Will's African Queen

[kasper]

I know mediastar will be mad that I'm breaking the no posting article rule, but I think this is an "important" piece of news that everyone needs to see.

MAIL ON SUNDAY, June 22, 2003

William's African Queen: Jecca gets pride of place next to the
Prince as he celebrates his 21st birthday at a lavish party with 300
friends and relatives in fancy dress

Amanda Perthen;Katie Nicholl

Jessica Craig, the girl Prince William fell for during his gap year
in Africa, took pride of place at his 21st birthday party last night.

The stunning brunette known to her friends as Jecca had flown in from
Kenya especially for the bash at Windsor Castle and enjoyed the
Prince's undivided attention when she sat next to him at the top
table.

Although there were plenty of girls desperate for William's
attention, the Prince spent most of the night close to the 21-year-
old.

At the height of the lavish celebrations on a theme of Out Of Africa,
William was egged on by 300 friends and members of the Royal Family
to jump on stage and play African drums with the six-piece Botswanan
band Shakarimba.

The impressive roll call of guests at Windsor Castle included Lady
Helen Taylor and husband Tim, Earl Spencer, Rowan Atkinson, Sir
Michael Peat, Lady Susan Hussey, Tara Palmer-Tomkinson and her sister
Santa and her husband. The Queen arrived dressed as the Queen of
Swaziland in a stunning white dress and African tiara, complete with
a giant fur wrap.

Prince Charles thrilled guests when he turned up in a safari outfit
and hunting hat. William's cousins Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie
wore matching leopardskin dresses.

Their father, Prince Andrew, was dressed as a big-game hunter only to
find that William's uncle, Earl Spencer, was wearing the same beige
safari suit.

One guest came in a full lion's costume topped off with a crown,
prompting much speculation as to who he or she was.

More seriously, the party also had an attempted gatecrasher. At
11.20pm police arrested a man in a yellow mask who managed to breach
security and get into Windsor Castle.

'There will be a thorough review of the circumstances,' said a
Scotland Yard spokesman as a man in his 40s was being held for
questioning.

The party also had its political considerations. Although the Queen
was happy to dress up for the event, she was concerned there should
be no racial overtones in the costumes, and asked William to warn
guests to avoid overt references to the colonies or the Empire. A
team of hundreds, under the direction of Prince Charles's former aide
Michael Fawcett and party organisers Admirable Crichton, had
transformed the castle.

Guests were greeted by a long, golden bar stretching the length of
the room.

Above the bar was a giraffe's head and on the facing wall, an African
tribal mask surrounded by an array of animal skins.

Two 12ft model elephants made of brown hessian towered over the
guests, their intertwined trunks forming an archway to the dance
floor. Live monkeys jumped around in palm trees specially flown in
for the event. There were even elephant rides in the grounds.

William's brother Prince Harry was one of the first to arrive at the
castle, turning up at 2pm. He cheekily slipped out for a takeaway
McDonald's just hours before the party started. Also among the early
arrivals was Blackadder star Rowan Atkinson and his wife Sunetra, who
were dressed in classic colonial attire.

Many guests were wearing leopardskin outfits, others favoured
feathers and leather while some young girls turned up wearing grass
skirts. One guest drew laughter from the crowd that had gathered
outside the castle gates when he arrived wearing a banana costume.

But all eyes were focused on glamorous Jessica Craig. The Mail on
Sunday last week revealed how William had fallen for Jecca, the
daughter of a wealthy Kenyan conservationist, when he visited their
46,000-acre estate during his gap year in 2001.

Mail on Sunday diarist Adam Helliker reveals today that for the past
year Jecca has been living in a flat in London's Notting Hill, and
friends say the pair became so close they even had a pretend
engagement.

Speculation over their close friendship intensified when it emerged
that Jessica's on-off boyfriend, Henry Ropner, had not initially been
invited to William's party.

But The Mail on Sunday has learned that courtiers have launched an
operation designed to publicly distance William from Jessica, so
invited 21-year-old Ropner the son of the Marquess of Linlithgow and
heir to a shipping fortune at the last minute.

Other costumes on display at last night's party included a full
Foreign Legion uniform, a Biggles-esque pilot, and even a top-hatted
witch doctor who strolled up to the gates clutching his invitation.

One attractive blonde got into the theme by squeezing her neck
through a series of rings in a tribal style. The arrival of a gang of
William's university chums prompted more screams of laughter as they
arrived in a battered white van decorated with balloons and tinsel.

