| William Discovers Life at Sandringham Never Changes |
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| Written by Joanne Leyland | ||||
| Wednesday, 28 December 2005 | ||||
  It had been rumoured that, come Boxing Day, Prince William would whisk girlfriend Kate Middleton — desperate for some 'alone time' with her boyfriend? — off for some post-Christmas skiing in Verbier, Switzerland.However, the Prince has instead been taking part in the kind of countryside pursuits which, over twenty years ago, his own mother Diana endured rather than enjoyed. In the early 1980s, the new, still naive and somewhat (in the words of Camilla) 'mousey' Princess of Wales was inducted into a royal tradition, one she may well have preferred to side-step. Diana was "blooded" for the first time as a member of the Royal Family...this involved her taking part in a hunt in the countryside, killing an animal and then having a small amount of the blood of the dead beast daubed onto her face. It was an experience the always gentle Diana wouldn't have enjoyed, although having been raised on the Spencer's Althorp estate in Northamptonshire, she no doubt would have been accustomed to what is, to many people, a somewhat repulsive past-time but the way of life for the upper classes. In her early days as wife of the Prince of Wales and future Queen, the young Diana was keen to involve herself in the family life of the Windsors, most especially her mother-in-law. And so it was that she agreed to ride out with Her Majesty, despite having suffered a fall from a horse in childhood which mentally scarred her for life against the idea of riding. This was, of course, Diana's initial 'reason' for her involvement with Cavalry Officer James Hewitt, the Princess claiming she was simply having riding lessons.  Over twenty years since his mother was given her first taste of life as a member of the family which is ruled by the 'hunting, shooting, fishing' calendar, Prince William — ruled by his Windsor genes — is today far more relaxed and at home in the countryside than in the nightclubs of London. Of course, William, like most youngsters, loves to let his hair down in the trendy clubs so often frequented by his more rebellious and extrovert brother Harry, but he is truly at his happiest hunting for deer on the moors of Scotland or shooting in the grounds of Sandringham. In his earlier years, the Prince even opted to miss out on a few days skiing in Klosters with his "Papa" and brother so as to enjoy a shooting party with a group of Eton schoolfriends at the Queen's Norfolk estate. This week, while the rest of us no doubt relaxed after our over-indulgence on Christmas delectables, William was to be once more found out in the grounds of Sandringham, a gun and earplugs at the ready for a day's shooting.  The Prince is an incredibly headstrong young man and so he turns a blind eye to the inevitable criticism that comes his way whenever he is pictured with a gun and dead bird in his hand. William has even privately shown his disdain for British Prime Minister Tony Blair's government, due to the ruling Labour Party's ban on fox hunting with dogs, a past-time William and generations of his family have enjoyed. During the seemingly never-ending debates which went on throughout Britain concerning the minutae of the inevitable ban on foxhunting, thousands of vociferous members of 'The Countryside Alliance' took to the streets of London for a protest walk through the city. William, usually so keen not to be associated with any controversy, took to the roof of his then-home St. James's Palace to watch the march from a 'safe' distance. The somewhat incongruous image of the future King stood on the roof of a Royal home duly appeared in the national Press. Considering William is, without doubt, one of the most clever royals, it has to be questioned whether he didn't, indeed, know that he would be photographed and was simply happy to be showing his solidarity with the people on the streets below.  These are rare days of freedom for William as 2006 will truly herald his arrival on the path leading to his destiny...the throne of Great Britain and the Commonwealth countries. On January the 8th, 2006, the Prince will arrive, before a phalanx of cameras from around the world, at Sandhurst Military Academy to start his rigorous training and initiation into the British Army, the historic and fiercly proud and loyal institution over which HRH Prince William Arthur Philip Louis will one day rule as King William V. When one thinks of what lies ahead for William, is it any wonder that he so relishes those rare moments of peace, alone in the countryside and at one with nature? Then again, the Prince — unlike the rest of us — can never truly be 'alone'. For who do you think took the photograps of him that you and I are enjoying looking at right now? 2006 may be a 'New' Year for the rest of us, but for William and his royal relatives, it's likely that much of it will be exactly the same as the last. In the months ahead, the life of the handsome young Prince will be increasingly dictated by 'duty, duty, duty'. It is a fate that his own, sometimes self-pitying father, Prince Charles, and his always conscientious and uncomplaining grandmother, have also had to come to accept. Think about it as you celebrate the dawning of 2006 this weekend: when you sit back and seriously think about how awful it would be never to be allowed one moment of peace, or the chance to date who you want to (rather than who is deemed 'good enough' by others), would you really like to be in the shoes of HRH Prince William of Wales? No, I thought not... Please feel welcome to offer your opinions on this and any other royal story by visiting our Royal Forum or via our Comments section below.
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