Prince William Essay, Research Paper
In
this essay, Prince William will be discussed based on information obtained
through research on him and his family including general and personal
information on him, his schooling and the important influences in his life.
Prince William Arthur Phillip Louis Windsor is one of the most known people in
the world ? despite the fact that he is only sixteen. This essay contains
general information on Prince William, personal information, Prince Williams?s
education and his life story ? obtained from various magazine articles
throughout his life. General information will include who Prince William is,
where he was born, different forms of his name, and what other monarchists he is
related to and how he is related to them. For personal information, Prince
William?s physical description, his "likes and dislikes," and his
personality will be discussed. His childhood schools will be mentioned and a
description of Eton College will be included. The public can often obtain as
much information on a famous person’s life as they want and because of this
abundance of information, Prince William’s life will be detailed along with his
influences in his life like Princess Diana, Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth,
Prince Henry, and Alexandria "Tiggy" Legge-Bourke.
"History-to-History" will include another member of the royal family
born in 1066 named William I "the Conqueror," who was as famous during
his ruling period as much as Prince William is in the 1990s. This essay will
cover the above topics. Prince William of Whales is second in line of
inheritance to the British throne after Prince Charles of Whales, who is first.
He was born June 21, 1982 at 9:03 p.m. weighing seven pounds, ten ounces at
Saint Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London after his mother endured seventeen
hours of labor. When he was born, his father, Prince Charles said "Nearly
seventeen hours is a long time to wait ? Obviously, I am relieved,
delighted?. I think it is marvelous. It is rather a grown-up thing, I have
found. It is rather a shock." His christening occurred at Buckingham Palace
on August 4, 1982. When Prince William was born, Prince Charles gave a press
conference, as the entire country was excited with the birth of another
potential King. A press member asked, "Does the baby have hair?"
"It’s blonde, sort of fairish," Prince Charles responded. "Have
you picked a name yet?" Smiling, Charles replied, each word measured:
"We have a few names in mind. You will have to ask my wife about that.
There is an argument about it." Someone in the crowd yelled, "Is he
the most beautiful baby in the world?" The Prince grinned, "He’s not
bad." "Is he like his dad?" someone else asked. "No,"
the Prince shot back. "He’s lucky not to be." Then someone shouted,
"Give us another one, Charlie!" implying that the country wanted more
than just one possible King. Prince Charles shook his head then said,
"You’ll have to ask my wife about that?." He let his words drift for
a moment and then shot back: "Bloody hell, give us a chance!"
Currently, Prince William boards at Eton College, a high profile school with
other students that have just as much wealth and social standing as he has. He
can live at Saint James’s Palace at Highgrove, Gloucestershire in Whales or, of
course, he can stay the weekend at Grandmother’s home, Buckingham Palace. Prince
William has an extremely long name ? three different versions. The first and
most used is Prince William Arthur Phillip Louis Windsor. The second, which is
used less, is Prince William Arthur Phillip Louis Mountbatten-Windsor. The
reason for this second version’s extension is that the royal family once signed
a decree stating that after Queen Elizabeth’s grandmother, the royal family
would have the name of Windsor. However, another decree was signed confusing
royal experts, so the name became Mountbatten-Windsor. The Queen has given no
clarification on whether Mountbatten-Windsor or simply Windsor will be used. The
third form, and longest, is a genealogical interpretation which means that he
does not regularly use it, but nonetheless, it is his family’s name: Prince
William Arthur Phillip Louis
Schlesweig-Hostein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg-Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. However, his formal
title ? what visitors call him, or what he is to be officially referred to as,
is "His Royal Highness Prince William of Whales. Everyone has nicknames and
so does a Prince: "Wills," "Wombat," "Billy,"
"Billy the Basher," "The Prince of Wails" and "His
Naughtiness" from childhood. More recently, his nicknames have been
"His Royal Sighness" and "His Royal Hotness." Prince William
is related to a line of high profile individuals like the Queen Elizabeth of
England, Prince Charles of Whales, and the late Princess Diana of Whales. In
addition, he has a nanny named "Tiggy" who is not famous but very
prominent in Prince William’s life especially after the death of his mother.
