Blog

Coronation Street’s Gus Deering could be more linked to his son Joel Deering’s disappearance than he’s claimed, according to one character on the ITV soap, amid Joel’s ‘death’

One Coronation Street resident accused another character of knowing the truth about Joel Deering’s disappearance on Friday night.

Joel is presumed dead with the police believing he has taken his own life, after his car was abandoned and a note was found written by him. Amid speculation someone is involved in him going missing, his ex-fiancée Dee-Dee Bailey is convinced Joel is on the run.

She believes he has faked his death to avoid his crimes, after he tried to kill Lauren Bolton before trying to kill her unborn baby, while his other crimes include grooming young girls. With him set to face trial, the police believe he ended his life with his father Gus Deering also believing this to be the case.

Dee-Dee bumped into him at the police station during Friday’s visit to Weatherfield. As the pair spoke, Dee-Dee made it clear she believed Joel was in hiding and wasn’t really dead.

Gus fumed at Dee-Dee, calling her out for suggesting his son had faked his death as he struggled with the claim by police that Joel had taken his own life. He’d revealed the last time he saw Joel was two days before he vanished, with him keen for answers from detectives including DS Swain.

One Coronation Street resident accused another character of knowing the truth about Joel Deering’s disappearance ( 
Image:
ITV)
Gus told Dee-Dee that in his last conversation with his missing son he was distraught about everything, and that he “talked about ending it all”. He then berated Dee-Dee over her claims about Joel, saying: “My son was suicidal. He could be lying dead somewhere.”

In that moment Swain came over and intervened, apologising to Gus before asking to speak to Dee-Dee in private. It’s then that Dee-Dee repeated her theory about her ex and what had really happened to him, before she suggested someone was in on it.

She believed Gus might be involved in Joel going missing, and said there was a huge clue that confirmed her thoughts. As DS Swain told her to leave Gus alone, stating he was grieving and believed his son had taken his own life, Dee-Dee claimed he was acting up.

Dee-Dee even urged someone to follow Gus around, believing he could be the key to what happened to Joel. She told DS Swain: “I don’t buy it. He is putting it on and he obviously knows something. Why don’t you get someone to follow him and see if it leads us to Joel?” Swain was having none of it – but could Dee-Dee be on to something?

Royal weddings have captivated the public imagination for centuries.

As a case in point, the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey in 2011 was watched by a record two billion people worldwide.

But a significant amount of preparation was dedicated to ensure everything ran seamlessly, from the vows to the military procession.

Like many other couples, William and Kate attended multiple rehearsals before their momentous wedding day.

Here, we delve into the detailed preparations that went into their nuptials and those of other royal family members over the years.

Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer

+20

Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer attended several rehearsals ahead of their ‘fairytale wedding’ at St Paul’s Cathedral on July 28, 1981. Above: The couple leaving rehearsals on June 12

Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer attended several rehearsals ahead of their ‘fairytale wedding’ at St Paul’s Cathedral on July 28, 1981.

The couple’s first run-through took place on June 12, with a final hour-long rehearsal two nights before the big day.

Afterwards, Queen Elizabeth II hosted a grand gala ball at Buckingham Palace for 1,400 guests, followed by an intimate dinner for 90.

Diana also had a rehearsal with her bridesmaids and page boys at St Paul’s on July 22.

Attendees included Princess Margaret, the Duchess of Kent and Diana’s estranged parents, Frances Shand-Kydd and Earl Spencer.

The bridesmaids included India Hicks, who was then 13, and Winston Churchill’s great-granddaughter Clementine Hambro.

+20

Prince Charles married Diana Spencer on July 29, 1981 at St Paul’s Cathedral in London

+20

Charles and Diana walk down the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral after their final wedding rehearsal, July 27, 1981

Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten

It was the wedding of the century, when the future Queen tied the knot with the man who would be by her side for more than 70 years.

On November 20, 1947, Princess Elizabeth married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten – as he was then – inside Westminster Abbey.