The Royals chose a more discreet back mews gate to make their
entrance, to avoid the public eye.

Prince Charles arrived ahead of Camilla Parker Bowles, who sported a
diamond tiara and fetching bright red outfit. She arrived in a racing-
green Land Rover with her daughter Laura.

After a sumptuous banquet and speeches, led by Charles who raised a
toast to his eldest son, dancing with a live band followed into the
early hours.

Senior guests had been advised to leave once Prince Charles had given
his speech so William could party with his friends.

A source revealed: 'William had agreed with his father that the older
guests would leave by about 10.30pm.

'William spent the first half of the night with his family and the
elders, then was left to enjoy himself.' ButWilliam had been left
bitterly disappointed before the bash after his father refused to buy
his dream birthday present a high-powered Suzuki motorbike. Palace
courtiers had been instructed by Prince Charles to find out what
William wanted for his 21st birthday, and were told that money was no
object.

William, who already owns a Yamaha 125cc bike which he rides in the
grounds of Highgrove, made it clear that he wanted nothing but a
powerful Japanese sports bike.

But Charles was horrified at the choice and said he was not prepared
to buy one because he believed they were too dangerous.

A senior St James's Palace source said last night: 'Charles was even
prepared to buy him an Aston Martin, like he received on his 21st
birthday from the Queen.' Earlier this month it emerged that William
had told guests not to spend more than $50 on birthday gifts, but by
the end of the night hundreds of presents were lined up ready to be
opened.

BUT WHO WAS THE LION KING?

Do you know who is in the Lion King costume? A set of bongo drums is
waiting for the first person to tell us. Just phone the newsdesk on
020 7938 7040.

Bleary-eyed . . . and the party hadn't even begun WHAT a difference a
day makes! On Friday, Prince William looked clean and crisp in
freshly laundered jeans and blue-and-white checked shirt as he
rehearsed with Shakarimba, the band from Botswana he had selected to
play at his birthday party.

Yesterday, however, was a very different matter. At about 1pm William
emerged bleary-eyed from the home of equerry Mark Dyers in the very
same jeans and shirt but now looking crumpled and creased. He also
seemed to be struggling to stay awake. It's possible, of course, that
William was up late making last-minute arrangements for the party. On
the other hand he might have stayed out too late, got too little
shuteye . . . and spent the night sleeping in his clothes on a
friend's sofa. It can happen. Even to a Royal.

[sunshine69]

Wasn't it supposed to be a formal occasion? What was with the banana costume?

[kasper]

I thought the Banana and the Lion costume was clever!  :lol:  

[sunshine69]

Oh, I didn't mean it to sound that way...I mean, I thought they were hilarious and really neat...but I was just wondering wasn't it supposed to be formal? I thought that's what another article had said somewhere...or maybe I just got confused...

[PrincessPreppy]

yeah exactly how do they know this??? a year living in npttign hill!!! yeah right!!

[sara1981]

when Prince William been visit Africa in 2001 then he saw Jessica for first time but he not real date ! remind i told you he not steady girlfriend! he have pretend engagement that confuse it !

so his family leave at 10:30 pm when Prince William stay with his friends till 6am he makes strips and wild ! his friends give idea for his birthday i saw the picture that embrassment ! i cant show my mother about the Prince's strip ! that not jokes !

Sara Boyce

[socalgal23]

ummm yeah I believe everything the press says  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  

[FetchingHag]

I am tried of the Jecca thing  <_<  <_<  <_< I just don't care about it anymore <_<  <_<  <_<  

[strawberryshortcake]

yeah i agree with you fetching its getting a bit old

[FetchingHag]

yeah i agree with you fetching its getting a bit old

It's like all of us is yo-yo's for the media to play with and this story is us going down :D  :D  :D  :D  

[Miryoku]

yeah i agree with you fetching its getting a bit old

It's like all of us is yo-yo's for the media to play with and this story is us going down :D  :D  :D  :D

I know what you all mean - I am really getting tired of this story.  

If Jecca (what a dumb name!) had really been living in Notting Hill all this time, I'm sure that it would have surfaced a lot a earlier when this story first started.

Man, I'm not on the forum for a couple of days and there are all these new developments regarding William's party with the gatecrasher, the whole Jecca thing, the crazy costumes.  And let's not forget that story regarding William "stripping bare". :lol:  

[FetchingHag]

And let's not forget that story regarding William "stripping bare". :lol:

I like that one wish I was thare :D  :D  :rolleyes:  :rolleyes:  :rolleyes:  :rolleyes: