IAN JOHNSTON
PRINCE William has joined a growing trend to wear fashionable yellow
wristbands designed to raise money for cancer charities.
The American cyclist Lance Armstrong, who supports the scheme, was
diagnosed with testicular cancer just after the 1996 Olympics.
Doctors gave him a 40 per cent chance of surviving the disease,
which was advanced and had spread to his lungs and brain. He managed
not only to recover but go on to win the Tour de France an
incredible six times.
Yellow was chosen as the wristband's colour to symbolise the jersey
worn by the Tour de France leader and it carries Armstrong's
mantra, "LiveSTRONG".
During the US presidential election, Democrat John Kerry was seen
wearing one, while aides to George Bush said he also had one. The
band can be bought on the www.laf.org website for 54p.
Among celebrities who recently have been spotted wearing the
wristbands are actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, and tennis star
Serena Williams.
By Charlie Methven and Charles Froggatt in Buenos Aires
Prince Harry, who arrived in Argentina last Friday for a five-week
working holiday, is staying at a ranch believed to be owned by a
former right-hand man to the Sultan of Brunei.
Harry's host at El Remanso (The Backwater) is Major Christopher
Hanbury, polo patron, racehorse owner and the Sultan's aide for much
of the last two decades.
"Christopher Hanbury bought El Remanso last year," said one local,
who asked not to be named. "No one knows much about him down here,
but he's clearly very wealthy."
Major Hanbury, once of the Queen's Royal Irish Hussars, is a family
friend of the Waleses: his Gloucestershire farm, Longdole, is only a
few miles from Highgrove and he is the vice-chairman of Cirencester
Polo Club.
The major's Australian polo manager, Robert Cudmore, is credited
with teaching Harry and Prince William the rudiments of the game,
and he is believed to be overseeing the polo side of the visit.
El Remanso's own polo grounds are still under construction, so Harry
instead heads every day to the adjoining estancia, La Alegria, for
practice and tuition. "He is fascinated by horses and seems really
happy here," said another guest at the estancia.
Thus far, the local media has been friendly, bestowing on the third-
in-line to the throne the admiring nickname El Principe Rebelde (the
Rebel Prince).
One reason Harry has based himself at El Remanso is to ensure
proximity to the world's best polo player, Adolfo Cambiaso, whose La
Dolfina ranch is half an hour away. "It is important that he has
come to the right place to learn," Marcial Socas, Cambiaso's half-
brother, said yesterday. "The standard of play here is simply a lot
higher than anywhere else."
It has been reported that Harry would be unable to play polo in
Argentina after injuring a knee coaching rugby.
But when weather has allowed and it has rained for much of the last
week reports suggest that the prince has been playing. He is said
already to have made the trip to practise with Cambiaso, and is even
planning to play in a tournament with him.
Meanwhile, Harry's nocturnal activities, the source of such
controversy in Britain, have been determinedly low-key.
Rather than heading for the sparkling lights of Buenos Aires, he has
contented himself with shopping trips to Lobos and a visit to the
local nightspot, La Portena.
A groom on the nearby Araucaria estancia said: "Harry was seen by
lots of people in La Portena. He just seemed like any guy his age
who likes to go out and have a few beers. He also likes to drink
maté [a local tea] with the grooms."
The proprietor of Nina, a small shop in Lobos, said: "Harry bought a
knife from me, as well as a chaira to sharpen it. He was kind and
polite."
With the Argentine Open, the world's premier tournament, getting
into full swing this weekend, though, Harry is unlikely to keep such
a low profile for long.
Known as the Abierto, the Open is played in front of crowds of
20,000 in Palermo, a smart suburb 10 minutes from the centre of
Buenos Aires.
Although no British players are good enough to play in the
tournament, they travel en masse to watch and then hit the town.
Harry is expected to return to Britain shortly before Christmas, in
time to start at Sandhurst in January.
LONDON (AFP) - Prince William, the eldest grandson to Britain's Queen
Elizabeth II, leapt to the defence of his roguish younger brother
Harry whom he said was very much "his own man", in a rare interview
aired.
"He's grown very much into his own man," William said of 20-year-old
Harry, who is to enrol at Sandhurst, Britain's most prestigious
military academy, in February as he strives to shake off a somewhat
wild public image.
"He's very self-confident, he does what he feels is right," said
geography student William, two years Harry's senior, in an interview
given to the BBC and Britain's Press Association.
