Travelers in Belize this month may get some royal company. Seems that Britain's Prince William is joining the Welsh Guards this month in Belize, part of his yearlong "gap" before starting university. Here's a Reuters story with more details:
^Prince William to attend St Andrews after gap year@
LONDON, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Britain's Prince William will
study at St Andrews, Scotland's oldest university, after taking
a year off, his father's office said on Thursday.
The 18-year-old prince, son of heir-to-the-throne Prince
Charles and the late Princess Diana, will start a four-year
course for a degree in art history in the autumn of 2001.
``Prince William has been accepted to attend the university
of his first choice, the University of St Andrews,'' St James's
Palace said in a statement.
``Prince William has now left the country for the first stage
of his gap year.''
First stop is Belize in Central America, where Britain's
future king is joining exercises with the Welsh Guards -- in
which his father is a colonel -- until the end of August. After
that he will spend a few weeks on what the palace called an
``educational project.''
The palace said details of the next part of the prince's
year off would be released in late September, but it reminded
the media to respect his privacy in keeping with the stern
warning recently issued by the Press Complaints Commission.
On Wednesday, the Daily Express newspaper said William would
spend some of his time travelling in Australia.
William had been awaiting the results of his school-leaving
exams before picking his university. He got an A in geography, a
B in history of art and a C in biology.
``I know how hard William worked to achieve these excellent
results and I am very proud that he has done so well,'' Prince
Charles said in the statement.
Tall, handsome and regal, William will undoubtedly turn
heads when he joins the 5,000 students at St Andrews, set in the
mediaeval seaside town an hour north of Edinburgh that is
already famous as the home of golf.
Steeped in tradition, the university's many private dinner
parties afford it the reputation as a home away from home for
London's young socialites.
The prince can look forward to a social whirl that peaks at
the annual May Ball put on by the all-male Kate Kennedy club,
which was founded in honour of the first woman to attend the
university.

As I speak Prince William, the future king of Belize, is
preparing to bed down for the night somewhere in the jungles of the
Mountain Pine Ridge, Chiquibul Forest or perhaps the Sibun Gorge. The
prince is here as the guest of the British Army Training Support Unit,
BATSUB, and is learning the art of jungle warfare with the Welsh Guards
Regiment as part of Operation Native Trail. The British tabloid press is
clamouring for a photo of the world's most eligible bachelor, preferably
dressed in camouflage and crawling through the mud, but most loyal
Belizean subjects are content to give William his space and privacy. We are happy to welcome him to Belize, wherever he may
be and suggest that if he gets tired of the jungle there's always the
Costa Maya Festival at San Pedro.


[This message has been edited by Marty (edited 08-19-2000).]

From the Reporter:
Prince William ducks in,
spends a week, and ducks out!

Prince William, son of the late Princess Diana and Prince of Wales Charles
Windsor, and the person believed most likely to become the next King of
England, spent a relaxing week in Belize before flying out last Monday to
prepare for school at the university of his choice in Scotland.
William will read for a degree in Art History at the University of St. Andrews.

Prince William was in Belize for a day before the British newshounds got
wind of it through an announcement from Buckingham Palace. He arrived on
Monday, August 14 and left on August 21.

It is believed Prince William flew into Mexico City from London. It is
certain that he motored to Belize, passing the border point at Santa Elena,
Corozal.

Prince William spent the first few days in the Mountain Pine Ridge as a
guest of the Welsh Guards, who happen to be doing a special month-long
joint exercise with the BDF.

Last week the HMS Cardiff, a Royal Navy destroyer, also arrived in Belize
for a week of gunnery exercises in the deep waters off Toledo's Seven
Hills district.

In the latter half of the week, Prince William stayed at BATSUB
headquarters at Airport Camp.

The prince turned 18 earlier this year, and that means that he is no longer
shielded from publicity for his public and private acts.

In Belize, William learned of his success in "A" level exams through an
e-mail message from his dad, Prince Charles. He received an A in geography,
a B in history and art and a C in biology.
***