeper into the net.

William arrived at the venue earlier in the day in a four-wheel drive vehicle accompanied by his bodyguard, only to be mobbed by leotard-clad girls who had just emerged from a trampolining event. Dressed casually in a black jacket, faded jeans and worn trainers, he signed programmes and shook hands with his teenage admirers. But it was not just adolescents who were impressed with the prince’s charming manner.

Susan Beckford, 49, from Kent, who was accompanying one of the trampolining groups, was stunned at meeting the royal. "He shook my hand. I’m a great royalist," she said. Yesterday was also the prince’s first public appearance following speculation that he was in a romantic relationship with a friend from university. Relationships between the royals and the media have been strained lately following the perceived failure of the press to honour an agreement protecting the privacy of William during his university years. St James’s Palace officials refused to comment on rumours that the prince was dating his St Andrews flatmate, fellow student Kate Middleton. The pair were recently spotted embracing on the pistes of the exclusive Klosters resort, during a weekend party hosted by the Prince of Wales. Middleton, 21, has spent several weekends at Sandringham, Highgrove and in a cottage on the Queen’s Balmoral estate, and William has also spent time with her family in the Berkshire village of Bucklebury. The publication of the ski slope embrace in the Sun newspaper saw palace officials punishing the paper by withdrawing special privileges from their royal photographer, Arthur Edwards. With 18 months to go before the prince completes his studies, speculation has mounted as to whether the agreement to protect the prince’s university life could be maintained. Commentators said the second-in-line to the throne had consistently shown a deep scepticism over the media and kept the press at a greater distance than his younger brother.

Judy Wade, royal correspondent with Hello! magazine, said Harry had staged three open photo sessions for the press since leaving Eton, while William had held only one.

"At the age of 22, William has managed to keep the press at a comfortable distance. But at the age of 19, his father was a fully fledged working royal with a host of public commitments," said Wade. For normal people, the age of being an adult is 16 or 18, but he has been protected for much longer than that. I don’t think he appreciates that it will be part of the job to appear in public and he is extremely reluctant to do things with the press. Harry is much more easygoing, which is perhaps because he doesn’t have the burden of being the heir, but he is a lot more relaxed."

THE SPORTING ROYALS

THE Royal family has a long association with top level sport. While his son may prefer the aquatic version, Prince Charles has held a solid reputation within polo circles and is an enthusiastic and regular player. The love of equestrian sports runs strongly in the family. Princess Anne, pictured left, became one of Britain’s finest horse riders during the 1970s. In 1976 she broke a vertebrae but two months later was riding in the Montreal Olympics. Her children have followed in the sporting tradition. Zara Phillips, centre, inherited her mother’s love for horses is currently in the running for a place in Britain’s equestrian team for the Athens Olympics. And Peter Philips, right, has represented Scotland at rugby, playing several matches for the Scottish Schools team during his time at Gordonstoun, and now captains Exeter University rugby team. William’s brother Harry showed he was not adverse to rough and tumble when he was snapped playing the confusing but violent "wall game" during his school days at Eton. He stepped out of his older brother’s shadow at the Rugby World Cup in Australia, where he acted as an ambassador for the England team.
Prince Makes Polo Debut

By Laura Elston, Deputy Court Correspondent, PA News

Prince William was met by a crowd of young trampolinists today – some clad in leotards – as he arrived to make his water polo debut for Scotland.

The 21-year-old royal shook hands with his admirers as they gathered to see him outside the Welsh Institute of Sport in Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. The girls, many of whom were clutching programmes for the 6ft 3in Prince to autograph, had just finished taking part in a trampolining competition at the centre.

William is playing water polo for the Scottish national universities squad this afternoon in the annual Celtic Nations tournament against Wales and Ireland. With a Northface rucksack slung over his shoulder, William, wearing a black jacket, faded jeans and worn-in trainers, arrived in a 4- wheel drive vehicle accompanied by his bodyguard.

One 75-year-old bystander, Jo Morgan, from Abertillery, south Wales, remarked: "I think he could do with a new pair of shoes or jeans or something."

Susan Beckford, 49, from Kent, who was accompanying one of the trampolining groups, said after meeting the Prince: "He shook my hand. He shook my hand. I'm a great royalist."

St Andrews student William, who has played water polo since his schoolboy days at Eton, was picked for the team after attending trials at the Carnegie Leisure Centre in Dunfermline, Fife, last month. Family and friends of the players have been asked to apply for tickets for the games, rather than just turning up, following fears that the tournament could be overrun by the prince's adoring fans. The Scottish team's first game will be against Ireland following a spot of training practice beforehand.
Prince fails to make waves on water polo debut

LONDON (Reuters) - Prince William has made his international water polo debut -- but failed to make a big splash as his team lost out. Sporting a pair of black and blue Speedo swimming trunks and a navy cap, the 21-year-old pin-up prince appeared as a substitute for the Scottish national universities team during the second quarter of their match against Ireland on Saturday.

His side, however, lost 14-7.

The son of heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana had been greeted by an enthusiastic crowd of supporters and female swimmers watching the annual Celtic Nations tournament held in Cardiff, south Wales. William, who appeared on the teamsheet as William Wales, is captain of the water polo team at Scotland's St Andrews University where he is studying. The prince, who like his father and brother Harry is also a keen player of the terrestrial polo game, follows in the international sporting footsteps of his aunt Princess Anne who represented Britain's equestrian team at the 1976 Olympic games.

April 16, 2004 -

WILLS SCARED LIFE OUT OF US WITH SHOTGUN BLASTS IN THE NIGHT

Exclusive Artist plans court action over lost cat

By Bob Dow

ANGRY cat-owner Jeshiera Art told last night how she found a gun- toting Prince William outside her home. She claimed she ran from the remote cottage to confront a shooting party and was stunned to see her pet cat caught in a spotlight as shots were fired. Terrified ginger tom cat Dream disappeared in the incident on Wednesday night and artist Jeshiera, known to her friends as Jazz, has not seen him since.

Last night, she claimed the shooting outside her home had been 'like a war zone'. And she was even more shocked when she recognised one of the party as William. Last night, she accused the prince, who was in a LandRover driven by royal gamekeeper Robbie Elliot, of blasting off his gun near her front door.

Jeshiera said: 'It had gone 11 when there was this huge bang. It was like a war going on out there. The dogs were going crazy. There was a lamp hining on the house.'

She added: 'I opened the front door and I couldn't believe that the LandRover was just outside. They were shining a lamp on my cat. I couldn't believe it. I shouted at them, 'That's my cat.' And there were a couple of shots. The last time I saw my cat, it was still standing. Where it is now, I have no idea.'

Crime She added she had reported the prince and Elliot to Grampian Police, who investigated and decided there had been no crime. But she says she will take the matter further, even it means a private prosecution. She is meeting her lawyers again next week.

The 34-year-old added: 'My lawyers say there is enough for breach of the peace and reckless discharge of a firearm. I want to press charges against Prince William and Robbie Elliot. Even it is Prince William, so what? I don't want an apology, I want my cat back.'

Last night, Buckingham Palace admitted the prince who will represent Scotland at the British universities water polo tourney in Cardiff today had been on the shooting trip but denied any cat had been shot. The late-night expeditions are 'lamping' trips in which a 1000watt light is shone on rabbits, dazzling them and allowing a gunman to shoot them. Jeshiera and the friend who shares the cottage, Rick Anderson, 42, said the incident was not their first clash with the royals. Rick, a sculptor, said he had previously found the same gamekeeper with William and his brother Harry outside his home at Strathgirnoc, Crathie, close to the royal residences at Birkhall and Balmoral. He said after Wednesday's incident, he confronted Elliot and the prince 20 yards from the front door.

He added: 'I stopped at the bottom of the track when I went down to check the horses were OK. I said to Robbie Elliot, 'Do you realise what havoc you have caused up there?' 'He said, 'Come on, we are just doing our job'. Prince William was sitting next to him not saying a bloody word.'

He added: ' It was dark but there is no doubt it was the prince and he was wearing a head warmer. The prince just sat there with his head down. That was just the same as last year when both princes were there and they kept quiet like naughty schoolboys.'

Searching The pair have spent the last two days searching the countryside for their two-year-old pet. Jeshiera said she heard shots and saw a gun pointed out of the Land- Rover's passenger window. Both she and Rick said Elliot was driving, with William in the passenger seat. Police were contacted the following morning, Jeshiera said.

She added: 'When I spoke to the police they said, 'Well, with who Robbie was with last night I don't think he would be shooting cats.' Robbie Elliot came up the next morning and said he didn't want enemies around here. I told him if I find my cat with a bullet in it, I am taking this all the way . It's disgusting they think they can shoot at anything that moves. ' A Record reporter visited the scene yesterday and recovered a .310 gun cartridge and a .308 brass bullet shell Rick rents the farmhouse from Abergeldie estate. Balmoral has sporting rights for Abergeldie and keepers are allowed to shoot on it and keep down pests.

A police spokesman said: 'We received a complaint about shooting near a house. The complaint was investigated and no crime detected.'

A palace spokeswoman said: 'The gamekeeper was conducting pest control. As soon as he realised he was disturbing a neighbour, he stopped. He is aware of the neighbour's concern about her missing cat. However,there is absolutely no evidence that a cat was killed.'

She added: 'William accompanied the gamekeeper during the shoot.'
FOLLIES OF GUN LOVING ROYALS

PRINCE William has been in trouble for shooting rabbits before.

Animal rights campaigners were furious in 1993 when William, aged just 10, killed half a dozen rabbits with a single-barrel shotgun. Princess Diana,who was opposed to bloodsports, was furious Charles had allowed the young prince to fire agun at Balmoral. But three years later, Charles was called 'absolutely stupid' by the British Safety Council in 1996 for fooling around with 12-year-old Prince Harry while he was carrying a double-barrelled shotgun.

Earlier this year, Prince Philip reduced young children to tears by blasting at pheasants yards from a school playground. Horri-fied kids, some as young as eight, watched dead birds rain from the sky as the prince let rip with his shotgun. The youngsters at St George's Middle School on the edge of Sandringham estate regarded the pheasants almost as pets. Some were so sickened that they wrote a letter of complaint to the Queen.

Philip once caused a major controversy when he once claimed a gun was no more dangerous than a cricket bat. Parents of children massacred at Dunblane were disgusted by his comment. Butin January,the Queen herself incurred the wrath of animal lovers when she was pictured killing a pheasant by bashing it over the head with a stick at Sandringham.

April 15, 2004 -

Harry's hot date with mystery city blonde

By Anel Powell

Who was the mystery blonde - believed to be a Capetonian - clubbers say they saw kissing Prince Harry on the dance floor of a top city nightclub?

The tongues have started wagging after news got out of party animal Harry's secret Easter weekend in the Mother City.

The younger son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana has been spending a year involved in southern African projects. He jetted in late last Thursday from Lesotho - and a right royal time began in Cape Town's clubland. Heartthrob Harry, now 19, was spotted on Saturday night at the A- list nightclub Rhodes House in - rather aptly - Queen Victoria Street.

According to a fellow clubber who wishes to remain anonymous, the young prince was dancing with and kissing a tall blonde girl on the dance floor. She is believed to live in the city. The prince's party then moved on to The Fez in Hout Street, where he is claimed to have polished off a bottle of vodka with his blonde companion and a few other friends.

Neil Sheppard, press officer of the UK consulate in Pretoria, confirmed: "He has just finished his year in Lesotho and had some time to kill before leaving for Botswana."