Queen Elizabeth is, of course, the Queen of England and the richest woman in the
world. She is the grandmother of Prince William and sole protector ? in her
own thoughts ? of her grandson. Prince William’s father is Prince Charles of
Whales. Prince William also has personal information obtained from interviews
with the press and written questionnaires from the press. There is an abundance
of facts on the Internet including particular information that should not be
posted anywhere. Prince William is six feet, one inch tall and weighs one
hundred and thirty-two pounds. His hair color is sandy blonde and his eye color
is hazel. Most people think his eyes are blue but because photographs of him are
generally altered to increase sells of magazines, it is not wise to look at
photographs in them. The reason for the altering is to conform to the belief
that most people believe that blonde hair and blue eyes is considered the most
beautiful kind of people. Prince Williams’ favorite color is either dark green
or blue like most other teenagers. Like most Americans also, Prince William
likes fast cars. He has a dog named Widgeon, a five-year-old Labrador, who is
seen on nearly all of Prince William’s hunting trips. He likes pasta,
hamburgers, chocolate, venison, fruit salad and poached eggs from hens on his
father’s estate and when drinking, he prefers Coke or red wine. Prince William’s
hobbies and sports include shooting, which he likes more than anything, skiing,
soccer, hockey, rafting, rowing on the Thames River, and swimming. He also likes
to paint and it is rumored that he is learning the art quite rapidly and
becoming somewhat accomplished. Prince William has two personalities ? one in
public and one in private. When in public, he is jumpy and constantly worried
about the media because he does not like them taking his picture. Although he
presents himself very well in public, he has a hard time facing the cameras
which will inevitably lead to the press getting more dangerous when trying to
get that "perfect picture." Whenever in private, Prince William is
said to be "outgoing and caring" and he enjoys company with his loyal
friends. Of course, none of this information on his private life can be
supported with concrete evidence because there are no pictures or witnesses to
it. As for anyone, education must be very prominent to lead a successful life.
Prince William?s life is currently centered on education because, like any
sixteen-year-old, he must complete school. Prince William, being royalty, has
attended and is currently attending the finest schools in Europe. At the age of
three, or from 1985 through 1987, Prince William went to Mrs. Mynor?s Nursery
school in West London. From 1987 through 1990, he attended Wetherby School in
Kensington, London and from 1990 through 1995, he attended Ludgrove School in
Wokingham. Now, Prince William attends Eton College where, for Americans, is
comparable to a very expensive private school costing anywhere from twenty
thousand dollars to twenty five thousand dollars per term and an additional
three thousand dollars for uniforms. Prince William’s exclusive boarding school
has more than one thousand two hundred students. There are two swimming pools, a
golf course and dozens of soccer, rugby, and cricket fields. Prince William
lives in an ivy-covered dorm called Manor House with forty-nine other people.
When Prince William entered Eton College, he was around thirteen, like many
others who enroll there. These groups of boys are referred to as "The Lower
Boys," and are in the "F" block of the school curriculum. This
first school year of Eton College is roughly equivalent to the junior year of an
American high school. Eventually, the boys move up from the "F" block
to the "E," "D," "C" and finally the "B"
block when, after that, he usually continues his education at a university
although many former Etonians have taken a year off, known as "the gap
year." Students, despite their wealth, power and potential to destroy the
name of Eton College, are kept on a strict schedule. Much like we have class
periods, Eton College divides their school day into different
"schools" and not periods. In the autumn term, the school day starts
at 7:30 a.m. for "First School," and then after their first period,
the students have breakfast at 8:15 a.m. Chapel starts at 9:20 a.m. and at 9:40
a.m., "Second School" starts. At 10:30 a.m., the students have a
fifteen-minute break. After their small break, "Third School" starts
at 10:55 a.m. and "Fourth School" is at 11:55 a.m. At 1:00 p.m., the
students have Dinner, at 3:30 p.m., "Fifth School" begins and then,
4:15 p.m. is reserved for tea. Beginning at 5:00 p.m. is "Sixth
School" and an hour later, at 6:00 p.m., they have a forty-five minute
study period. At 7:45 p.m., the student’s supper is served. Then, 8:00 p.m. the
school is required to have house prayers. At 8:30 p.m., there is another study
period, and finally, the day ends at 10:00 p.m. when all lights are ordered off.
The "Fifth School" and "Sixth School" are on the whole
school days only. In winter, spring and summer, the hours are slightly modified;
for instance, teatime for the summer is at 4:45 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. Prince
William’s life is indeed intriguing and his life’s details would be interesting.
Being a Prince, alone makes anyone famous and well known. However, Prince
William is related to the most charitable woman in the world, his mother,
Princess Diana who he loved very much. Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth, Prince
Henry, his brother and his "nanny," Alexandria Legge-Bourke are also
great influences in Prince William’s life. As most fathers have the greatest
predominance in a boy’s life, Prince Charles will be discussed first. Prince
William adores his father very much and now that his mother is gone, Prince
William and Prince Charles will grow so much closer. Prince William is said to
be more comfortable with his father than anyone else ? for the reason of
photographers: When Prince William is with he father, he is photographed much
less than when he was with his "mum." Prince William also enjoys being
with his dad at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Prince William is said to keep his
emotions inside like Prince Charles. Prince William is said to get his love for
the outdoors, fishing and fast cars from Prince Charles. Prince William’s father
has been said not to be a worthy parent and not as fun loving as Diana ? but
many times he has proven that wrong. Recently, Prince Charles let Prince William
drive a Land Rover on the Balmoral Estate at an estimated seventy-five miles per
hour. Many claim that Prince Charles has trouble showing his feelings because of
his childhood ? feelings were not allowed to be shown in public and one famous
picture that details this is when Prince Charles was four and after not seeing
his mother for a few months, she stepped off a plane to shake his hand and
straighten his collar. In 1991, Price William was accidentally struck in the
head with a golf club when a fellow schoolmate was swinging it around his head
and Prince William happened to be in the way. Princess Diana got behind the
wheel of her Jaguar and sped thirty-six miles to the hospital and Prince Charles
was driven to the hospital in his Aston Martin. Princess Diana stayed in the
hospital for two days with Prince William and Prince Charles left before the
seventy minute operation to repair Prince William’s "depressed
fracture" to go to an opera concert that had been planned two months
before. Then, Prince Charles came back, visited Prince William for forty-two
minutes and left for another "private engagement." The next day,
headlines were screaming with "WHAT KIND OF A DAD ARE YOU?" type
articles. At Christmas, Princess Diana was alone and heard Prince Henry’s solo
at the school Christmas concert. Over the Easter break, Prince Diana and the
boys were on their own again, except for a brief appearance with Prince Charles
at church. "There’s a certain kind of Englishman who doesn’t take a lot of
interest in his sons until they’re able to kick a rugby ball, or in his case,
swing a polo mallet. The only public sign of affection Charles has shown was
last year when he saw they boys playing a makeshift game of horse-less polo. He
called them over and patted them on the head. Charles does begin to look
increasingly like that rather disappointing, repressed, uptight
Englishman." Dr. Ronald Levant has said that with fathers like Prince
Charles, children often grow up having problems forming intimate relationships
with their wives and children. He also said that the children will repeat what
their father did "whether they like it or not." However Levant adds,
"all kids really need is one adult who’s absolutely nuts about them"
and that, in the person of their doting mother, William and Harry certainly
have. To be fair, most of Prince Charles’s sins are those of omission. Royals
before him have treated their children the exact same way. If that is the case,
Charles and his sons are merely trapped in a pattern that has nothing to do with
the 1990s ideal of fatherhood, but has been part of the royal family fabric for
generations. None the three ? Prince Charles, Prince William, or Prince Henry
? has ever known anything different, or probably ever will. The next most
instrumental person in Prince William’s life, and perhaps the most memorable of
his family, was his mother, Princess Diana of Whales. The person that Prince
William loved, adored, admired and all around cared about the most was his
mother ? Diana, Princess of Whales. When Princess Diana was watching her
marriage fall apart, she said that the only joy she got in life was playing the
baby "Wills." Unlike Prince Charles, Princess Diana’s devotion to her
firstborn is seen on countless occasions. They regularly went on holidays
together without Prince Charles, and much to Prince William’s joy, Princess
Diana always took part in the annual sports events of his school. One night
Diana locked herself in a palace bathroom and cried over her failing marriage.