And, as you can imagine, an enormous amount of preparation went into a ceremony that boasted a 2,000-strong guest list and which was listened

+20

Princess Elizabeth (centre) walks with her sister Princess Margaret behind their father King George VI as she arrives at Westminster Abbey for a complete rehearsal of her wedding, November 19, 1947

+20

On November 20, 1947, Princess Elizabeth married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten – as he was then – inside Westminster Abbey

The final rehearsal took place on November 19, with all of the royals present.

The key participants rehearsed the big procession from the Abbey’s Great West Door – where Elizabeth would enter the following day with her father George VI at her side.

The bride and groom were also shown their places on the step’s of the Abbey’s Sanctuary and shown when to make their responses and when to kneel for the Blessing.

The Daily Mail reported at the time: ‘Almost every step in the Princess’s glittering course from the Great West Door to the Sanctuary and High Altar will be timed.’

+20

Princess Elizabeth walks next to her sister Margaret behind their parents George VI and Queen Elizabeth as they leave Westminster Abbey following the her final wedding rehearsal

Prince William and Kate Middleton

Kate Middleton showed no sign of nerves during the final rehearsal before her wedding to Prince William in 2011.

The bride-to-be beamed as she arrived at Westminster Abbey alongside Prince Harry, her parents, pageboys and bridesmaids.

+20

Kate Middleton showed no sign of nerves during the final rehearsal before her wedding to Prince William in 2011. Above: Kate arrives at Westminster Abbey with Prince Harry, April 28, 2011

+20

Kate looked radiant as she stepped out of Westminster Abbey as the Duchess of Cambridge, wife of Prince William, on April 29, 2011

Following the rehearsal, Kate spent the night at the Goring Hotel in Belgravia with her mother Carole and sister Pippa.

Full details of the ceremony were released the same day, accompanied by a message from William and Kate thanking the public for its support.

The message read: ‘We are both so delighted that you are able to join us in celebrating what we hope will be one of the happiest days of our lives.

‘The affection shown to us by so many people during our engagement has been incredibly moving, and has touched us both deeply.

‘We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone most sincerely for their kindness.’

+20

Kate Middleton seen arriving with her mother Carole at Westminster Abbey for her final wedding rehearsal, April 28, 2011

+20

 Kate Middleton waves to crowds alongside her mother Carole and sister Pippa as she arrives at the Goring Hotel in London the day before her wedding

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

On May 19, 2018, the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took place at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

Two days prior, the bride and groom rehearsed their lines behind closed doors, while the military conducted their preparations in the town.

Meghan opted for a white pussybow shirt and jeans, styling her raven tresses in a half up-half down fashion, while Harry wore a shirt and jumper.

Thousands of well-wishers gathered to catch a glimpse of the preparations for the big day.

+20

Prince Harry married Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018 at St George’s Chapel

+20

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle drive down the Long Walk in Windsor to their wedding rehearsal

Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon

Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones were pictured smiling from ear-to-ear as they arrived at their wedding rehearsal at Westminster Abbey in May 1960.

The detailed practice included a full choir, while horse guards rehearsed the procession with carriages outside.

It was the first royal wedding to be broadcast on television and had an estimated 300 million viewers from around the globe.

+20

Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones were pictured smiling from ear-to-ear as they arrived at their wedding rehearsal at Westminster Abbey

+20

Princess Margaret leaves hand-in-hand with Antony Armstrong-Jones following their wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey on May 6, 1960

+20

The Queen (centre), Princess Anne, the Queen Mother and Prince Charles leave Westminster Abbey after a rehearsal for Princess Margaret’s wedding, May 6, 1960

Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall 

Zara Phillips married rugby star Mike Tindall on July 30, 2011, at Canongate Kirk, a historic church on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.

The day before, the couple, dressed casually in jeans, attended a run-through with their families.

They arrived in a chauffeur-driven Jaguar and were greeted by cheering crowds.

+20

+20

Zara Phillips married rugby star Mike Tindall on July 30, 2011, at Canongate Kirk, a historic church on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. The day before, the couple, dressed casually in jeans, attended a run-through with their families

+20

Zara and Mike walk arm in arm out of Canongate Kirk after their wedding, July 30, 2011

Zara’s brother, Peter Phillips, her father, Captain Mark Phillips, and his second wife, Sandy Pflueger, joined them.

Throughout the day, workmen were busy around the 17th century church, often seen with filming equipment.

Meanwhile, police officers monitored the area, overseeing photographers and journalists stationed outside the gates.

Princess Alexandra of Kent and Angus Ogilvy

+20

Princess Alexandra of Kent and Angus James Ogilvy on their wedding day at Westminster Abbey

Princess Alexandra of Kent married Angus Ogilvy, son of the 12th Earl of Airlie, at Westminster Abbey, on April 24, 1963.

Two days before the wedding, Queen Elizabeth hosted a white-tie ball at Windsor Castle for 2,000 guests.

At the event, Alexandra debuted a glittering tiara, gifted from her fiancé.

Following their engagement, Angus had commissioned Collingwood to create a parure comprising a tiara, necklace and two pairs of earrings, using diamond-encrusted flowers that Alexandra wore during her youth.

The day before their nuptials, Alexandra and Angus attended a formal rehearsal at the Abbey, along with family and friends.

+20

Princess Alexandra and Angus leave their wedding rehearsal at Westminster Abbey, April 23, 1963

It was June 1919, just seven months on from the end of the First World War.

And Queen Mary, attending what was the first Wimbledon Championships in four years, showed that things were on the up with her choice of jewels.

She arrived to present the trophies alongside her husband King George V wearing an enormous brooch pinned at her neckline and a large pendant that hung from a chain and rested on her chest.

The brooch was a large oval-shaped pink topaz, while the pendant was the same stone but cushion-shaped.

More than 30 years later, in 1950, Mary watched the tennis wearing pearl strands and a bejewelled floral brooch pinned to her dress at the throat – before presenting the Venus Rosewatcher Dish to women’s singles winner Louise Brough.

In 1957, her granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II was wearing a three-strand pearl necklace given to her by her late father King George VI – along with matching earrings and a delicate diamond floral brooch – when she presented the salver to winner Alethea Gibson.

Like Queen Mary’s, those jewels were impressive – but the sight of the Queen wearing them did not match her sister Princess Margaret‘s outing in 1965, when she was spotted in the royal box with sunglasses on, cigarette in hand and a fabulous diamond brooch pinned to her shoulder.

When Princess Diana watched proceedings at Wimbledon in 1981 – just days before her wedding to Prince Charles – she showed off her diamond and sapphire engagement ring, along with a single strand pearl necklace, a Patek Philippe gold watch and a gold bracelet.

As for Kate Middleton, the current Princess of Wales, her jewels have wowed at Wimbledon too – such as the Brora gold charm earrings she displayed in 2016.

+15

It was June 1919, just seven months on from the end of the First World War. And Queen Mary, attending what was the first Wimbledon Championships in four years, showed that things were on the up with her choice of jewels. She arrived to present the trophies alongside her husband King George V wearing an enormous brooch pinned at her neckline and a large pendant that hung from a chain and rested on her chest

+15

In 1965, Princess Margaret was spotted in the royal box with sunglasses on, cigarette in hand and a fabulous diamond brooch pinned to her shoulder

Queen Mary gave the pieces she wore in 1919 to her daughter-in-law Princess Alice and they now belong to the Duchess of Gloucester.

The large topaz is often swapped into the Gloucester Honeysuckle Tiara, while the cushion-shaped pendant is in a bracelet.

In 1962, when she handed the men’s singles trophy to Rod Laver, Queen Elizabeth wore a decidedly more grand diamond brooch than her floral one from 1957, alongside her triple strand pearls.

Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Brooch was bequeathed to her following her grandmother’s death.

This spectacular piece was created and set entirely with diamonds by Garrard and bought by Queen Mary in 1932.

It became a favourite of her granddaughter, who normally wore it at gala functions alongside one of her many imposing tiaras and other formal jewels.

She also wore it at the wedding of Prince William and Kate in 2011.

Princess Margaret’s Carinthia Floral Spray Brooch – the one she wore at Wimbledon in 1965 – was presented to the Princess in 1955 to commemorate her launching of the Carinthia Steamship for the Cunard Line.

The main flower is set with a large diamond, with further diamonds set in the petals, leaves and stalks.

It is believed to date back to the 19th century, with the age clue being how the diamonds are set in silver on gold.

Nowadays, her daughter Lady Sarah Chatto wears it for formal occasions.

+15

Kate Middleton wore gold earrings from the Scottish brand Brora to watch Andy Murray win his second Wimbledon win in 2016

+15

When Princess Diana watched proceedings at Wimbledon in 1981 – just days before her wedding to Prince Charles – she showed off her diamond and sapphire engagement ring, along with a single strand pearl necklace, a Patek Philippe gold watch and a gold bracelet

+15

In 1957, Queen Elizabeth II was wearing a three-strand pearl necklace given to her by her late father King George VI – along with matching earrings and a delicate diamond floral brooch – when she presented the salver to winner Alethea Gibson

+15

In 1962, when she handed the men’s singles trophy to Rod Laver, Queen Elizabeth wore a decidedly more grand diamond brooch than her floral one from 1957, alongside her triple strand pearls. Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Brooch was bequeathed to her following her grandmother’s death

+15

In 1977, when the Queen presented the winner’s trophy to women’s singles victor Virginia Wade, Her Late Majesty wore a pair of large pearl earrings. On her pink and white checked coat, she wore the Duchess of Cambridge’s Brooch, which had belonged to her great-great-grandmother Princess Augusta

+15

In 1970, Princess Margaret presented the trophy in the men’s singles wearing a large diamond Maltese cross pinned between the collars of her red coat, along with several rings on three of her fingers

In 1970, Princess Margaret presented the trophy in the men’s singles wearing a large diamond Maltese cross pinned between the collars of her red coat, along with  several rings on three of her fingers.

The Princess had several cross brooches, one of which – a diamond George III Maltese cross – was sold in 2006 at Christie’s for £38,400.

The day before, when the sun had been shining for the ladies’ singles final, Margaret wore a pair of diamond cluster earrings to present the salver to Australian Margaret Court.

In 1977, when the Queen presented the winner’s trophy to women’s singles victor Virginia Wade, Her Late Majesty wore a pair of large pearl earrings.

On her pink and white checked coat, she wore the Duchess of Cambridge’s Brooch, which had belonged to her great-great-grandmother Princess Augusta.

It came via her grandmother Queen Mary, who wore it at both the Queen’s christening in 1926 and King Charles’ in 1948.

The brooch, according to Hugh Robert’s in his encyclopaedic tome The Queen’s Diamonds, was made by Garrard in the mid-19th century in two parts.

The first was with a large pearl surrounded by a narrow halo of pavé-set diamonds encircled with 14 round brilliant diamonds.

The second part was a detachable pendant of diamonds and a large baroque pearl.

For her last appearance at Wimbledon in 2010, the Queen wore not only her triple strand pearl necklaces and pearl earrings, but her pearl and diamond Trefoil Brooch – one of her favourites.

If you look very carefully, you might also spot her tiny diamond hat pin. We are unlikely to see one of those again at Centre Court!

The 1980s brought about a pared down look for the royals at Wimbledon.

On July 4th 1981, days before her wedding, Lady Diana Spencer was spotted sitting in the second row behind Princess Grace of Monaco at the men’s singles final – where Bjorn Borg took on John McEnroe.

Grace wore one of her trademark Cartier watches and a Cartier bangle, with gold knots in her ears.

+15

On July 4th 1981, days before her wedding, Lady Diana Spencer was spotted sitting in the second row behind Princess Grace of Monaco at the men’s singles final – where Bjorn Borg took on John McEnroe

+15

In 1991, when nine-year-old Prince William accompanied her, Diana wore the same Patek Philippe watch along with a gold chain bracelet with a charm on it

+15

In 1994 the Princess of Wales sat alongside Princess Michael of Kent to watch Pete Sampras win the championship. Princess Diana wore a bracelet and earring set of Tiffany & Co gold jewels, whilst Princess Michael’s earrings appeared to be Saturn-like discs with large pearls

+15

Princess Michael of Kent wore the same earrings to Wimbledon last year

Diana’s gold watch and bracelet were gifts from Prince Charles on her 20th birthday four days earlier.

The Wimbledon visit was Diana’s first year in the Royal Box.

A decade later, when nine-year-old Prince William accompanied her, Diana wore the same Patek Philippe watch along with a gold chain bracelet with a charm on it.

She also wore a pair of simple pearl and gold hoop earrings and a long gold chain.

At the 1994 championships, the Princess of Wales sat alongside Princess Michael of Kent to watch Pete Sampras win the men’s singles.

This time, Diana wore a bracelet and earring set of Tiffany & Co gold jewels, whilst Princess Michael’s earrings appeared to be Saturn-like discs with large pearls in the centre.

Princess Michael wore exactly the same earrings at Wimbledon last year – some 29 years later.

The younger generation of royal ladies have kept things more simple.

Since her very first appearance, months after her marriage to Prince William in 2011,- Kate has mostly worn a simple pair of earrings – pearls, gold hoops or a coloured gemstone selection from Kiki McDonough.

+15

We’ve not seen Meghan in the Royal Box since 2019 when, sitting alongside Kate, the Duchess of Sussex wore her beautiful diamond engagement ring and a pair of gold bar studs with turquoise inlays from LA jeweller Jennifer Meyer

+15

For her last appearance at Wimbledon in 2010, the Queen wore not only her triple strand pearl necklaces and pearl earrings, but her pearl and diamond Trefoil Brooch – one of her favourites. Above: Meeting tennis great Serena Williams during her final visit

+15

The Queen meeting Andy Murray and Jarkko Nieminen at Wimbledon in 2010

But in 2016 she looked to Scotland and a firm traditionally known for cashmere to provide her jewels when she watched Scot Andy Murray win his second Wimbledon title.

The Brora gold charm earrings were made of gold-plated brass hoops.

She twinned them with her Cartier watch and Garrard engagement ring.

Last year, her first as Princess of Wales, Kate added a gold and aquamarine bangle by Halcyon Days to her attire at the women’s final.

She also wore her Cassandra Goad pearl clusters – last seen at this year’s Trooping the Colour.

We’ve not seen Meghan in the Royal Box since 2019 when, sitting alongside Kate, the Duchess of Sussex wore her beautiful diamond engagement ring and a pair of gold bar studs with turquoise inlays from LA jeweller Jennifer Meyer.

The Princess of Wales has a sweet nickname for her youngest son, Prince Louis, who is often seen getting up to adorable antics.

In Kate’s recent video, she announced she had finished her chemotherapy treatment and that ‘doing what I can to stay cancer free’ was now her main focus.

The uplifting message featured in wholesome footage of the Princess with her family.

At the very start of the video Kate, 42, is walking through a woodland area with Prince William, 42, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six.

The Princess of Wales can be heard affectionately calling out to her youngest, ‘Lou-bugs, you lead the way!’

+10
View gallery

Princess Kate calling out, ‘Lou-bugs, you lead the way!’ while Louis walks ahead of his family in the recently released video

+10
View gallery

Kate, sitting with Prince George and Prince Louis, announced she had finished her chemotherapy treatment and that ‘doing what I can to stay cancer free’ was now her main focus

+10
View gallery

Louis shovelling sand into a wheelbarrow during an engagement in Slough last year where Kate called him ‘Lou-bugs’

Louis walks confidently on ahead of his family and repeatedly throws a ball up to catch while his siblings and parents follow behind.

Later on in the video, Kate is shown pushing Louis on a swing as he stands up enthusiastically.

In another clip, Louis sits next to his mother before leaning in to the camera saying ‘hello, hello’.

Kate was first heard using the sweet nickname, ‘Lou-bugs’, for her youngest son in May last year.

William, Kate, George, Charlotte and Louis attended The Big Help Out event and helped to renovate a Scout hut in Slough.

Louis, who was five years old at the time, didn’t hesitate to get stuck in during his first public engagement and shovelled sand into a wheelbarrow while Kate stood nearby encouraging him.

He then pushed the wheelbarrow over to other volunteers who were helping to build a path.

The Princess of Wales praised Louis saying, ‘Well done, good job, Lou-bug.’

+10
View gallery

Kate and William smiling with their children in the uplifting video

+10
View gallery

Prince George and Prince Louis tucking into a toasted marshmallow while Kate toasts one in Slough last year

+10
View gallery

Prince Louis, who was five at the time, enthusiastically trying out archery last year

Kate used the adorable nickname again later on when the family joined others around a fire to toast marshmallows and make s’mores.

Helping Louis to put his sweet treat onto a stick and then handing him an empty skewer to throw away, she told her youngest, ‘Pop that in the fire, Lou-bug’.

Elsewhere, she was heard lovingly calling Louis ‘poppet’ as he eagerly grabbed a brush to help paint his hand print on the wall inside the scout hut.

Kate encouraged Louis to cover her hand with yellow paint saying, ‘Hey poppet.’

The young prince then helped his mother to place her hand on the wall, the Princess of Wales then smiled, saying ‘Ready, steady, go. Good job!’

He then covered his own hand with blue paint and eagerly put it against the wall.

Kate and William have been known to use sweet nicknames for their children previously.

+10
View gallery

Kate has affectionately called her son Louis, ‘Lou-bug’ and ‘poppet’ in the past

+10
View gallery

The family strolling through a woodland area in Norfolk during Kate’s recent video

+10
View gallery

Prince Louis hugging his father, Prince William, while the family play card games

+10
View gallery

The young prince climbing over logs in the recent video

Charlotte’s adorable moniker was revealed in a video released by Kensington Palace on Instagram, showing the family-of-five at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2019.

While the three children are seen running around enjoying the outdoors – at one point William called out for his daughter, but instead of calling her Charlotte, he called out for ‘Mignonette’.

Mignonette is a French word which is said to mean ‘small, sweet, and delicate’ or ‘cute’.

The Princess of Wales opts for a simple yet classic nickname for her daughter, having previously been known to call her ‘Lottie’.

The Duke of Sussex was a cuddly child who was fearless and mischievous even at a young age.

Prince Henry Charles Albert David – the second son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana – was born weighing 6lb 14oz, at 4.20pm on September 15, 1984.

He made his first public appearance the following day on the steps of the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in London, wrapped in a white shawl in his mother’s arms.

It was made clear by his father that the newborn would be known as Harry – except of course when he was very, very naughty.

So that meant that his full name was used quite often by his parents.

Harry set his own rules, as proven by the then six-year-old telling his brother William:  ‘You’ll be King. I won’t. So, I can do what I want!’

+18

Prince Henry Charles Albert David was a cuddly child who was fearless and mischievous even at a young age, writes CHARLES RAE. His father Prince Charles made it clear that the newborn would be known as Harry – except for when he was naughty

+18

Prince Henry Charles Albert David was born weighing 6lb 14oz, at 4.20pm on September 15, 1984

+18

Prince Harry, in school uniform, wears a Red Nose for Red Nose Day, 1991

+18

Prince Charles having a quiet word with Prince Harry at a polo match in 1990

40 times Harry made us smile as he celebrates milestone birthday

And he made the most of it.

Harry’s cheeky sense of humour and ­happy-go-lucky nature made him instantly lovable.

Diana’s former chef Darren McGrady recalled how Harry tried to trick him into giving him and William pizza for an evening meal.

It’s no secret that Wills and Harry, who he described as ‘royal princes but with children’s’ palates,’ were partial to the odd bit of fast food.

American-style foods like loaded potato skins, baby-back BBQ ribs, and pizza were apparently among Harry’s firm favourites.

Princess Diana would take them down to Sticky Fingers near Kensington High Street for a treat, McGrady said in 2018.

But their nannies at Kensington Palace — who used to decide on the princes’ menu — were not always as keen to indulge the boys with their favourite foods.

Instead, they often opted for traditional roast meat and lots of healthy greens like broccoli and cabbage.

‘One evening roast chicken was on the menu,’ McGrady said.

‘And I found a note on the desk that read “Darren please give the boys pizza” and was signed Jess, the name of the nanny.

‘But it was written in [a] 10-year-olds’ handwriting,’ he continued, explaining that he soon realised it was Harry attempting to pick his own menu.

McGrady said he didn’t make the boys pizza that night and made sure they got the original chicken option ‘because he was too scared of the nanny,’ but he kept the note to tease Harry about it.

Former Police bodyguard Ken Wharfe first met the boys in 1986 when he was appointed to look after them.

He recounted that Diana told him: ‘I don’t envy you looking after my kids’.

And he would often hear more than once Diana scolding Harry with the words: ‘HENRY, NO!’

Wharfe said the angriest he ever saw Diana was when she was telling off Harry for hitting William with a snooker cue while they stayed on Richard Branson’s Caribbean island, Necker.

+18

Former Police bodyguard Ken Wharfe (behind Princess Diana)  first met the boys in 1986 when he was appointed to look after them

+18

Ken Wharfe said the angriest he ever saw Diana was when she was telling off Harry for hitting William with a snooker cue while they stayed on Richard Branson’s Caribbean island Necker, seen here in 1990

+18

Prince Harry looking down from a Buckingham Palace window during Trooping the Colour

+18

At eight years old Prince Harry was already showing a keen  interest in all things military. Above: The young Prince riding in a tank during a visit to a British regiment in Germany, 1990

+18

Princess Diana’s death in 1997 effectively cut short Prince Harry’s childhood. Above: Harry walks behind his mother’s coffin alongside his father, uncle Earl Spencer, brother Prince William and grandfather Prince Philip

Harry turns 40! Wills and Harry’s bromance before royal rumble

He also famously stuck his tongue out at photographers from the back of a car and once also stuck two fingers up at them.

One of the worst scrapes he ever got into was when he was five or six.

Dressed in army fatigues, the already soldier-mad youngster went to see Wharfe because he was bored and wanted something to do.

Wharfe handed him a police radio and gave him various points to go to within the grounds of Kensington Palace.

He was to report back on his radio with the words: ‘Mission accomplished.’

After a few times, Harry asked over the radio if he could go and see his aunt Jane, Diana’s sister who also lived at the Palace.

A short time later when Harry did not come back, he asked Jane where he was, and she told the flustered policeman that Harry had left 10 minutes earlier.

But instead of turning left he turned right and headed for Kensington High Street.

Wharfe – seeing his career almost floating away – contacted the young Prince and said: ‘Where are you, Harry.’

The youngster said: ‘Hang on a minute. I am outside Tower Records.’

Wharfe recalled: ‘I never moved so fast to recover Harry to the safety of the Palace.’

Harry, on his sixth birthday, put his hand over the mouth of his two-year-old cousin, Princess Beatrice, on the palace balcony as the royal family watch the Battle of Britain 50th Anniversary Parade.

He was dubbed ‘Kamikaze Harry’ by his nanny in tribute to his daredevil ways.