April 11, 2004 -

The Queen attends Easter service

The Royal Family has attended the annual Easter Sunday service at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. The Queen attended the service led by the Dean of Windsor, the Right Reverend David Conner. Nine senior members of the Royal Family were at the service, but Prince Charles and Prince William were not there as they have been in Scotland. Two hundred royal watchers braved a cold grey Easter Sunday morning to see the Royal Family arrive at the chapel.

Also missing was Prince Harry who is on his gap year and the Duke of York who is currently in Augusta for the US Masters golf championship. First to arrive for the service was the Duke of Edinburgh who was accompanied by his daughter the Princess Royal. They were joined by the Duke of York's eldest daughter Beatrice, the Princess Royal's husband Commander Tim Lawrence and her son, Peter Phillips. The Earl of Wessex was also in the group while his wife, Sophie, travelled by car with the Queen and Beatrice's sister Eugenie. After the service, the Queen received a posy of flowers from five-year-old Abigail Gainher and her seven-year-old sister Natasha. Their grandfather, Major Robin Gainher, is a Military Knight at Windsor Castle.

Natasha from Cranleigh in Surrey said: "I was very excited and a little bit nervous."
Royals Turn Out for Easter Service

By Stuart Coles, PA News

The Royal Family arrived today for their traditional Easter Sunday church service at Windsor Castle. Nine senior members of the family were present for the service at St George’s chapel in the castle grounds, which was led by the Dean of Windsor, the Right Rev David Conner. Around 200 members of the public braved the cold, grey morning to see the royals arrive for what has become an annual gathering of the Royal Family. But absent were the Prince of Wales and Prince William, currently staying in Scotland, according to Buckingham Palace. Also missing were Prince Harry on his gap year and the Duke of York currently in Augusta for the US Masters golf championship.

First to arrive on foot was the Duke of Edinburgh accompanied by the Princess Royal. They were joined in a group strolling to the chapel consisting of the Duke of York’s eldest daughter Beatrice, the Princess Royal’s husband Commander Tim Laurence and her son, Peter Phillips. The Earl of Wessex was also in the group while his wife, Sophie, travelled by car with the Queen and Beatrice’s sister Eugenie. The Wessexes are currently bearing the brunt of speculation over the health of their first child, Louise. The Mail on Sunday has reported that she is suffering from vision problems but this has not been officially confirmed, a palace spokeswoman only saying that she would not be present at the service today.
Harry smoked cannabis at 14

By Gemma Clavert

PRINCE Harry got his first taste of illegal drugs when he was just FOURTEEN. Although the young royal has already confessed to smoking cannabis, he told father Prince Charles that he was 16 at the time. Harry claimed he was introduced to pot by his pal, farmer's son Guy Pelly. But today we can reveal how he was urged into puffing a joint two years earlier during his first term at Eton—by the Prince of Wales' own godson, the Hon Nicholas Knatchbull. The seedy scene, at a secret hideaway behind the exclusive school's football pitches, was witnessed by Knatchbull's ex-girlfriend, Jessica Hay.

Jessica—who dated Knatchbull on and off for three years—told us: "It was a very cold Saturday afternoon and we'd all gone down to this viaduct at the back of the grounds.

"Harry's voice was still high because it hadn't quite broken and he sounded so sweet as he kept asking Nick for a cigarette. Nick refused but then pulled out this spliff. It was a really big one, longer than a Biro, a real cone. Nick lit it up, smoked a bit and passed it to me, then two other friends. When it was passed back to Nick, Harry told him that he still hadn't given him a cigarette. Nick said, ‘Mate, just ****ing smoke this, it's just like a cigarette, just a little bit stronger.' Harry had obviously heard of cannabis before—but until now it was all talk and no action. He looked nervous and a bit uncomfortable as everyone was watching, but he drew on it anyway and then gave it back to Nick.

Chill

"Harry only had one puff and went really red. I think he felt embarrassed."

Jessica said Harry's big brother, William, wasn't there at the time. "They weren't tied at the hip at Eton," she added. "Wills preferred to chill indoors, watching TV. But if he'd known Nick was like that, he wouldn't have let Harry hang out with him."

Last week Jessica told the News of the World of her time at posh Marlborough College with Prince William's girlfriend Kate Middleton. She revealed how pretty Kate, 21, used to moon at boy pupils and how William reportedly lost his virginity to another of her classmates. Today she lifts the lid on another catalogue of royal family secrets gleaned during her romance with black sheep Knatchbull—son of Lord and Lady Romsey, and great-grandson of IRA bomb victim Earl Mountbatten. It is a title the 22-year-old junkie will one day inherit, along with his family's Ł100million 6,000-acre Hampshire estate Broadlands. Ironically, senior pupil Knatchbull was an official ‘shepherd' or mentor to Prince William at Eton and, as family friend, was meant to keep a close eye on Harry. But his own pot-smoking habit led him into a tragic drug spiral. He was EXPELLED in 2000 after being quizzed by police, SECTIONED under the Mental Health Act last November and is now at a south London halfway house BATTLING addiction to cocaine, LSD and ketamine-a horse tranquilliser used by druggies. His romance with Jessica began after meeting at a society wedding when she was 16. Soon she was rubbing shoulders with royalty and seeing their unguarded moments.

"When I first met Wills in the Eton common room he was shyer than I'd ever thought," recalled Jessica. "I got the feeling he wasn't used to normal girls being around him." Jessica sent Wills, 21, into a flutter during one encounter on a pheasant shooting weekend at Broadlands.

"The morning after the first shoot I was one of the first up," she told us. "There was only one bathroom on the floor where Nick, me, William and Harry were staying. But as I went to open the bathroom door, Wills came out—wearing a pink, fluffy bathrobe. When he saw me, he was so embarrassed at what he had on he exclaimed ‘B*gger!' and dashed back to his room." But Jessica recalled how Wills eventually loosened up one night after a few drinks. When I went outside for a cigarette with Nick, Wills came too," she said. "I was wearing a skirt and lying on the grass—and Wills warned me to watch out for paparazzi hiding in the bushes and taking photos of my knickers! It was all quite funny. I noticed how close William and his father were—always standing or sitting close, chatting across the table, checking that each other was okay.

Drunk

"But Prince Charles didn't seem as close to Harry at all. I don't know if this was because he was younger. It was always the done thing that each family would come down to breakfast together. But Harry would arrive on his own about 15 minutes after Charles and Wills. Harry looked a bit out of place and I felt sorry for him."

Jessica's favourite royal was the 82-year-old Duke of Edinburgh. "While Charles was a bit stiff, Prince Philip was absolutely adorable," she said. "As the table plan was being organised he was constantly being nice saying he wanted me to sit next to him. He got very drunk during one dinner. I could tell because he got a lot more talkative—about politics and particularly the state of the government! He even asked if I wanted to go into the men's quarters to join them for whisky and brandy. I didn't go though, it wasn't the done thing."

But Jessica recalled how the Duke got even saucier during one shoot.

"My trousers got caught as I climbed over a stile and I was stuck," she told us. "I shouted for help but Prince Philip was the only one who came to my rescue. He got me off the stile and said ‘So what am I going to get in return?' He was very funny."

During her fling with Knatchbull Jessica witnessed horrific sights, too—of his sickening drug abuse at squalid squat parties all over London.

"One night he was so off his face I discovered him in a bathroom having sex with another man," she told us. "He couldn't even remember it later. I loved him so much and I can't understand why he's gone down so far so fast. It makes me so sad—not only has he messed himself up but he introduced Harry to something, too."

April 9, 2004 -

WILLS' GIRL WORE MY SLINKY DRESS

A Young fashion designer's little black dress is in the limelight after pictures of Prince William's girlfriend wearing it appeared in the world's media. Charlotte Todd, from Keynsham, said the Prince's girlfriend Kate Middleton looked "stunning" in the see-through dress she modelled at a charity fashion show in St Andrews.

The 24-year-old is hoping the renewed interest in the daring outfit could give her the break she needs to land a job in the fashion industry.

The former University of the West of England fashion and textiles student, who is now working at Harbourside science centre @Bristol, lent the dress to organisers of a charity fashion show held at St Andrews University, where the Prince and Kate are students, two years ago.

Kate, aged 21, wore just a black bra and knickers beneath the translucent slip dress Afterwards photographs of Kate and William at the show were splashed across the papers and the pages of Hello magazine, and Kate was first singled out as a potential royal girlfriend.

Yesterday Charlotte, who still has the dress, said: "I was over the moon when Kate first wore my dress on the catwalk because she's got a fabulous figure and she looked absolutely brilliant in it. Those modelling photos of Kate appeared absolutely everywhere but I was a little bit miffed because I never had any credit as the person who actually designed the dress."

When William and Kate were pictured side by side on the ski slopes in Klosters last week and Kate was named as his girlfriend, the picture of her wearing Charlotte's dress became hot property again.

Charlotte said: "I was thrilled when it was revealed Kate was Wills' new girlfriend and all the papers published the photographs of her again, wearing my dress. It's fantastic to think that one of my designs has been modelled by a woman who might one day become the Queen!"

She said: "I'm just hoping all the photographs of my dress might get me the break I need."

April 8, 2004 -

Harry's stay in Africa is over

Prince Harry, third in line to the British throne, will leave Lesotho tomorrow after spending eight weeks of his sabbatical year in the tiny southern African mountain kingdom. Mark Watchhorn, the deputy British high commissioner to Lesotho, said he could not say what Prince Harry's next destination was.

"It is top secret," he told AFP.

The prince arrived in Lesotho on February 13 this year and took part in various community and development projects as part of his gap year. His stay in Lesotho was shrouded in secrecy and he was rarely seen in public except on two occasions when he attended an international soccer friendly and when he participated in a community project at a children's home.
Prince Harry Wraps Up Lesotho Working Holiday

Prince Harry wrapped up his two month stay in the tiny African mountain kingdom of Lesotho today, part of his gap year, the British High Commission said. The prince travels to an undisclosed location tomorrow before returning to Britain, said Mark Watchorn, Britain’s Deputy High Commissioner in the capital Maseru. Since arriving in February, the 19-year-old prince and his travelling companion, George Hill, have dug trenches, helped build a bridge and lay the foundation of a health clinic, and visited Aids patients with a local doctor. But the two have also taken time off for fun, including attending an international football match between Lesotho and Botswana. Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso, the younger brother of King Letsi, helped organise their visit. Harry, taking time off between his education at Eton and his enrolment at Sandhurst military college, spent part of last year working on a ranch in Australia.

April 04, 2004 -

William calls truce over the 'girlfriend' pictures

Nicholas Hellen, Social Affairs Editor
The Sunday Times

PRINCE WILLIAM has responded to the publication of paparazzi pictures purporting to show his first serious girlfriend by getting personally involved in efforts to patch up a truce with the press. He approved a decision to administer only a token rebuke to the newspaper that showed him skiing in Klosters, Switzerland, with Kate Middleton, a student flatmate.

The mild measures show that the palace and the media accept the unofficial agreements to protect the prince's privacy are loosening. The arrangement was introduced after the death of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, in which press hounding was perceived to have played a role.

William's reaction indicates that, two months short of his 22nd birthday, he understands that some breaches of his private life are inevitable.

Senior Fleet Street executives insist that, while eager to publish details of William's youthful romances, they have no appetite to "shadow" him with "packs of paparazzi".

Palace sources said William, who flew back to Britain this weekend, did not wish to "bring out the big guns" against The Sun for breaking a gentlemen's agreement to leave him to enjoy his week's break in exchange for posed shots. The paper was told it would be excluded from official photocalls for the prince, but will still be allowed to publish agency pictures from such events.

