The British Monarchy
dougal
Active member
Prince William says he might join the army after finishing university and insists he would accept no kid-glove treatment.
But the 22-year-old who is in the final months of a geography degree at St. Andrews University in Scotland also said he wanted to carry on his dead mother's charitable work on AIDS, poverty and helping the homeless.
"The last thing I want to be is mollycoddled or wrapped up in cotton wool. Because if I was to join the army I would want to go where my men went and I would want to do what they did," he said in a rare interview made available to all British media.
"As much as I love St. Andrews ... I am ready now to get out and do different stuff. There is so much I want to do and it worries me occasionally that I won't be able to do it all. But I'll make a good start to it anyway," he added.
William, who has inherited the blond hair and good looks of his mother who was killed in a Paris car crash in 1997, has been largely left alone by the media under an agreement that will expire when he leaves university next year.
By contrast his younger brother Harry, in Argentina on a polo farm as part of a year off that has taken him to Australia and Africa before he enters a military academy in 2005, has had frequent brushes with the press over drink and drug revelations.
William, who will one day be king but who said he lived a fairly normal undergraduate life in the quiet Scottish city, revealed a pensive but phlegmatic character in the interview.
"The thing with me is I look on the bright side of everything. There is no point in being pessimistic or being worried about too many things because frankly life is too short.
"At the moment it is about having fun in the right places and enjoying myself, and as much as I can I am doing that. The serious side of that doesn't really need to worry me too much yet," he said.
He said he was close with Prince Charles, but wished the media would give his father an easier ride.
"He has had a difficult time. I just wish that more of his charitable work was concentrated on, because he does do a hell of a lot of work," he said.
The young prince said he had not yet got used to life in the public eye -- although he did all his own shopping -- but that it sometimes had a funnier side which included being proposed to on the street by a teenage girl.
"I didn't mind being proposed to, but that one really caught me out. I was a little bit stumped what to say," he said.
But the 22-year-old who is in the final months of a geography degree at St. Andrews University in Scotland also said he wanted to carry on his dead mother's charitable work on AIDS, poverty and helping the homeless.
"The last thing I want to be is mollycoddled or wrapped up in cotton wool. Because if I was to join the army I would want to go where my men went and I would want to do what they did," he said in a rare interview made available to all British media.
"As much as I love St. Andrews ... I am ready now to get out and do different stuff. There is so much I want to do and it worries me occasionally that I won't be able to do it all. But I'll make a good start to it anyway," he added.
William, who has inherited the blond hair and good looks of his mother who was killed in a Paris car crash in 1997, has been largely left alone by the media under an agreement that will expire when he leaves university next year.
By contrast his younger brother Harry, in Argentina on a polo farm as part of a year off that has taken him to Australia and Africa before he enters a military academy in 2005, has had frequent brushes with the press over drink and drug revelations.
William, who will one day be king but who said he lived a fairly normal undergraduate life in the quiet Scottish city, revealed a pensive but phlegmatic character in the interview.
"The thing with me is I look on the bright side of everything. There is no point in being pessimistic or being worried about too many things because frankly life is too short.
"At the moment it is about having fun in the right places and enjoying myself, and as much as I can I am doing that. The serious side of that doesn't really need to worry me too much yet," he said.
He said he was close with Prince Charles, but wished the media would give his father an easier ride.
"He has had a difficult time. I just wish that more of his charitable work was concentrated on, because he does do a hell of a lot of work," he said.
The young prince said he had not yet got used to life in the public eye -- although he did all his own shopping -- but that it sometimes had a funnier side which included being proposed to on the street by a teenage girl.
"I didn't mind being proposed to, but that one really caught me out. I was a little bit stumped what to say," he said.
Shadowalker
Active member
heirs
throne
Since Diana it seems that the royal family have doner more charity work than ever, which is really good, i hope the princes are treated like everybody else when they join the army otherwise its not really worthwhile!
throne
Since Diana it seems that the royal family have doner more charity work than ever, which is really good, i hope the princes are treated like everybody else when they join the army otherwise its not really worthwhile!
A lot of you seem to believe that the Queen has no real political power, She does.
She is the only person in the UK that can declare war and initiate peace deals at any one time.
Goes like this: PM --> Parliament --> Queen.
She is the only person in the UK that can open and close Parliament at her free will.
She is also the only person in the UK that can allow a PM into office. Without her word, a PM doesn't go into Office.
A lot of you also seem to be under the impression that the Royal Family live of the taxpayers backs, They don't.
The Queen has a personal fortune, handed down through generations. They also get some money from the lands and houses they own through people using them for special occasions, and she gets money from the Royal Mint.
Oh, and somebody said that the PM might steal her Crown. No.
The PM would be booted out of office if he even dare made an attempt. Plus, the Queen is protected by old laws that basically say that her and only her can get rid of the Monarchy.
She also has to authorize laws that pass through parliament.
Sure, you could get rid of the Queen in some of her duties, but that isn't going to happen without the Queen deciding that.
She is the only person in the UK that can declare war and initiate peace deals at any one time.
Goes like this: PM --> Parliament --> Queen.
She is the only person in the UK that can open and close Parliament at her free will.
She is also the only person in the UK that can allow a PM into office. Without her word, a PM doesn't go into Office.
A lot of you also seem to be under the impression that the Royal Family live of the taxpayers backs, They don't.
The Queen has a personal fortune, handed down through generations. They also get some money from the lands and houses they own through people using them for special occasions, and she gets money from the Royal Mint.
Oh, and somebody said that the PM might steal her Crown. No.
The PM would be booted out of office if he even dare made an attempt. Plus, the Queen is protected by old laws that basically say that her and only her can get rid of the Monarchy.
She also has to authorize laws that pass through parliament.
Sure, you could get rid of the Queen in some of her duties, but that isn't going to happen without the Queen deciding that.
Anya1982
Banned
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
The monarchy will never go its like greece and france and spain and germany and poland and russia and switzerland etc all have monarchy's its a tradition in the countries and won't just go.
The queen never really ahd a say over most things in the uk over god knows how long. Its like window shopping.........its there to attract people.
Government always has the say
The monarchy will never go its like greece and france and spain and germany and poland and russia and switzerland etc all have monarchy's its a tradition in the countries and won't just go.
The queen never really ahd a say over most things in the uk over god knows how long. Its like window shopping.........its there to attract people.
Government always has the say
godofthunder9010
Active member
If there were to be any hint of the Queen interfering with or disrupting Parliment or the government ... well, depending on the circumstances they'd might just sack her and the Monarchy altogether. Much is built around the Monarchy, so they wouldn't do it unless the were quite sure they had to.MichaelO said: