Prince William to Become Full-Time Student to Study Agricultural Management

[Limabeany]

It will go positively because the system has been set up by his father as lazy idiot proof, he should be involved and innovating now that he is still relatively young.

[cinrit]

To be fair, we don't know whether if he's currently involved or not.  My guess is that he is.  Charles is much too smart to allow William to ignore what he will one day inherit, which would eventually bring Charles' work to ruin.

Cindy

[Limabeany]

This year, the fact that William didn't attend the full course, has only learned to do investitures and let his grandmother spend 6M in a home he will not live in full time, has shown Charles and the Queen are not in control or even in the know as to what William wants and will do...

[cinrit]

It's hard to believe Charles and the Queen are willing to let the Duchy and the Monarchy fall to pieces after they're gone, for the sake of appeasing William. 

Cindy

[In All I Do]

This year, the fact that William didn't attend the full course, has only learned to do investitures and let his grandmother spend 6M in a home he will not live in full time, has shown Charles and the Queen are not in control or even in the know as to what William wants and will do...

FWIW, reasonable people can both disagree that those are, in fact, "facts", and with your conclusion. 

[TLLK]

What evidence is available that shows he didn't complete the full course? If I anyone has it please share.  :)

[HsHCharlene]

Didn't he go on holiday at some point during the 10-week course? I'm not sure if he completed it as there would really be no certificate of completion upon such a course. It's more of one of those continual learning things than an actual degree type of curriculum. He could have actually just showed up the first week and not continued if he didn't want to and it wouldn't have made any difference.

[Macrobug]

There is no evidence that he did or did not complete the course.  But IMO the media would have been all over it had he not.  Also, this was a bespoke course so there likely would not have been a set curriculum but instead objectives to complete.  Meaning that William would have met the objectives to his satisfaction. 

[gec]

Given that William's participation in the course was formally announced on on the Prince of Wales' website, I would have expected that a short press release would have been issued upon his completion of the course.

It would have been a good news story, which also could have doubled as communicating to the public that William is in preparation mode for the roles which lie ahead for him. There could have also been a quote or two from William highlighting a couple of key skills, or knowledge sets which he has taken away from the course and could apply in the future.

The silence on the issue seems a little odd. Either he didn't complete the course and the Royal Family are trying to brush it under the carpet, or the Royal Family have missed a prime opportunity for some positive publicity (and starting to build William's profile for his future roles).

[TLLK]

IMO they didn't think it warranted a press release.

[Curryong]

^^Exactly, TLLK. The silence was deafening. However, it seems to be par for the course with the PR people at Kensington Palace. They often comment on very inconsequential things and keep quiet about the bigger picture or when there really is a chance to give some good publicity.

[Canuck]

This year, the fact that William didn't attend the full course, has only learned to do investitures and let his grandmother spend 6M in a home he will not live in full time, has shown Charles and the Queen are not in control or even in the know as to what William wants and will do...

FWIW, reasonable people can both disagree that those are, in fact, "facts", and with your conclusion.

I very much agree with you, Adrienne.

[Lady Adams]

This year, the fact that William didn't attend the full course, has only learned to do investitures and let his grandmother spend 6M in a home he will not live in full time, has shown Charles and the Queen are not in control or even in the know as to what William wants and will do...

FWIW, reasonable people can both disagree that those are, in fact, "facts", and with your conclusion.

I very much agree with you, Adrienne.

And I agree with Lima.  :hug: :hug: Beauty of the a Forum, and of different opinions!  :flower:

[TLLK]

This year, the fact that William didn't attend the full course, has only learned to do investitures and let his grandmother spend 6M in a home he will not live in full time, has shown Charles and the Queen are not in control or even in the know as to what William wants and will do...

FWIW, reasonable people can both disagree that those are, in fact, "facts", and with your conclusion.

I very much agree with you, Adrienne.

Excellent points ladies. It's great that we have the opportunity to discuss our opinions and knowledge at this site.

[Limabeany]

This year, the fact that William didn't attend the full course, has only learned to do investitures and let his grandmother spend 6M in a home he will not live in full time, has shown Charles and the Queen are not in control or even in the know as to what William wants and will do...

FWIW, reasonable people can both disagree that those are, in fact, "facts", and with your conclusion.

The facts are there is no evidence at all of any kind that he did anything else this gap year but 1) a few royal visits, the tour, the 10 week course of which he attended 8 weeks and a few days or that he learned to do anything other than investitures... Another fact is that Charles and HM have both reported that this was not a great year in terms of finances (especially for Charles) and that 44 Million in urgent repairs are needed for different palaces, yet it is also a fact that the Queen spent 4.5 Million refurbishing William's KP apartment and that Charles spent 1.5 Million decorating and furnishing an 'apartment' that did not require urgent repairs because a)it was being used as storage space by an office and b) the future tenant was not living there permanently in the near future. It is my opinion, that either the Queen or Charles are people who throw money around without prioritizing carefully, or William kept them in the dark as to his plans for the future.

[Canuck]

Again, I think these "facts" are very much in the eye of the beholder.  For example, you think:

there is no evidence at all of any kind that he did anything else this gap year but 1) a few royal visits, the tour, the 10 week course of which he attended 8 weeks and a few days or that he learned to do anything other than investitures...