One Fleet Street source said: "The only effect is that (Sun photographer) Arthur Edwards, who sucks up to the (royals) furiously, has been banned. If that lasts more than one photocall, I will be amazed."

Last Thursday Paddy Harverson, communications secretary to the Prince of Wales, rang around Fleet Street editors to urge restraint. Palace officials were cautiously optimistic after only one other newspaper, the Daily Mail, reprinted the offending pictures. It is understood that it had initially turned down the shots, and felt irritated that The Sun had not felt similarly constrained. William, in consultation with palace officials, will now concentrate on defending his right to privacy during his last four terms at St Andrews University. In this he has the sanction of rules agreed between Fleet Street and the Press Complaints Commission. By contrast, he is believed to accept that the media will not ignore his activities during vacations, unless there are specific agreements. An insider said: "As a 22-year-old this summer, playing polo or walking down the street in Kensington, he understands he may be photographed." It is a lesson learnt the hard way by Prince Harry, who lost his special protection from press coverage after he left Eton College last summer. He was subsequently portrayed as a playboy prince and then dispatched to do charity work in Lesotho, southern Africa.

William's relationship with Middleton, by contrast, appears to give his father no cause for worry. Although Clarence House has neither confirmed nor denied that she is his girlfriend, they are close. Middleton shared a flat with William and other friends during his second year at university, and he paid Ł200 for a front-row seat to watch her model at a student charity fashion show. There have been reports that she persuaded him not to abandon his studies when he considered quitting in his first year. A source close to William's circle suggested this weekend that, contrary to reports of a romance kindled in the past four months, it may have begun considerably earlier. Middleton is said to have been a guest at Highgrove on at least three occasions, and to have stayed on the Balmoral estate in a cottage given to William and Harry by the Queen.

She is not the only girl to have been named as William's first serious girlfriend — there was similar interest in Jecca Craig, who attended his 21st birthday party last summer. On that occasion, he issued a statement denying any romance with her, to quash reports that they had devised a pretend engagement. He is unlikely to take this step again, recognising that this could bounce him into issuing a commentary on any friendship with an attractive girl.

"As a 21-year-old student he might have any number of relationships," said a source.

Veterans who reported on Prince Charles's courtship of Diana Spencer believe the monarchy will benefit from any romance involving the handsome prince. One senior Fleet Street figure said: "The palace has to play the game (of appearing upset) but it is actually great monarchist propaganda. I will be very surprised if the newspapers harass William unnecessarily."
WILLS GIRL WARNS HIS KATE: HE'S ON PROWL

THE pretty Essex girl chatted up by Prince William warned his girlfriend last night: "Wills has too much of a roving eye to ever settle down." The People told last week how Solange Jacobs spent three hours flirting with William and exchanged phone numbers after they met in London club Purple. But this week Wills was pictured skiing in Switzerland, with brunette Kate Middleton, 21 - and friends say the pair are an item.

Leisure centre worker Solange, 29, from Chigwell, said: "The way he was acting with me, he didn't seem to be in love with anyone else. He also chatted with a dancer and eyed up a girl in the VIP area. You wouldn't have guessed he was seeing Kate. Wills looked very much on the prowl, so Kate had better watch out if she doesn't want to be made a fool of."

The 21-year-old Prince and Kate are said to have been dating secretly for four months after meeting at university. Wills charmed Solange, telling her she was good-looking and joking he was going to invite her to Buckingham Palace for a party.

Solange added: "Wills made no mention of a girlfriend. I don't think Kate will be too pleased that he chatted me up. He was a complete gentleman but it seems odd that he took my number. Anyway I wish Kate the best of luck. She might need it."
TARA: I DID GIVE WILLS ROYAL FLASH

By Emma Cox

TARA Palmer-Tomkinson has admitted she DID flash her boobs at Prince William on a royal yacht cruise.

The former coke addict was reported to have whipped off her bikini top in 1999 while sunbathing after spotting Wills, then 16, ogling her.

Tara, now 32, was said to have told him: "Come on then, have a proper look."

When Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan asked her if she did it, she replied: "You bet."

She tells him during Wednesday's Tabloid Tales (BBC1, 10.35pm): "There was a lot of mischievous behaviour. Not filthy, not anything sexual, just good, clean mischievous fun."

Prince Charles became fed-up with her wild antics and warned his sons against mixing with Tara, daughter of his best pal. In 1999 she had a very public breakdown, going drugged up on the Frank Skinner show then went into rehab to clean up. She won the nation's hearts on TV's I'm A Celebrity...
The Prince's diaries

It's cuties who are courtin' him

By ELLEN TUMPOSKY

For a guy who insists he's no playboy prince, William spends a lot of time in the company of pretty women. His female soul mates at St. Andrews University in Scotland are called Will's Beauties. The blondes who flirt with him at polo matches are nicknamed the Glossy Posse. When some friends joined him for a family cruise, it was dubbed the Love Boat.

Whenever Britain's 21-year-old Prince William is pictured with attractive young women, cameras start clicking and there's a frenzy of speculation about whether a potential queen of England might be in the frame.

There was Emilia d'Erlanger, who joined William on the Love Boat. Then, last year, the spotlight fell on Jecca Craig, whom William visited in Kenya. Several polo groupies from the Glossy Posse (the first part of the nickname derives from Gloucestershire, the county in southwest England where Prince Charles has a country estate) have been pictured with the prince. And Holly Branson, daughter of Virgin tycoon Richard Branson, has been linked to Will — though it seems they barely know each other.

The British press has been keeping an eye on classmate Kate Middleton, 21, ever since she modeled in a see-through dress for a charity fashion show at St. Andrews, where the prince is studying geography. William paid almost $600 for a front-row seat. He and Middleton met in an art history class in his first year at St. Andrews. Last year, they rented an off-campus apartment with two other students, and this year they are sharing a country cottage with Fergus Boyd, who, like William, is an alumnus of England's Eton College. Now she has joined William, Prince Charles and family friends for a skiing vacation in Klosters, Switzerland - and the way the prince was photographed gazing at her suggested they might be sharing more than a ski lift. Her father, businessman Michael Middleton, has told reporters that his daughter and Will are "the best of pals," but added: "We are very amused at the thought of being in-laws to Prince William, but I don't think it's going to happen."

William has insisted he is no Lothario.

"Only the mad girls chase me," he said last summer in a 21st-birthday interview. There's a lot of speculation about every single girl I'm with," William added. "These poor girls - who I've either just met and get photographed with or they're friends of mine - suddenly get thrown into the limelight."
OH NO - A NEW PRINCE OF WAILS

IF Prince William is ever going to be King it's time he stopped behaving like a petulant teenager and started behaving like a man...a man with responsibilities. Because whether he likes it or not he's got them. And it's no use stamping his feet every time a picture he doesn't like appears in a newspaper and demanding that "Granny" or the suits at Clarence House start making their mouths go about invasion of privacy. Last week a downmarket newspaper printed half a dozen happy snaps of Wills on the ski slopes at Klosters with Kate Middleton - his first- ever serious girlfriend. They were lovely, laughing happy pictures - exactly the kind of publicity the po-faced royals need at this moment. But is that how the Royal PR machine sees them? No.

Since publication of the pictures Clarence House bosses, who ironically spend their lives trying to get positive publicity for the terminally-boring Charles and his boot-faced mistress Camilla - have gone ballistic, screaming about "broken agreements" and intrusion. And in a breathtaking display of petulance, they've banned the offending newspaper's photographers from all events involving Wills and Harry. Apart from the fact that it seems to have eluded these chinless wonders that these photos are the best publicity the royals have had for months - precisely the kind of publicity these buffoons get paid to generate - what precisely is their problem?

They claim William's privacy has been invaded. How so? He was on a very public ski slope in Klosters with scores of people looking on. No one broke into his room, trespassed on his property or disturbed a private outing. He was flirting and laughing for all the world to see. And if he really wanted privacy, why didn't he ask one of his aristo mates if he could borrow one of their yachts, villas or private planes? Better still, ask Granny for the loan of a palace. It's naive and stupid to expect no publicity when the future King of England goes on holiday with his first-ever serious girlfriend, because if ever there was a bona fide matter of public interest, this is it. It was absolutely right and proper that after Diana's deaththe Press made a collective agreement with the Palace to leave the boys alone. That agreement has been honoured - the only exception being a TV crew who hounded Wills mercilessly in his first year at university - a TV crew, it turned out, who worked for his dopey Uncle Edward. But that was six years ago when Wills and Harry were still children. Well they're not now. They're men, although you wouldn't know it. Two- gap year Harry seems to think life is one long party, and Wills seems to imagine that despite his great wealth and privilege his position carries no responsibilities and no form of payback. Neither of the boys need protecting now in the way they did after their mother's death and it's time they got to grips with what being royal and rich is all about. And if Wills can't be bothered with the duties and responsibilities of the job he was born to do then he should forgo all the wealth, the cars, the private planes, the flash houses and come live in the real world where people actually work for a living.
Kiss and hell

In a way that applies to no other celebrity, Prince William's private life is his public role

Mark Lawson

The Guardian

When Lady Diana Spencer became engaged, an uncle went on News at Ten to confirm that she was a virgin. Now her elder son's first girlfriend is suffering the same patronising intrusion. The Virgin Princess, claimed yesterday's News Of The World across two of the five pages devoted to Prince William's mate Kate. The revelation last week of this young lady's name by Sun snapper Arthur Edwards MBE led to the photographer being banned from future Alpine photocalls. But this punishment failed to deter another paper from reporting that Kate in Klosters would be followed by Jessica in Kenya. And now we have to read about The Virgin Princess: the adjective lascivious, the noun premature nonsense. The moment long feared by Princes Charles and William has come. His private life is now public. The sex-kittens are out of the bag.

For several years, the young Windsor brothers were the beneficiaries of media discretion unprecedented since the invention of instant picture transmission and satellite telephones. They were able to live out their adolescence and, in William's case, college days with a degree of anonymity that their descendants and biographers may come to see as astonishing.

This was because they had suffered a horrendous and horrifically publicised bereavement. Most of Britain - even, reluctantly, the tabloid press - became social workers, granting them a protection order.

But this emergency outbreak of decency always would, and should, have its limits. As adults, the princes could no longer expect protection from the flashbulbs. Besides compassion, the only reason for allowing the Prince of Wales's offspring an exception from the general rules of celebrity would be deference. In Japan and Monaco in recent times, princes have been allowed an invisibility denied tennis players or film stars. But this tradition of one rule for the famous and one rule for the rulers was ended in Britain in the 80s by, as it happens, the mother of William and Harry. Knowingly and excitedly, until she had things to hide, Diana created the idea of the pop-star monarchy and this is part of her inheritance to her children. They may wish it otherwise, but her boys are now seen not as the continuation of an ancient, divine line, but as young millionaire celebrities, subject to the same interest and coverage as Wayne Rooney or Britney Spears. In fact, there is, apart from post-Diana compassion and royal deference, another case for leaving William to ski and snog in peace. Why not allow more privacy for all young stars, Wayne and Britney as well? But the problem for the royals is that the only privacy agreements that journalists are likely to respect and the public to support are based on the idea that there will only be coverage of activities relevant to a person's job. For example, there's broad support for the view that what happens in the bedroom is not always relevant to what goes on in the boardroom.

However, if William has a job, it is to romance women and, ultimately, procreate, so ensuring the continuation of the dynasty that gives him his only significance. When the actor Alan Davies refuses to discuss his girlfriend with a Sun reporter buzzing at his intercom (as happened last week) Davies has a case; shagging, while often closely linked to acting, is not inherently connected with it. William Windsor, though, can't easily make this distinction. His profession is to meet and breed, while waiting for granny and dad to die. This does not mean that all the prince's kisses should be open season for the snappers - any decent human being would hope that he can be left alone - but he presents the hardest of cases for protection f rom the press. In a way that applies to almost no other celebrity, his private life is his public role. This is the horror of the position into which he was born.

The paradox for William and any women attracted to him - and even more so for the father who would like to shield him from scrutiny - is that it's their supporters who are causing the problem. Admirers of Tony Blair might shun publications that contain coverage he found offensive, but it's Palace fans who pay for the petrol of the cars chasing Prince William down Lovers' Lane. Republicans would support the idea of invisible princes, being genuinely indifferent to who Wills kisses. Those most eagerly buying the magazines and newspapers containing the snatched pictures are the people who dream of watching him become King William on TV and run form books on who might be his future queen. Diana, although she could not have anticipated the scale of interest in her, chose a royal role. William, who got it by an accident of blood, deserves more sympathy. But the fact that every snog is seen as a possible date with destiny is not the fault of the media, but of the way that monarchy works.

April 3, 2004 -

Pardon our Arthur, lads

By PAUL THOMPSON and CLODAGH HARTLEY

ROYAL fans threw their weight behind The Sun’s snapper Arthur Edwards yesterday and called for the princes’ picture ban to be lifted. Tourists cheered as a demo led by the Sun Fun Bus was taken right to Buckingham Palace. They urged Princes William and Harry to pardon Arthur, 63 — barred from photocalls involving the brothers after The Sun published pictures of Wills and his girlfriend Kate Middleton. And yesterday the Queen, who is a big fan of MBE Arthur’s work, showed royal attitudes were softening by signalling she is HAPPY for him to cover her trip to Paris next week.

A spokesman said: “We’ve no intention of banning Arthur Edwards.”

Arthur, a Royal favourite for a quarter of a century, was barred by Clarence House officials — even though he did not take the snaps of Wills, 21, in the Swiss ski resort of Klosters. Page 3 stunners Jo, 21, and 22-year-old Nikkala boarded The Sun’s famous red bus for our Palace protest. Among those who backed them was scaffolder Brian Murray, 22, of Kilburn, North London. He said: “The Sun’s story was great. The ban is just petty.” Tourist Wei Lin, 42, from Beijing. said: “It was a great scoop. Your famous photographer should not be punished.”

Showbiz stars were also outraged. Club boss Peter Stringfellow said: “The Royals are being far too precious.” Ex-EastEnder Danniella Westbrook said: “It’s daft. They must think again.”

Arthur said last night: “I’m thrilled people are backing myself and The Sun.” You can help by filling in our petition and sending it in to us.

WILLIAM is enjoying his Klosters hol so much that he has asked to extend his stay rather than jet home today.

Kate mooned at boys from her bedroom window

By Gemma Calvert

ONCE shy Kate Middleton loved to shock the boys at her exclusive public school —by MOONING at them from her dormitory window. Prince William's new girlfriend was at first too self-conscious to join her pals in their flashing escapades. But she soon plucked up courage —and then became so "addicted" to baring her bottom she did it NINETY times. And she loved the last part of the ritual...when the boys had to guess the identity of the girl mooning and shout out her name.

Giggling

Kate's best pal at Marlborough College, Jessica Hay, revealed: 7Our room faced out on to the boys' boarding house. Every night at 10.30 all the girls would meet by the window. We'd take it in turns to show our bare bums to the guys to see if they could guess who it belonged to. Catherine, as we called her then, would always be sitting in a corner giggling, saying she couldn't do it because she was scared her mum and dad would find out. One night I told Catherine to just do it and she did. She would have been 14 at the time. She kind of got addicted to it and each night would ask if we could flash the guys. We used to do it three times a week after that, each time with Catherine. Over the course of the school year, we must have done it scores of times. I would say around 90 times. It was just a funny game and we all thought it was a real laugh. The boys would shout out the name of the girl they felt the bum belonged to. I bet she has never told William about THAT school memory.

Scholarship girl Jessica first met Kate in late 1995 when she was 14 and in her first year boarding. Kate had been badly bullied at her old school and was transferred to the prestigious college in Wiltshire by parents Michael and Carole half-way through term. She was terrified—and exhibited no hint that she would one day become the confident beauty now at William's side.

Jessica recalled: "On her first day I helped unpack her trunk and took her to supper. She was very nervous. It didn't help that the upper sixth form guys had a tradition that whenever a new girl arrived they would hold up a napkin with a mark out of ten on it. Poor Catherine only got low marks, like one and two out of ten. It was awful. At first she didn't socialise at all. She was quite tall and had a bit of a 'tash on her top lip because of her dark hair, so a lot of the boys gave her a difficult time."

Jessica said Kate would not join girls who collected into groups after tea at 6pm, but head back to her boarding house to work alone. There she battled her homesickness—and refused to let it defeat her.

Jessica added: "Catherine used to cry at night. But she never used to show it. I just used to hear her."

Some of the wild things the girls did terrified the young Kate. And party time was the worst. Her year would occasionally get hold of booze for an illicit wine and vodka session in the dorm. Everyone would dress up and join in, except the future royal girlfriend. Instead, she would act as lookout in case a teacher appeared.

Jessica revealed: "We would put on a short skirt and platform heels. She'd be in a mid-length skirt and a top, quite conservative. We weren't allowed to drink, but my parents would always give me a bottle of vodka and some wine. We used to drink it in the room, but Catherine hated it. Instead of drinking she'd watch the corridor to see if any teachers were coming. I never once saw her drunk. Even after our GCSEs finished she only drank a couple of glugs of vodka."

On other occasions, the girls would head into the countryside loaded with wine, vodka and champagne. But again Kate was only on the fringes. Jessica said: "We were doing all sorts—taking our tops off and spraying ourselves with alcohol. We were dreadful and got very drunk, but Catherine just sat by the tree, watching. She thought I was absolutely mental."

But the moment Kate moved into the school's sixth-form, she shed her nerdy image overnight—and transformed into the most fancied girl in the school. Suddenly, every boy wanted to take her out. She went back to her home in Bucklebury, Berkshire, for the summer holidays and came back a different person.

Jessica said: "She grew boobs and wore low-cut tops, but she'd always combine it with jeans and trainers. Everyone was after her including the hottest guy in the school, Charles Von Mol. He was a bit of a Brad Pitt lookalike."

Now it was Kate's turn to pick and choose, although she was still nervous of boys. Jessica revealed: "One night we'd all come out of supper and were outside mingling. Charles Von Mol really wanted to snog Catherine and she spent an hour trying to decide what to do. Eventually they went for a walk in the woods, which is where everyone went to snog. they came back half an hour later all red around the mouth. She told me she would never do that again. I think she just did it because of peer pressure. She wasn't really into blokes in our year, instead she had boyfriend in the year above called Oliver Bowen. He played rugby and lots of girls seriously fancied him. Catherine quite liked him but she didn't know how to handle it. They just hung around together and it was totally platonic. They never used tongues when they kissed and never went to the woods."

Jessica believes that Kate's selfrespect during her teens is one of the reasons why she is so suited to Prince William.

She added: "She's trusting, keeps herself to herself and, although she's not a royal, she has got the class, stamina and mental strength to survive in the limelight. I don't think she would have a wedding like Diana did when she married Prince Charles. I can imagine her in a plain white corset-style dress because she doesn't like frills and fuss. She always used to say she wanted to get married, have loads of children, live in a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, have lots of horses and go skiing. It is funny how things have turned out."

Kate, a sports-lover like William, went on to scoop 11 GCSEs at Marlborough, whose former pupils include singer Chris de Burgh and the late Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman. She then gained A grades in A-level maths and art and a B in English—before capturing the heart of Britain's most eligible bachelor.
The virgin princess

By Gemma Calvert

PRINCE William's stunning new girlfriend was a virgin when they met, one of her closest friends revealed yesterday. Kate Middleton, 21, made no secret of the fact she wanted to wait for the right man before taking the plunge. But the businessman's daughter and Wills are now definitely "an item", according to old school friend Jessica Hay, 22,

Jessica said last night: "We have kept in touch and spoken about her time at university and I can honestly say, hand on heart, that William will be her first lover. She never lost her virginity at school—in fact, she only had two or three snogs."

Wills and Kate, who caused a sensation last week when she joined his ski holiday with Prince Charles, share a cottage with one other student from St Andrew's, their Scottish university.

Jessica—Kate's room-mate at top public school Marlborough College— revealed: "When we were at school, some girls were having sex with guys in the dorms. But Catherine, which is how she was always known then, wanted to wait till she had a proper boyfriend. She had a gap year afterwards. But I know her well enough to say she wouldn't have just slept with a random guy. She didn't get serious with anyone then or in her first two years at university.

Crush

"And from what she has told me of her time at university, I know there has been no one before William. She would need to have been seeing someone really seriously to sleep with them."

Jessica also revealed that brunette Kate—snapped with Wills in the Swiss resort of Klosters—had a secret crush on the prince BEFORE meeting the royal hunk—and even had a poster of him in his polo gear on her dormitory wall. Uncannily, William's mother Princess Diana had a picture of his dad Charles on HER wall when she was at school. Kate's royal hero-worship even led pals at her Ł20,700-a-year school in Wiltshire to nickname her "Princess in Waiting". Her friends even laid bets she would marry into royalty as they all chatted into the night.

Jessica said: "We used to sit in the boarding house kitchen eating Catherine's snack invention—bread with loads of butter and Marmite on it, then microwaved. We'd talk about who would end up marrying first and the type of guy it would be. Catherine said I'd end up with someone royal. But another girl predicted Catherine would fall in love with a prince. She would tell Catherine that one day she'll be the Queen of England— and she would shriek in disbelief. To think that Catherine is dating the future king of our country is unbelievable. I really do think it's likely she's going to become a royal bride."

Jessica also revealed just HOW she discovered her school pal was making those schoolday dreams look possible. After losing touch for a while, Kate rang her up out of the blue last November.

Jessica explained: "We were just chatting and she told me she was still at St Andrew's. I'd heard that she was very good friends with William. So I asked what he was like. She didn't give any specifics. Then I asked if she was going out with someone and she said ‘yes', but said she couldn't tell me who it was. She said she didn't want to jinx it—she's always suspicious about tempting fate. I could tell in her voice that she was quite keen on the guy. She said he was really nice, that they have dinner in the evenings, were at the same university and were the same age. I asked if he was rich and she didn't specify. But she agreed to let me know if it worked out."

Jessica added: "Catherine was being very coy. I asked if she's done it— had sex—and she said ‘I can't tell you that, not now.' She'd already said she was having dinner with her flatmates that evening, so I got the impression maybe the guy was standing right in front of her as we spoke. Because of the way she was talking, I didn't think she was a virgin at this point. I felt she'd grown up a lot more and she had become a woman. She sounded a little bit more girlie, having a gossip, than she used to be. Before, she'd never reveal anything about herself. It was almost as though she wanted to say something, but somehow couldn't."

Wills might have become Kate's first lover, but she is not his first, according to Jessica. She said it was hotly rumoured at Marlborough that the young royal lost his virginity to one of her other classmates. Jessica, now a sales executive in Basingstoke, Hants, added: "I don't think it was a one-night thing. More like a few days." But when Wills arrived at St Andrew's, he appeared instantly taken with Kate. The pair were on the same history of art course before the prince switched to geography. She was credited with talking him out of quitting university when he became homesick. And they both spent part of their university gap year in Chile.