William lamented the fact that he did not see his Harry -- who
cemented his playboy reputation last month after a scuffle with a
photographer outside a London nightclub -- as often as he might.
"I've been giving him a lot of stick about the fact that he hasn't
come up here.
"He's been rather busy. The first two years he was at school. Every
time his term finished, so did mine.
"Recently he's been on his gap year. He might come up when he comes
back. I see quite a lot of him on holidays, that's more than enough,"
he joked.
William, the photogenic future heir to the British throne, painted
over any family differences and also defended his father, Prince
Charles, often a figure of ridicule in Britain's tabloid press.
"Harry and I and my father, we're a very close family.
"There are disagreements, obviously, as all families do, and when
there are, there are big disagreements, but when there's happy times
we have a really good time," he said.
"It's just difficult getting all three of us in the same house at one
time.
"Obviously father is very busy, Harry's travelling or whatever, and
I'm up here. It's just difficult. (But) it's all good."
On media criticism of his 56-year-old father Charles, William
said: "He's had a difficult time and you know it's just sad.
"I just wish more of his charitable work was concentrated on because
he does do a hell of a lot of work."
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I would face front line - Prince William
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"The last thing I want to do is be mollycoddled or wrapped up in cotton wool," the 22-year-old said. In an interview to mark the final year of his four-year course, he said to be kept back from war zones because of his title would be "humiliating". He added that "life was too short" to be worried about one day becoming King. The prince, who is second in line for the throne, would not be, he insisted, a reluctant King but that at the moment he was concentrating on keeping his "feet on the ground" and "enjoying myself as much as I can ". "The thing is with me I look on the brighter side of everything. "There's no point being pessimistic or being worried about too many things because frankly life's too short."
Talking about his recent role at Remembrance Sunday when he joined senior Royals including his father Prince Charles and grandmother the Queen at the Cenotaph service in London, he said it made him "very proud to be British". "It should never be forgotten what all the war veterans have sacrificed for all of us to be as we are." He expressed admiration for the British soldiers who were currently in action "fighting their hearts out". He said he had hinted before at joining the Armed Forces when he finishes his studies and said the Army would be his first choice. Harry a 'guinea pig' He said officers' training academy Sandhurst was "very attractive" and
younger brother Prince Harry was "going as a guinea pig first to see what
happens".
If he serves, he said he would not expect to be "kept back for being precious". "It's the most humiliating thing and it would be something I'd find very awkward to live with, being told I couldn't go out there when these guys have got to go out there." However he added he had not entirely made up his mind about the future and "there's plenty of possibilities open".
He also plans to consider what charity work he wants to perform, such as highlighting poverty and Aids in Africa and fighting homelessness. "My mother introduced that area to me a long time ago, which was a real eye-opener and I'm very glad she did. It's been something I've held close to me for a long time." As part of the interview, cameras followed the prince around the small university town in the east of Scotland. He was shown playing snooker with friends and in a tutorial with a professor. "Deep down I am pretty normal," he said. He said his time at university has been "brilliant" and that he has enjoyed being able to stay out of the media spotlight. That is expected to end with his studies next year. | |||||
It should never be forgotten what all the war veterans have
sacrificed for all of us to be as we are 
Prince William has given a candid and rare interview on his fears,
hopes and family.
Speaking to the media for the first time in more than a year, the
second in line to the throne insisted: "Deep down, I'm pretty
normal."Talking to mark his final year at St Andrew's University,
William said that he had been able lead a normal life away from the
public and media gaze.
And as well as the hardships of completing his geography degree, the
22-year-old has had to contend with more unusual demands including a
proposal of marriage from a young girl.
"I had to decline it," he said.
"I have had Jehovah's Witnesses coming up to me on the street and
devout Christians come out and say I should listen more to the word
of God.
"I have had lots of kids come up and stop me asking for my autograph,
and a grandmother ask me if I know where to buy underwear."
Life after St Andrews is more unclear for the Prince, although
becoming the first royal in living memory to join the prestigious
military academy at Sandhurst is an option.
He joked: "Sandhurst would be attractive, that's why my brother
Harry's going in as a guinea pig first."
But William said if he joined the Army, he would want to be treated
like any other entrant.
He said: "The last thing I want to do is be mollycoddled or wrapped
in cotton wool because if I was to join the Army.
"I'd want to go where my men went and I'd want to do what they did."