Whereas in my opinion:  (1) there's no evidence at all that he only attended 8 weeks of a 10 week course, particularly since some have pointed out (and some newspaper articles referred to) the Cambridge break week being the week he was away, such that he wouldn't have missed classes; and (2) he did quite a few things this year, for example forming United for Wildlife, taking over Sub Aqua from Charles, attending Prince's Council meetings with his father, attending the Diplomatic Corps reception for the first time, etc.  He's also stepped up his appearances schedule significantly since finishing the Cambridge course, first with the Aus/NZ tour and then back in the UK since the tour's end.

Similarly, while you think:

that Charles and HM have both reported that this was not a great year in terms of finances (especially for Charles) and that 44 Million in urgent repairs are needed for different palaces, yet it is also a fact that the Queen spent 4.5 Million refurbishing William's KP apartment and that Charles spent 1.5 Million decorating and furnishing an 'apartment' that did not require urgent repairs because a)it was being used as storage space by an office and b) the future tenant was not living there permanently in the near future.

I have very different opinions on the subject -- but I feel like this has been discussed ad nauseum here lately, so I'll leave it at that.

[Thain]

The Cambridge University "spring break" did not coincide with the Maldives trip. The Lent term was from January 14 to March 14, followed by a break until after Easter. The Maldives trip was a week earlier than the break, with the first reports around March 6.

Term dates and calendars | University of Cambridge

Prince William and Kate Middleton spotted on holiday in Maldives - hellomagazine.com

[Canuck]

Fair enough, Thain, thanks for the correction.  If read that somewhere on here and hadn't looked it up myself.

The rest of my post stands, though.  A lot of claims as to facts are really about interpretation and opinion.

[Lady Adams]

[mod] Friendly reminder that all opinions and interpretation of facts are welcome here at RIF. :hug: [/mod]

[Canuck]

 :hmm:  I definitely wasn't trying to suggest that any opinions aren't welcome -- and I think I was pretty clear that my own posts are themselves opinions -- just trying to point out the difference between claimed "facts" and what are actually, in my view, opinions.

[Limabeany]

(1) there's no evidence at all that he only attended 8 weeks of a 10 week course, particularly since some have pointed out (and some newspaper articles referred to) the Cambridge break week being the week he was away, such that he wouldn't have missed classes; and (2) he did quite a few things this year, for example forming United for Wildlife, taking over Sub Aqua from Charles, attending Prince's Council meetings with his father, attending the Diplomatic Corps reception for the first time, etc.  He's also stepped up his appearances schedule significantly since finishing the Cambridge course, first with the Aus/NZ tour and then back in the UK since the tour's end.

1)There is evidence he was vacationing with Kate for a week and with Harry and Jecca from Thursday through Sunday another week, DURING the course, what there is NO evidence of is that his course, specifically, was on pring or any other vacation wither time. So there is evidence he only attended a little over 8 weeks. Photographic and reported by the media unquestionably.
2) He did royal duties, as I explained on my post, the Tour, as I also explained on my post but LEARNED nothing more than to do investitures, there is NO evidence that he learned anything else.

There are no major newspapers saying or speculating William was on a Cambridge spring break and no Palace announcement to that effect.

Prince William and Kate Middleton fly to Maldives for week long holiday | Royal | News | Daily Express

The Maldives was on William and Kate's shortlist of honeymoon destinations but they eventually opted to go to the Seychelles.

The couple's decision to go on holiday comes ahead of a gruelling three-week tour of New Zealand and Australia beginning on April 7.

But it has surprised many royal watchers.

William, 31, is just nearing the end of an intensive 10-week course in agricultural management at Cambridge University, intended to prepare him for a future role managing the Duchy of Cornwall estate when he is heir to the throne.

Kate Middleton and Prince William jet off without George for 'second honeymoon' | Mail Online

However, its timing is something of a surprise because William was due to be studying at Cambridge University.

The prince enrolled on the ten-week course in agricultural management on January 7, which should have seen him there until the end of this month.

At the time Kensington Palace said he would have around 20 hours a week of timetabled lectures, seminars and meetings. He was also expected to study in his own time and undertake the occasional field trip.
Last month William attracted public criticism when he went on a four-day boar shooting holiday in Spain with his brother.

[Macrobug]

Sometimes we just have to take things on faith.  They said he was taking a course and I believe them.  Not everything is a conspiracy to deceive the public.  Because really, why would they want to lie about PW taking a course.  :shrug:

[Lady Adams]

You are, of course, welcome to take things on faith.

However, I don't because the communications team for the Cambridges has been shown to mislead journalists and the public, knowingly or not (huge example: journalists were told the couple will make their permanent base KP, a year later that's not the case.)

[HistoryGirl]

I agree Lady Adams; taking things "in faith" is not the way I usually do things either. Of course, I am wrong at times, but I prefer to look at the facts and come to a conclusion based on prior experience.

[Macrobug]

Of all the things that the RF could possibly mislead the public over, why would they mislead them over a short term course.  There is no logic.  I really don't see the point of it.  And why would they announce that he had finished the course.  In the UK people don't generally make a fuss over graduating/finishing a program.  They just.....leave.  (this is a direct quote from my British SIL)