Secret

Kate created a stir the moment she arrived for her studies by strutting down a catwalk in a see-through top with black bra for a student fashion show (pictured top right). And Wills eagerly paid Ł200 for a front-row view of his future girlfriend. Kate's status as Wills' girlfriend won a further royal stamp of approval yesterday as it was revealed Kate has been invited to Balmoral as a guest of the Queen. She and Wills have enjoyed secret weekends in his cottage on the Scottish estate—and trips to Prince Charles' country home, Highgrove. But the official invitation for part of the summer puts the relationship into a different gear.

A family friend said: "It is a significant increase in her status. Only family or the closest friends get these invitations."

Kate, whose parents Michael, 53, and Carole, 48, run a mail order toy business, was at William's 21st birthday party at Windsor Castle last June. But she was NOT introduced to his grandmother.
MODEL GIRL IS WELCOMED BY ROYAL FAMILY; SO HAS WILLIAM FOUND LOVE WITH FLATMATE KATE?

RICHARD PALMER

THIS is the girl who is said to have captured Prince William's heart. Fellow student Kate Middleton, 21, is currently enjoying a skiing holiday with the young prince and the pair are believed to have been dating for four months. The couple have shared a house together since last year but only began a romance at Christmas when the vivacious student split up with her previous boyfriend. William, also 21, met Kate soon after arriving at St Andrews University in Scotland two-and-a-half years ago and, like many male undergraduates, became enchanted with the popular student. Two years ago he paid GBP 200 for a front-row seat at a university charity fashion show in which she modelled a transparent lace top over a black bra. The couple share many interests and William has invited her to his Highgrove home at least three times.

They have also enjoyed secret weekends together at a remote cottage on the Queen's Balmoral estate. The cottage, called Alltcailleach Steadings, was given to William and his brother Harry by the Queen, who arranged a GBP 150,000 refurbishment before they were given the keys.

William and Kate have also been spotted drinking at the Ma Bells pub in the town and enjoying cosy meals in St Andrews restaurants, including the fashionable Dolls House eaterie, owned by the husband of TV host Carol Smillie.

Prince Charles, who is said to approve of their relationship, has been delighted to welcome her into the royal circle but was anxious to keep the spotlight off her, particularly during the skiing holiday in Klosters. One of Kate's close friends said last night: "She is a very lovely girl but very unassuming. She's very bubbly but also very discreet and loyal to William. She treats him just like any other student."

Kate, who read the same subject as William - history of art-- before he switched to geography, moved into the same luxury flat as the Prince in their second year of academic study in the remote Scottish university, sharing with Fergus Boyd, 22, who was at Eton with William, and one other student. But the flat, located near St Andrews' golf course, proved too accessible to tourists who camped outside to catch a glimpse of the Prince and this year William, Kate and Fergus moved into a more isolated farmhouse on the outskirts of the Fife town. In term time the couple spend many more of their evenings in the farmhouse - Fergus tends to go and out and leave them alone - enjoying cosy fireside chats and meals. Kate, who gets on well with William's friends, is said to have a great sense of humour. She and William have much in common: both spent part of their gapyear in Chile, although at different times. They play tennis together and also enjoy watching rugby and polo. Both attended exclusive public schools, William going to Eton and Kate to GBP 15,000-a-year Marlborough College in Wiltshire.

At school, Kate was captain of the tennis team, a member of the hockey and netball teams, and a keen crosscountry runner. William adores playing rugby, soccer, polo and water polo. Kate was brought up in a prosperous middle-class family. Her parents Carole, 48, and Michael, 54, run a mail-order children's party toys business and live comfortably in the village of Bucklebury in Berkshire. They run the business from a barn just a few miles away from their home. Mr and Mrs Middleton and their children live in a large 1960'sstyle house set back from the road and commanding breathtaking views of the rolling Berkshire countryside. Worth around GBP 500,000, the secluded five-bedroom home is next to a solitary farm and tiny cottage. Yesterday only the couple's son James, 16, was at home and he refused to add to the speculation over h is sister's relationship with Wills.

Kate's sister Pippa , who also went to Marlborough, said: "I'm really sorry. I'm not allowed to talk about that. I can't say anything at all."

In May last year, William and Kate fuelled speculation that they were an item when they were seen together during a university rugby sevens tournament. One onlooker said:

"Their body language was very revealing. They looked very close. They seemed very intimate."

Kate is said to have counselled William and cheered him up when he descended into a bleak depression after his mother's former butler Paul Burrell published his sordid royal memoirs. She is not afraid to get her hands dirty, working as a barmaid for a posh catering firm, serving Pimms to wealthy customers. Her boss Rory Laing said: "I pay her only GBP 5.25 an hour. But she's pretty, so she takes plenty in tips."

A friend of the couple said : "She is everything William likes about a girl - bright, fun and very attractive."
SKI BEAUTY WAS BUSTY BARMAID FOR POSH CROWD; LUST WILLIAM!

by JAMES WICKHAM

PRINCE William's stunning girlfriend Kate Middleton once worked as a busty barmaid for a catering firm called Snatch. The future king's lover - who famously modelled see-through lingerie before the royal - was among a team of hand-picked "posh totty" for the company. Snatch owner Rory Laing said the beautiful brunette turned heads as she pulled pints and served Pimms wearing a low-cut top which showed off her curves.

He said: "Kate's a superb barmaid. As we only employ former public school pupils, she fits our profile brilliantly." Kate, now 21, worked for the firm in the summer of 2002 before she moved in with Wills.

She was such a hit with punters that her boss tried to sign her up for more work. Kate and William were spotted skiing in Klosters, Switzerland, this week. Fun-loving Kate, who comes from a wealthy family, caught Wills' eye at a charity fashion show at St Andrews University - where Wills had splashed out GBP 200 on a front row seat. The beauty wore a seethrough black lace dress over a black bra and bikini bottom. But Kate's younger sister Pippa, 19, was keeping tight-lipped about the chances of having the king as her brother-in-law yesterday.

She said: "I'm really sorry - I'm not allowed to talk about that. I can't say anything at all. Sorry."

Kate's parents, Michael and Carole who live in Bucklebury, Berks. , were also keeping quiet. Mr Middleton refused to discuss his daughter's romance.

Just 24-hours earlier he said: "We are very amused at the thought of being in-laws to Prince William, but I don't think it is going to happen."

A regular at Ma Bells - William's local boozer in Fife, near St Andrews - said:

"They play pool together but as far I know there has been no smooching. People don't realise who he is."

April 2, 2004 -

Friends scoff at reports of William's ski slopes romance

Just like his father before him, Prince William has discovered at the age of 21 that if he steps out in public with an attractive woman the tabloids will have a field day.

So has William found his first serious love in Kate Middleton, 21, who is with him on his skiing holiday in Klosters? While William was angry at the media stories over his relationship with Kate, Clarence House officials were more sanguine. They concede that there is huge media interest in the romantic life of William, who is destined to become one of the world's most eligible bachelors.

But there was disbelief in royal circles that the Prince would parade a serious girlfriend in Klosters when it is swarming with photographers. "He would do everything he could to protect her from the media," one friend said.

My Palace mole insists that Kate, one of William's three housemates at St Andrews University, is a close, platonic friend who has been to Highgrove and Balmoral. Two other friends are with them in Klosters.

Clarence House declined to be drawn on the status of the relationship. "I have spoken to William today. We have agreed that we will never, ever get into discussing his private life," said Paddy Harverson, the imposing new communications secretary at Clarence House.

It was a case of déjŕ vu for Prince Charles. When he was 21 the newly crowned Prince of Wales was challenged over his friendship with Lady Leonora Grosvenor, the elder daughter of the Duke of Westminster. Lady Leonoara derided the press stories as "silly" as they were just good friends. William, who has a further 18 months at St Andrews, will run the gauntlet of the media again in the summer when he returns to Kenya for a reunion with a young woman he met in his gap year. Jecca Craig, 21, went to William's 21st birthday party last year. He will stay with her on her family's 55,000-acre wildlife reserve in the foothills of Mount Kenya where he spent part of his gap year before going to university. Jecca has recently spit with her shipping heir boyfriend. Maybe William has found love after all.
BEAUTY WHO'S WILLS' FIRST REAL GIRLFRIEND

Prince William's new girlfriend was revealed yesterday as Kate Middleton, a former West schoolgirl described by friends as "down to earth" and "exceptionally talented". The 21-year-old was a pupil at exclusive Ł20,000-a-year public school Marlborough College in Wiltshire, and has long been associated with the handsome prince. The pair share a cottage with two other friends at St Andrews where they are both in their third year. They are often seen together on campus and in London's trendy clubs and bars. Friends and family have always insisted the pair are just good friends, despite persistent rumours about a budding romance.

But after the latest pictures showing the couple skiing together at Klosters, a source revealed: "They are an item."

The attractive brunette is now said to the first proper girlfriend of the heir to the throne. Kate, daughter of company director Michael, 53, and Carole, 48, lives in rural Bucklebury, in Berkshire, and was a popular and talented student at Marlborough. Yesterday former school pals remembered her as a gifted and popular pupil.

Charlie Leslie, 22, a school mate, said: "She is an absolutely phenomenal girl - really popular, talented, creative and sporty. She was captain of the school hockey team and she played in the first pair at tennis, but she is level headed and down to earth."

Another peer remembered her as an outstanding games player. "She was just seriously brilliant at sport. She was in all the first teams from a very early age - hockey, netball and tennis. At one stage, she and her younger sister Pippa made up the first tennis pairing. There was even talk of Kate going professional at tennis. She was really popular, incredibly friendly and actually rather quiet and shy - not at all like your average socialite. Everybody liked her - she is friendly, intelligent, talented and beautiful."

It is claimed she and William got together at Christmas after Kate split from her boyfriend - also a St Andrews student. A source said: "It is true they are dating and try to spend as much time with each other as possible, but never in public."

The brunette once took part in a student fashion show where she was pictured in a sheer black lace dress which revealed her underwear. William reportedly paid Ł200 for a front-row VIP seat at the charity event. Kate was also voted the most likely future Queen among Wills' close friends in the Channel 4 show Wife for William. But acquaintances of Kate - known as Katherine at Marlborough - were unconvinced that she and William are really a couple.

"I saw Kate's sister, Pippa, last night and she insists that there is no romantic tie. They're just really good friends," one friend said. There will always be speculation, but as far as I know there is nothing to it."

Kate was not available for comment yesterday, and her siblings, Pippa, 19, and James, 16, who is taking his GCSEs this summer, refused to discuss the rumours. Clarence House said it was banning The Sun from William's official photocalls after it printed pictures of him and Kate on holiday.
IS WILLIAM COURTING HIS FIRST REAL GIRLFRIEND?

PRINCE William's personal life was under new scrutiny last night after he was photographed skiing with a fellow student said to be his first real girlfriend.

Kate Middleton and the Prince have been together all week on the slopes above the exclusive Swiss resort of Klosters. The young couple - both 21 and at St Andrews University - have already spent several weekends at a remote cottage on the Queen's Balmoral estate and the businessman's daughter has visited Highgrove and Sandringham. Two weeks ago they travelled down from Fife to join a group of friends riding with the Middleton Hunt in North Yorkshire, where William introduced her as his 'girlfriend'.