Prince William shoved tissues under the door for her and a note that read,
"Please don’t cry. I hate to see you sad." At age nine, Prince William
called his mother’s favorite restaurant and made reservations for the two of
them. "Come on, Mummy," he said to Princess Diana. "We’re going
for lunch at your favorite restaurant, and I’ve already booked a table."
This incident highlighted their special relationship. Now that bond has been
further strengthened by the royal couple’s marital rift. Diana was very shy and
hated her picture continuously taken ? Prince William has the same hatred.
They both walk with their heads down near photographers. However, when they did
not mind getting their pictures taken, both had their heads up and were smiling.
Prince William gets his natural admirable looks and sense of style from the most
fashionable woman in the world ? his mother. His mother took time out To Whom
It May Concern: be with Prince William and his younger brother ? Prince
William was even the first royal baby to go on tours with his parents on order
of his mother. Diana usually let most fights with the royal family go instead of
fight them all the way ? but she never quit fighting when it came to her boys.
Diana took Prince William and Prince Harry to homeless shelters and out with her
on travels to people who were less fortunate. Prince William learned to love and
learn what others love through his mother’s teachings and he shared numerous
interests with his mother ? including tennis, famous stars, music and people.
Diana taught Prince William what life was like when one is not a royal ? by
taking him to McDonald’s and to theme parks. As noted in one incident, Prince
Henry and Prince William served beef curry to the needy as they visited a
homeless shelter with their mother. It was said that Princess Diana
"brought her kids back down to earth" after their week-long skiing
trip by showing the two how teenagers struggle on London’s streets. Princess
Diana broke numerous traditions and let the royal family witness what
"different" really was. For instance, Prince William was born with a
British Prime Minister present and Prince Diana was the first mother in the
royal family to give birth to a direct heir to the British throne without myriad
witnesses present. Princess Diana had broken another tradition when she decided
that breast feeding her newborn was the best way. Like all royal children,
Prince William had a nanny, but a tradition had been broken here, too. Princess
Diana insisted on choosing her own nanny, turning down the suggestions of the
Queen. Princess Diana was facing a heartbreaking future, being increasingly cut
off from her sons, when her and Prince Charles were having marital problems.
Buckingham Palace was tightening its grip on Prince William and Prince Henry’s
lives to limit her influence on them. Although Prince Diana shared custody of
the boys in her separation from Prince Charles, they spent less time with her as
they were being groomed to become senior members of the monarchy. As royal
expert Harold Brooks-Baker said, "Prince William has a future as the heir
to the throne and there is very little the Princess of Whales can teach him
about that. Prince Henry will follow the same path. Only their father and his
family can teach them that, and the Princess’s influence will become
marginal." On August 31, 1997, Princess Diana was on her way to England to
see her boys in a Mercedes Benz followed by the paparazzi. The driver,
supposedly intoxicated, was driving at a horrendous speed of one hundred and
twenty miles per hour when he lost control of the car and slammed into a support
beam of a bridge. One of the three passengers of the car was pronounced dead at
the scene and only two remained, Princess Diana and her bodyguard. Barely alive,
Princess Diana was rushed to the hospital while the paramedics started an
operation trying to save her life in the ambulance. British Foreign Secretary
Robin Cook awakened Prince Charles shortly after midnight in Scotland, within an
hour of the accident. Prince Charles then awoke the Queen and both went to the
drawing room. When Princess Diana’s condition was described as grave, Prince
Charles decided to awake the children.