Prince William

On the 21st of June 1982, Prince William Arthur Philip Louis Windsor was born at St Mary's Hospital, London. The eldest son of the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince William is second in line to the throne after his father, Prince Charles. On the 21st of June 2003, Prince William celebrated his 21st birthday.

Being a prince is not as easy as it may seem. Being a future king is even more difficult. So, what does the future hold for Prince William, a modern prince of the 21st century?

The British royal family has a long history. Britain has seen both success­ful and unsuccessful rulers, but until recently, very few people have seri­ously thought that Britain might ever stop being a monarchy. Now, there are a lot of people in Britain who believe that Britain should get rid of the royal family. Why? One of the main reasons is that having a monar­chy is very expensive. In Britain, most royal ceremonies, accommodation and expenses are paid for by the tax­ payer. A series of royal scandals, such as the divorce of William's parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, has also damaged the reputation of the royal family and made many peo­ple believe that the days of (he British royal family are nearly over.

Many people believe that Prince William is the only person who could save the situation. Since the tragical death of Princess Diana, who was deeply loved and admired both in Britain and abroad, British people have been desperate for a new hero. William, whose good looks are so like his mother's, who has her smile, charm and a great sense of humour, seems the only possible candidate. William also inherited his grandmoth­er's strength of character and determination. Nobody will ever forget the poignant image of Princes William and Harry walking behind Princess Diana's coffin in 1997. Even though both boys deeply loved and missed their mother, they managed to hold back their tears and demonstrated incredible self-control. It is already clear that William knows his own mind. For example, he insisted on going to St Andrews University in Scotland rather than to traditional Oxford or Cambridge. This is why William is often called 'the perfect prince' by the media.

However, William faces a lot of challenges in his life. To start with, he does not like seeing his name in the newspapers. All his life, William has been avoiding media attention as much as possible but how long can it last? So far, William has not done anything that journalists could make into a scandal but will he be able to do the 'right thing' forever? As one journalist put it, William is the 'red meat' wanted by the 'media sharks'. Finding a girl­friend is not easy either, as William knows that the minute he is seen with a girl, the whole world will know about it. William also needs to find something to do with his life until he becomes King. As he is second in line to the throne and his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, is still alive (as well as his father), William might have to wait for about forty years before he may become King. At the moment, he is studying History of Art at St Andrews University in Scotland but it will not be long before he needs to start thinking about what he wants to do in life.

Therefore, it is not surprising that there have been rumours that William does not want to be King and sees his royal status more as a burden than a blessing. This does not seem to be true. In his special birthday interview to Hello magazine, William said that the stories about him not want­ing to be King were wrong, as it was something he was ‘born into’ and his ‘duty’. Whatever the truth, it is clear that William will have to work hard to organise his life.

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