Prince Charles, who is also among the Klosters ski party, has given his approval to the relationship. Kate will now be subject to the same massive public interest as William's mother Diana in the early days of her relation-ship with Prince Charles. Charles's communications director, Paddy Harveson, yesterday refused to discuss the romance between William and Kate, who share a rented cottage with two other St Andrews students.

He said: 'It is not our policy to discuss the nature of Prince William's relationships with his friends. It would not be fair on him or them.'

Last summer St James's Palace took the unprecedented step of publicly denying that William was romantically involved with blonde Jessica Craig during a gap-year visit to Africa. There was no such denial over Kate yesterday. One unofficial royal source merely said the couple 'do not live together'. William and Kate moved into an elegant four- bedroom Edwardian townhouse at St Andrews after a year in student halls of residence. They were joined by two friends, one of them Fergus Boyd, who was at Eton with William. The group were often seen out on the town, drinking at their favou rite bars, Ma Bells and the West Port. Last September the four Castle dents moved into a rented The tage outside the town.

William and Kate met when they were on the same history of art course at St Andrews, before the Prince switched to geography. Soon after that meeting, he paid GBP 200 for a front seat at a charity student fashion show where Kate strode the catwalk in a see- through lace top worn over a black bra. The couple have recently been spotted enjoying intimate suppers at the Dolls House restaurant in St Andrews, owned by the husband of TV hostess Carol Smillie. Kate, whose GBP 1million family home is in the Berkshire hamlet of Bucklebury, near Newbury, is credited with persuading William to continue his studies when he was tempted to leave university in his first year. The couple share a love of sport and were photographed deep in conversation while watching a student rugby match last year. They were also pictured strolling together during a break between lectures and Kate was one of a close coterie of friends invited to William's 21st birthday party at Windsor last June. relationship has apparently flourished during romantic weekends alone on the Bal-moral estate, at an outlying and secluded cottage which the Queen has given to William and his brother Harry as a 'bolthole'. Kate, who was privately educated at Marlborough College, is the eldest child of Michael and Carole Middleton, who run a mail order business called Party Pieces which sells toys and party paraphernalia. Her 53-year-old father and her brother James, 17, both refused to discuss the royal romance yesterday.
A PORTRAIT OF WILLS IN LOVE?

The Daily Mail

GEOFFREY LEVY AND RICHARD KAY

THE piquant irony of the situation will not be lost on their customers. 'Princess' dresses at GBP 18.95. 'Princess' shoes at under a fiver. And to top it off, how about a tiara for a mere GBP 2.45? The Party Pieces website that sells these delightful products for children is a business that just happens to be run by Carole and Michael Middleton, whose daughter Kate can currently be found on the slopes of Klosters with Prince William. How charming it would be, in these troubled times of terrorism and other dark expectations, to be able to proclaim that something prophetic lies at the heart of this amusing coincidence. Prince William in Love? Just the kind of warm and uplifting story we need, and Kate, whose parents live in the village of Bucklebury, near Newbury, Berkshire, is a charming girl. But hold on - they're only 21, so let's put the student romance of William and Kate in perspective.

All day yesterday, after pictures emerged of them skiing together, people close to William who like to think of themselves as well- informed were divided about just how important Kate is to him. Such confusion is just how William likes it. All that emerged from an unofficial source at Clarence House, his father's official residence, was a pithy observation that the two 'do not live together'. In other words, although they - with two others - have shared a student house at St Andrews University for some 18 months, they don't share a bedroom. In deliberately obscuring his private life William is doing no more than copying his parents. After all, his childhood was spent in an atmosphere of rumour and speculation over relationships involving both his father, Prince Charles, and his late mother, Princess Diana. They, arguably, had something to hide. But William is just three months short of his 22nd birthday, a single young man sowing a few wild oats, and Kate's emergence this week is likely to bestow on him the kind of freedom that his father felt the first time he allowed himself to be photographed in public with Mrs Camilla Parker Bowles. Privately, William has been proudly showing off Kate - with her curvaceous figure and long, dark hair - to friends for some months. Just over a week ago he was casually introducing Miss Middleton as his 'girlfriend' when they travelled from St Andrews shortly before the end of term to join a group of his friends riding with - another coincidence - the Middleton Hunt in North Yorkshire. But even there, he was being typically cautious. 'They were not touchy-feely or anything like that - they were really so very careful, and afterwards, when everyone else went for a meal, they'd disappeared,' reports one observer.

WHAT is indisputable is that with Kate, William - the normally tense heir in line to the throne - has been looking utterly relaxed in Klosters this week and enjoying himself more than ever on the royal pilgrimage with his father. Kate and William are travelling in an intimate party of seven who flew from Heathrow to Zurich on Saturday for a week of skiing. Others of his friends there are Harry Legge- Bourke (younger brother of his former unofficial nanny Tiggy), Guy Pelly, the loyal friend who shouldered the blame for Prince Harry's drug taking, William van Cutsem, son of Charles's old Norfolk landowning friend Hugh, and van Cutsem's girlfriend, Katie James. They are a lively, joshing group of youngsters who nightly set out to enjoy the apres-ski as much as the pistes. On Wednesday evening the merry group arrived at a karaoke bar in the ski village and William took to the microphone. Last night a table for 18, including Prince Charles and his old friends Charlie and Patty Palmer-Tomkinson - and without Mrs Parker Bowles who is back in Engl and - was booked at a mountain restaurant overlooking the twinkling lights of the village.

Kate, who was educated at Marlborough - the famous public school which has been co-ed for some years - and has a sister Pippa, 20, and a brother James, 17, is supremely comfortable in such company. But then she is becoming quite used to it. She has been a guest at least three times at Highgrove as well as Sandringham, the Queen's Norfolk estate. In recent months she has been taken by William for weekends to his Highlands bolthole on the eastern edge of the Balmoral estate by the River Muick - a cottage called Tom-na-Gaidh given to him and brother Harry by the Queen and renovated at a cost of GBP 150,000. But William's admiration for Kate goes back a lot further than the four months they are said to have been an item. She was the lissom figure who strutted the catwalk under his mesmerised gaze at a student charity fashion show soon after they both arrived at their Scottish university.

He paid GBP 200 for a front row seat, and his youthful appreciation was clear as Kate pirouetted in a see-through lace dress over a black bra and matching knickers. Both were living in halls of residence at the time but the following year, when he and three others set up house together, Kate was among them. As the friends went about the university town together it was understood that she was dating another student. Late last year that relationship apparently ended, and that is when she and William are said to have embarked on their romance.

Last September, when the student quartet moved house, they chose - at William's request - a place out of town and more removed from prying eyes. It marked a sea- change in his approach to student life, which some ascribe simply to growing up but others put down to Kate's influence. He began joining in more with university life, attending the opening ball in October of the all-male Kate Kennedy Club where 1,500 guests were entertained by fire eaters.

Kate is a founding member of the female equivalent of the Kate Kennedy Club, the Lumsden Club, which aims to support women's issues and donates funds to women's and children's charities. While William was spending part of his gap year in Africa, Kate was in Chile. Like him she is touched by shyness but also shares his love of sports - in addition to skiing and riding, she played hockey and netball at school and now adores sailing. So just how influential is this girl - brought up in rural Berkshire where her parents still walk the family dogs - on the future king? Some are convinced that she saved his university career, one which has switched from the history of art (which she is studying) to geography. Around the campus it is said that when William - now, like Kate, in the third of a four-year course - was so bored and unhappy at university that he was thinking of quitting after barely two terms, she was the friend who convinced him to stay. He did - and is now certain that this was the right decision. But the student romance of William and Kate may have been going on for far longer than others suspect. A year ago he was spotted in the corner at a water polo club Christmas ball kissing a girl with long dark hair in the dim surroundings of St Andrews Sea Life Centre. No one could identify the 'mystery girl' at the time, but now there is speculation that it could have been Kate. But why would William jettison his desire for privacy and allow Kate to be exposed to all the speculation and attention that goes with being his girl?

FOR years he has gone to enormous lengths to ensure he is never photographed with a 'girlfriend'. And make no mistake, girlfriends there have been. These include Arabella Musgrave, who met him on the polo circuit, and Natalie Hicks-Lobbecke, who also dated the Prince's older friend Mark Dyer, 38.< BR> Then there was Jecca Craig, the pretty girl from Kenya with whom he shared a passion for animal conservation and with whom, it is said, 'it was an open secret that he had a fairly serious fling during his gap year'. He saw Jecca on many visits to East Africa.

It was for Jecca that William broke his custom of saying nothing about speculation involving named girls when she was his 'guest of honour' at his 21st birthday party nine months ago. Just before that land- mark party at Windsor Castle - one that was to become infamous by the intrusion of the 'comedy terrorist' Aaron Barschak - he issued a public statement denying any romance with Jecca and claiming to be a long-time friend of her family. He gave no reason for making the state-ment, but friends believe it was the only way he could save her from being swamped by attentive media. And to a large extent he succeeded. Significantly no such statement has been issued on this occasion, when it would have been easy for him to explain away the presence of Kate Middleton by describing her as a student friend joining a family party on the pistes. Equally significantly, no one knows better than William that the snow slopes of Klosters at this time of year are a paparazzi paradise that makes discreet liaisons involving the famous virtually impossible. So why did he bring her? Could it be that he has grown tired - just as his father grew tired - of the stress of romancing the girl in his life in the shadows while yearning to saunter nonchalantly into a restaurant or theatre together? Or could it be that Kate is not quite as important to Prince William as it seems? After all, everyone knows that for most people student romances are not much more enduring than those enjoyed on holiday. And the fact remains that only three weeks ago in the Purple Lounge, a Chelsea nightclub near the football ground, William was paying close attention to another pretty girl in the VIP section. Which brings us back full circle to Party Pieces and those fairytale things (yes, there is even a magic wand) that turn a little girl into a princess. It surely can't happen to Kate Middleton. Or could it?
PRINCE WILLIAM'S GORGEOUS LIVE-IN LOVE

Friends call her Fit Kate and make jokes that she will one day be Queen

By Jane Kerr, Royal Reporter

FRIENDS of Kate Middleton last night told how they were certain Prince William would not be able to resist her beauty and charm. They even joked that she would be Queen one day after the sport- loving brunette confessed she fancied the young royal. History of art student Kate, 21, worked as a deckhand on the BT Global Challenge yacht before heading to St Andrews University where she met boyfriend Wills. One of her former crewmates on the Southampton-based craft said: "Kate was gorgeous and very popular. She was from a good family and seemed just perfect for the prince.

"After the crew heard Kate and William were both going to St Andrews we said they'd end up getting together. We used to tell her: 'You'll be the Queen one day'. It was a long- running joke. She used to laugh along but you could tell she really liked him. She admitted: 'I do fancy Wills'. Kate was so beautiful we were sure William would fall for her. She's a lovely girl, good luck to her."

In 2001, before she left the yacht, Kate had a summer fling with deckhand Ian Henry, much to the envy of the other male crew. They went on a secret holiday to the Caribbean.

Our source said: "Everyone called her Fit Kate and the lads were very jealous she got together with Ian. She was quite a catch. It all ended when they went their separate ways to start university."

Ian, 23 - who is studying at Oxford and lives near Taunton, Somerset - was last night coy about the romance.

He said: "We were very good friends but I have not spoken to her for a while. We met a couple of years ago through sailing. I was crewing on a boat at Southampton and Kate was on another. Occasionally we would sail together. She is a fun girl. I would call her bubbly, outgoing and down-to- earth. I did not know she and William were an item. She is very reserved, she does not like being in the spotlight."

Businessman's daughter Kate and second in line to the throne William, 21, now live together as a couple in a cottage near St Andrews, Fife. She has met Prince Charles several times and sources are convinced their relationship is "serious". Charles is understood to approve. The pair went to great lengths to keep their four-month-old romance a secret. Only close friends knew about the relationship and were sworn to secrecy. Old Etonian Fergus Boyd, who shares the cottage, was one of the few in the know. Every time Kate and Wills left the home they made it look as if they were nothing more than housemates. In public they never held hands or showed affection to each other. Friends said William knew their secret would come out, but he wanted to keep it private as long as possible. Even yesterday, when photographs of the pair on a skiing holiday in Switzerland were published, the prince ordered Clarence House aides to keep quiet. A spokesman still refused to confirm Wills and Kate were an item.

He said: "He's going to be photographed and seen with young ladies in the next few years because he's a young man out and about. We're not going to be suddenly going 'yeah she is, she isn't, she is, she isn't'. It's not fair on him or them. We're not going to disclose the nature of his friendships because that's private."

There was anger among the few who knew about the relationship that one had betrayed the prince by leaking details of his romance to a newspaper. And a row erupted over publication of the paparazzi pictures which royal aides said breached an agreement to not to invade William's privacy when he was skiing in Klosters. Kate and William met when they both began studying History of Art at St Andrews. The prince later switched to geography. At the beginning of their second year, Wills moved out of the halls of residence into a flat in the town with Kate and Fergus. The trio moved into their cottage on the outskirts of the town last September. Speculation has surrounded the couple's friendship since 2002, although they have always denied being romantically involved. Kate hit the headlines after William reportedly paid Ł200 for a VIP ticket to a university fashion show where she modelled a bra and knickers while wearing a see-through dress. At the May Day Ball last year, the prince also spent most of the evening huddled up with Kate and other friends. They were photographed walking together down the local high street and deep in conversation at a rugby game.

William and Kate have much in common. Both like sport. They play tennis together and she loves watching rugby and polo. Kate was on the sidelines to cheer on William when he played in a rugby sevens tournament. The pair both spent part of their gap year in Chile. She has been credited with persuading William to stay at St Andrews after reports he wanted to quit because it was "boring". Kate is discreet and loyal, qualities William counts on from his friends. Kate, who has a sister Phillippa, 19, and 16-year-old brother James, was educated at St Andrews in Pangbourne, Berks, then Marlborough College in Wiltshire. Her parents Carole, 48, and Michael, 53, run a mail order children's party toys business called Party Pieces. During university breaks Kate returns home to Bucklebury, near Newbury. Last night dad Michael showed his own loyalty to his daughter and her new boyfriend when approached by reporters. He said: "I don't talk to the press." Kate was among the 300 guests invited to William's 21st birthday party at Windsor Castle last June. The prince has admitted he feels sorry for female friends linked romantically.

In an interview he said: "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. These poor girls, you know, whom I've either just met and get photographed with, or they're friends of mine, suddenly get thrown into the limelight and their parents get rung up and so on. I think it's a little unfair on them really. I'm used to it because it happens quite a lot now. But it's very difficult for them and I don't like that."

And he offered his simple philosophy on dating. Wills said: "If I fancy a girl and I really like her and she fancies me, which is rare, I ask her out. But I don't want to put them in an awkward situation because people don't quite understand what comes with knowing me"
Tabloid banned over Prince and college girl

By Caroline Davies

The Prince of Wales and Prince William were said to be "disappointed" yesterday after a newspaper printed paparazzi pictures of the 21-year-old prince skiing with his student flatmate, Kate Middleton, alleging she was his first serious girlfriend. Clarence House banned The Sun from official photocalls for Prince William and Prince Harry after it devoted five pages to photographs of William and Miss Middleton enjoying a private skiing break at Klosters, Switzerland, with a party hosted by his father.

Publication of the photographs, bought from a freelance photographer, are believed by the princes to breach an agreement between the media and Clarence House allowing William and Harry privacy in exchange for regular official photo-opportunities. On Sunday, Prince Charles and his elder son readily posed for newspapers and television cameras in Klosters on the understanding that such access would then allow them to enjoy the rest of the week's break in peace.

There was no confirmation or denial from Clarence House over The Sun's speculation that Miss Middleton, 21, from Bucklebury, Berks, was Prince William's girlfriend. Paddy Harverson, Prince Charles's communications secretary, said: "It is not our policy to discuss the nature of Prince William's relationships with his friends. There may be speculation about other women he is photographed with and we are not going to get into a debate about the nature of his relationships.

"We are very unhappy with the breach of the agreement and the use of the paparazzi pictures."

It is understood that Clarence House has ruled out any legal action or any approach to the Press Complaints Commission because the photographs were taken in a public area, and it would be difficult to argue intrusion or harassment. It remains to be seen if The Sun's breach opens the floodgates with other tabloids abandoning the agreement and publishing paparazzi pictures. Miss Middleton shared a flat with Prince William and other friends during his second year at St Andrews University and is one of the prince's housemates in accommodation on the outskirts of the Scottish town. There has been previous speculation that they may be romantically involved. The pictures offer no conclusive evidence. The prince is seen looking fondly at her as they share a ski lift. But an acquaintance said: "A picture taken two minutes later would have shown him going up in the lift with someone else. They are hardly earth-shattering.

"The trouble is, if Clarence House begins commenting on her, it will set a terrible precedent for the future. Every time he is seen with someone we will suddenly be asked 'Is this the one?'."

Miss Middleton, who is studying history of art, the subject studied by Prince William until he switched to geography this year, came to prominence when she modelled for a charity fashion show at the university. Prince William sat in the front row.

A spokesman for The Sun said: "Our story about Prince William and his girlfriend Kate Middleton is 100 per cent true. Therefore, there is a strong public interest in publishing these delightful photographs. However, we are irritated that our royal photographer, Arthur Edwards, MBE, has been banned from royal events."
I've been framed!

Legendary snapper hits back

By PAUL THOMPSON

Royal Correspondent

THE Sun’s Arthur Edwards snapped last night: “They should NOT have banned me from photographing Prince William.”

Our 63-year-old veteran Royal Photographer said: “I am disappointed as I will be prevented from doing the job I love. Banning The Sun from any event involving William and Harry is a silly, childish thing to do. The Royal Family have had a terrible few months when it comes to scandals and publicity. This is the most positive story there has been for almost a year and it seems churlish of them to retaliate. I’ve been a staunch supporter and never said a bad word about them. It is upsetting they have behaved this way.”

The ban by Clarence House came after The Sun exclusively revealed how romance has blossomed for Wills and brunette Kate Middleton, 21. Their relationship grew out of a two-year friendship at St Andrews University. She is his first serious girlfriend and we published a series of pictures of the couple in the Swiss ski resort of Klosters.

Kate is among a group of friends accompanying William and his father Prince Charles on the week-long stay. We told how Wills, 21, and Kate have had dinner at Highgrove and romantic weekends at a cottage on the Queen’s Balmoral estate in Scotland. But royal officials were not amused by our story — even though everyone in Britain was talking about The Sun. Readers told how much they enjoyed the snaps of Wills and Kate — and were delighted at his romance. And our scoop was followed up in America, Australia and across Europe. In Britain every major TV and radio news programme reported the top story.

Germany’s national broadcaster RTL said: “The paper that always sends shivers of delight and horror through the royal households has scooped Britain’s press again.”

Arthur, who did not even take the snaps that offended royal aides, was interviewed by 20 TV and radio stations.

He added: “I believe it is an insult to ban me. Sun readers love to see photos of the boys and our pictures of William and Kate will have been enjoyed by many people. There is so much gloomy news around at the moment but these pictures will have made people smile. What is wrong with that? I do not believe they are intrusive. William was on a public slope and his picture could have been taken by any number of tourists. He is an adult, not a young child.”

In a 27-year-career following the Royals, Arthur has struck up an amazing rapport with members of the family. Last year he was rewarded with a MBE for services to newspapers, with the Queen joking to him: “I don’t know why I am giving you this.”

Even this week, long-time fan William arrived for a ski photocall and asked aides: “Is Arthur Edwards here?” Prince Harry instantly recognises Arthur. During a photo-call in Lesotho, Southern Africa, last month, Harry spied Arthur and called out his name. Balding Arthur cheekily joked about Harry’s new cropped hairstyle.

Harry quickly shot back: “At least I’ve still got some.”

Prince Charles, who has known Arthur half his life, always stops for a quick chat. Arthur believes the ban will hurt Clarence House more than The Sun. Prince William was said to be “irritated” by our story but was back on the ski slopes yesterday with Kate. Clarence House confirmed The Sun would be excluded from future media events with Wills and Harry. But our scoop is not being referred to The Press Complaints Commission, which has laid down guidelines on the reporting of the Princes.

A Clarence House spokesman said: “It’s not PCC. It’s not legal. It’s exclusion from some future opportunities.”

The spokesman would not comment on how long the ban could last. It does not stop Arthur covering other official royal engagements.

Buckingham Palace said: “We have not been asked to implement any ban.”

April 1, 2004 -

Sun threatened with royal boycott

Claire Cozens

William: Sun's pictures of prince with 'his first serious girlfriend' broke agreement, say royal aides

Prince Charles today threatened to sever official relations with the Sun after the paper apparently broke an agreement to leave Prince William in peace following an skiing photocall on Sunday. The front page of today's Sun carries a photograph of the prince with fellow student Kate Middleton at the Swiss ski resort of Klosters under the banner headline "Finally... Wills gets a girl". Over the next four pages billed as a "world exclusive: the royal romance", the prince is pictured again with a young woman the paper says is "his first serious girlfriend". Royal aides are angry at the apparent breach of a media agreement to leave William alone following an an official photocall on Sunday, when he posed with his father and joked with photographers about their skiing abilities.

A spokeswoman for the prince said he was "very disappointed" by the apparent breach of the agreement, adding that the Sun would have to "face the consequences" of its actions - although there would be no formal complaint.

"They do understand that they have broken the agreement and they are aware they will have to face the consequences. It's not set in stone but that could include being excluded from photocalls," she said. The publication of the photographs is the first major problem encountered by the Prince of Wales's new communications secretary, Paddy Harverson, since he took up his post earlier this year.

Mr Harverson said today he was "unhappy" about the use of the pictures, provided by the well known celebrity photographer Jason Fraser.

"I'm asking newspapers to continue to abide by the agreement," he added.

There is also a wider agreement between the press and Buckingham Palace to ensure that the royal princes are allowed to continue their third-level education without their privacy being intruded. However, last year relations between the tabloids and the palace became strained with protests from the royal press corps over the lack of access to Prince William on his 21st birthday. Reporters and editors complained that the palace was reneging on its side of the entente, which involved giving regular official access to both princes at key milestones during their university schooling. The latest agreement was reached last September, following an admission by Prince Charles's private secretary, Sir Michael Peat, that St James's Palace had failed to give the press sufficient access to William during his time at university. In a letter to Les Hinton, the chairman of the newspaper editors' code of practice committee, Sir Michael promised to provide information about the student prince at least once a term in an effort to ease unrest among tabloid newspapers over the lack of access to the heir to the throne. In its editorial today the Sun said the pictures were published in the public interest and that William was a mature adult.

"One of William's girlfriends could become Queen one day. Her subjects will be entitled to know all about her." it said.

The newspaper added there had been public interest in Charles' romantic interests before he married Princess Diana. At the official photocall at the weekend, William revealed what appeared to be a new-found confidence in front of the cameras. High up in the mountains at the start of his stay in the Alpine destination, he laughed throughout and joked with photographers. With his arm affectionately thrust around Prince Charles' shoulders, the prince took control of the photo-opportunity, spoke more than Charles and was at ease with the 50-strong media pack. Prince Charles is understood to be upset at the photographs after co-operating with the official photocall on Sunday, when he made it clear he hoped to be left in peace for the remainder of the holiday. Asked by the photographers to recommend good skiing routes in Klosters, Charles made plain his desire to get shot of the press. "The route to Zurich is very nice," he quipped.
Triumph Of Wills

ALL papers like to run a hoax story on April Fool's day, but the usual form is to slip it inconspicuously into one of the news pages. Not the Sun, however. With typical audacity, theirs is plastered over the front page, with more on pages 2,3,4 and 5.

"FINALLY... Wills gets a girl," it trumpets and, sure enough, there's a picture of the dashing young prince in the company of a genuine 100-per-cent anatomically-correct female human being.

Of course, it could all be faked with computers, so they've even gone to the trouble of getting Sun Royal Photographer Arthur Edwards to pen a few words in order to lend an air of authenticity.

"When I photographed Prince William on the slopes of Klosters, I knew there was something unusual about him," teases the veteran smudger. "We now know why."

Yes, that's right - we've got a heterosexual heir to the throne, and the future of the House of Windsor is safe. And even if none of it is true, it's a dream that we can all enjoy on a lovely spring morning.
Royals not amused by William ski pics

The royal family has reacted with anger after a tabloid newspaper splashed pictures of pin-up Prince William with his "first serious girlfriend", breaking a media deal not to invade his privacy.

The Sun on Thursday printed a series of photos of William enjoying a skiing holiday in the exclusive Swiss resort of Klosters with a girl it identified as Kate Middleton. It was the first time a British paper had ignored the agreement brokered by the royals with the media to allow the 21-year-old prince to enjoy his privacy while still at university in exchange for a number of stage-managed photo opportunities.

"We are very unhappy with what the Sun has done," a Buckingham Palace source told Reuters.

He said the paper might now be excluded from future official photo- calls as a punishment. The royals have been fiercely determined to protect William and his younger brother Harry from the frenzied media intrusion which dogged their mother Diana before her death in a Paris car crash in 1997. As part of the media deal, William and Charles held an organised photo-call in Klosters on Sunday where they laughed and joked with reporters and photographers.

"Prince William is disappointed that he had gone out of his way to put on a good show on Sunday and then this happens," the source said.

In an editorial, the Sun justified using the "delightful" paparazzi pictures, with a thinly veiled hint that it would use similar photos again.

"Now that he is a mature adult, there is a public interest in knowing what romantic interests might be developing in the prince's life," it said.

"One of William's girlfriends could become queen one day. Her subjects will be entitled to know all about her."

The Sun said William and businessman's daughter Middleton, a fellow student at Scotland's St Andrews University, have been dating for nearly four months. However the Royal Family refused to comment.

"He's going to be photographed and seen with a variety of young ladies in the next few years because he's a young man out and about," the source said.

"We're not going to be suddenly going 'yeah she is, she isn't, she is, she isn't' -- it's not fair on him or them. We're not going to disclose the nature of his friendships because that's private."
Prince William's secret dates

By Robert Jobson, Evening Standard Royal Correspondent

She is the long-term friend who has been at his side throughout his student life. Now, after years as a confidante, Prince William's friendship with 21- year-old Kate Middleton is said to have blossomed into something more serious.

Speculation is mounting that the two - students at St Andrews University - have been dating seriously for four months after she split from her previous boyfriend.

Miss Middleton is understood to have enjoyed several weekends with William, also 21, at Highgrove, Prince Charles's country home, and at the Queen's Balmoral estate - a sign that the relationship is serious. The two are currently enjoying a skiing break with Charles in Klosters and have been pictured together on the slopes.

William, who guards his private life, and Miss Middleton, the daughter of a businessman, are said to have tried to keep their relationship secret. They do not hold hands in public to avoid attracting the attention of photographers. The two first became friends when William arrived at university as a teenager after his gap year in Chile. She took part in a charity fashion show and performed on the catwalk in a seethrough lace top. The prince paid Ł200 for a front-row seat. Originally they shared the same history of art course, until eventually the prince switched to study geography. At the start of his second year at college they moved into a flat close to the university in Fife with two other friends. Last September they moved to a cottage on the Balmoral estate after Miss Middleton split from her boyfriend, another student at St Andrews.

This has apparently helped their relationship develop from just a friendship to a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship away from prying eyes. She has reportedly enjoyed dinners together at Highgrove on at least three occasions and Charles is said to approve of her. But it is understood that despite their close friendship, they give each other freedom. Only two weeks ago William was at London nightclub Purple in Chelsea enjoying the company of a number of girls.

A spokesman for Charles said: "It is not our policy to discuss the nature of Prince William's relationships with his friends. It wouldn't be fair on him or them."
Dinners at Highgrove ... trysts at Balmoral (And now his Klosters ski pal)

By PAUL THOMPSON

Royal Correspondent

PRINCE William skis with pretty student Kate Middleton — who The Sun can reveal is his first serious girlfriend. The 21-year-old pair, who are at the same university, have been dating for nearly four months. Wills and businessman’s daughter Kate, seen skiing in Klosters this week, have been trying to keep the romance secret. But a source said: “They’re an item.” Prince William’s pretty girlfriend has joined him at Highgrove at least three times, The Sun can reveal. And the pair have enjoyed several secret weekend trysts at a remote cottage on the Queen’s Balmoral estate. Brunette Kate has met Prince Charles — a sign that she is a serious girlfriend.

Charles, with partner Camilla Parker Bowles, is understood to approve of his son’s relationship with the company director’s daughter. A source confirmed Wills and fellow student Kate are “an item”. And though the publicity-shy Prince is trying to keep the romance under wraps, he could not hide his affection for Kate as they skied together this week in Klosters, Switzerland. Striking Kate first caught the eye of William — and many other male students — soon after arriving at St Andrews University in Scotland. She took part in a student fashion show — and sashayed along the catwalk in a see-through lace top worn over a black bra. Wills paid Ł200 for a front row seat at the charity event. The pair, now both in the third year, originally palled up on a History Of Art course — though Wills has since opted to study geography. At the beginning of their second year they moved into a flat close to the Fife university with two other friends. The group switched to a nearby cottage last September. But Wills and Kate did not become an item until Christmas, after she split from her previous boyfriend, a former St Andrews student.

The source said: “It is true they are dating and try to spend as much time with each other as possible, but never in public.”

The pair spend most evenings in the rented cottage — and have forged an amazing pact in an attempt to keep the romance secret. They do not hold hands in public, they leave their home at different times and they try not to appear affectionate. But the relationship has flourished thanks to the Balmoral “bolthole”. They have visited the cottage — given to Wills and brother Harry by the Queen — several times over the last couple of months. The property, called Alltcailleach Steadings, nestles in the shadow of a hill. It underwent a Ł150,000 renovation before the Princes were handed the keys. The pair have also been spotted enjoying a cosy meal at trendy Dolls House restaurant in St Andrews — owned by the husband of TV host Carol Smillie. William’s close friend Fergus Boyd, a former Eton chum who shares the student cottage, is said to be “one of the few” who know about the romance.

The source said: “He has been sworn to secrecy and tries to give the couple as much time together by leaving the house in the evening. William trusts him implicitly.”

Kate is said to have a “great sense of humour” and has a good deal in common with Wills. Both have a love of sport. They get together for tennis and enjoy watching rugby and polo, which Wills also plays. The brunette, who like William spent part of her gap year before university in Chile, is credited with persuading the Prince to stick with his studies when he was tempted to leave last year. And her place as one of his “inner circle” was sealed by an invite to his 21st birthday party at Windsor Castle in June. The Sun spotted them walking together and lost in conversation before a student rugby match last year. But at that time Kate was still dating her ex. The pair have been joined in Klosters by Guy Pelly, one of William’s closest pals, and Harry Legge Bourke, elder brother of former Royal nanny Tiggy. Kate was educated privately at Marlborough College in Wiltshire. Sister Pippa, 19, went there and brother James, 16, is about to join its sixth form. Parents Michael, 53, and Carole, 48, of rural Bucklebury, Berks, run a mail order toys business. A neighbour said: “They are a really lovely family and great fun.” Last night Clarence House’s communications director Paddy Harveson said: “It is not our policy to discuss the nature of Prince William’s relationships with his friends. It wouldn’t be fair on him or them.”
His Kate's a special girl

Says Sun Royal Photographer

ARTHUR EDWARDS

WHEN I photographed Prince William on the slopes of Klosters, I knew there was something different about him. He was relaxed, confident and obviously very happy. We now know why. He’s in love. His student friend Kate Middleton has captured his heart and our delightful pictures of them sharing a ski lift prove he is now not afraid to show her to the world. In my years as The Sun’s Royal Photographer I have seen numerous girls throwing themselves at the young Prince. But Kate is something special. They were friends and flatmates for two years. Slowly that has developed into something more serious. I am pleased for William and so should everyone else be.

He will be 22 in June and no longer a boy. For years he has been the most eligible bachelor in this country, if not the world. So it should come as no surprise that he has a serious girlfriend. I think most people expect him to have a girlfriend, although for William it brings lots of complications. In Kate he has found someone he can trust with his innermost secrets. This is not some girl he has met in a nightclub or bar, but someone who has been by his side for almost three years. They enrolled on the same History of Art course, attending the same lectures and tutorials. He and Kate also have many other interests, playing tennis and travelling to Chile for a gap year, although not at the same time.

Kate and Wills no doubt struck up a rapport as soon as they moved into the university’s hall of residence. He hand-picked her to share a flat, along with his Old Etonian pal Fergus Boyd. And I have no doubt the sight of the attractive brunette parading in her underwear on a catwalk for a student fashion show was a contributing factor. Looking at the pictures, who can blame William? There is no doubt we have seen a maturing of William in the last year. Credit for that must go to Prince Charles. As anyone who saw father and son on the ski slopes can tell, there is a strong, loving bond between them. Charles, himself no stranger to romance in his early 20s, will have counselled his eldest son about the pitfalls of being an heir to the throne. I well remember snapping him and the then Lady Sarah Spencer on the ski slopes. Of course, he went on to marry Sarah’s sister — Diana. Charles and Wills both know any serious girlfriend will be viewed as a future bride. Kate is a long way from that. But every marriage has to start somewhere. And who knows, this could be the one. William will have known that he could not keep his romance secret indefinitely. Even his closest friends will have started to gossip. Something as important as a first serious girlfriend cannot be kept under wraps forever — even if Wills and Kate want it kept as a secret. I am sure most people will be delighted William is in love. Now that it is out in the open we might see them together at events in St Andrews — or at Balmoral for the Royals’ annual summer holiday. Kate will find herself firmly in the spotlight. But she will have known this when she began a relationship with William. I am sure William and his father will have counselled her about what to expect — and that will be to just smile and say nothing. Seeing Wills and Kate sharing the T-bar in Klosters reminded me of Prince Charles and Lady Sarah Spencer in 1978. Princess Diana’s elder sister was then the current squeeze and was delighted to be seen with the dashing young Prince. She coped with the publicity that followed brilliantly, inviting myself and reporters into her London home and talking openly about her friendship with Charles. It would nice if Kate did the same, although I suspect she will shyly decline.
Prince's uni beauties

PRETTY Kate heads a trio of girls at St Andrews who have been dubbed “Wills’ Beauties” by fellow students. Olivia Beasdale and Virginia Fraser are th