He was also something of a prankster.

At the age of eight he locked himself in a toilet on board a train just for fun, ignoring Diana’s pleas as she repeatedly banged on the door.

A lover of practical jokes, he liked whoopee cushions and, as a small boy, a favourite trick was to dismantle his parents’ hi-fi at Highgrove.

He would wait to watch their faces as they switched on the stereo, and nothing happened.

But he also suffered with the emotional distress of witnessing the breakdown of his parents’ marriage, and the public fallout that followed.

Then there was his mother’s death in Paris in 1997, which in effect cut short his childhood

As a teenager there were drugs, and raucous parties.

+18

As a young man there were many raucous parties and many, many nightclubs. Above: Harry outside the club Mahiki in Mayfair, 2008

+18

Harry eventually joined the Army and completed two tours of Afghanistan. His service did much to counteract some of his brattish behaviour in his teenage years

+18

Prince Harry proposed to the former Suits actress Meghan Markle in 2017. Above: The couple pose in Kensington Palace’s Sunken Garden after announcing their engagement, November 2017

+18

A ‘happy’ Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on their wedding day, May 19, 2018

+18

The couple eventually walked away from the Royal family and gave a controversial interview to Oprah Winfrey

+18

Prince Harry’s bombshell memoir, Spare, was released in January 2023

Harry and Meghan’s most adorable PDA moments over the years

But he eventually joined the Army and completed two tours of Afghanistan, which did much to counteract some of his brattish behaviour in his teenage years.

But now, following his marriage to one-time actress Meghan Markle, he has turned into a whinger as he enters the early stages of middle age.

His and Meghan’s controversial interview with Oprah Winfrey came after they walked away from the Royal Family to live in the USA.

And then of course Harry poured out further venom on his family in his memoir Spare.

There was also the couple’s Netflix series, in which more ‘truth bombs’ were fired back towards the Palace.

He no longer speaks to William or sister-in-law Catherine, and rarely to his father.

When he unexpectedly returned to the UK for his uncle’s funeral last month, he was said to have sat well away from his brother, and witnesses said the pair did not speak to each other.

Harry seems to spend his life now talking to lawyers and fighting the British Government because he has lost his taxpayer police protection in the UK.

It is a great pity that the young chap who endeared himself to millions in his home country and beyond has now turned into a sour man as he reaches a milestone birthday.

Charles Rae is a former royal correspondent and the author of Diana: The People’s Princes – A Personal Tribute in Words and Pictures

It was a moment that left royal protection officer Ken Wharfe feeling as though his career was about to end – and with good reason.

His young charge, the extraordinarily naughty Prince Harry, had snuck out of the confines of Kensington Palace and was standing outside a record shop on the nearby high street.

Harry, then aged five or six, had used a police radio Inspector Wharfe had given him to cheerily tell the policeman where he was.

Wharfe previously recalled how his dash to recover his charge was his ‘quickest’ ever.

The incident was not the first time that Harry, who turns 40 today, stepped out of line.

He once hit his brother Prince William with a snooker cue and on another occasion forged his nanny’s handwriting in an attempt to convince the family’s chef to make him pizza for dinner.

+7

Prince Harry, aged eight, seen with his mother Princess Diana and their police bodyguard Ken Wharfe out shopping in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, November 1992. When he was aged five or six he snuck out of the grounds of Kensington Palace and headed down to a record shop

Inspector Wharfe took charge of security for Prince William and Prince Harry in 1986.

The following year, he was appointed as a bodyguard to their mother Princess Diana.

Harry’s escape from the confines of the Palace came after the young, soldier-obsessed royal had gone to Inspector Wharfe looking to be entertained.

Describing him as a ‘real tearaway’ on GB News, Inspector Wharfe said: ‘I nearly lost my job once over him. Because he was trying to relieve a sense of boredom.

‘He came into my office, said, “Ken, I need to do something.”

I said, “Ok, look, here’s a radio, go up to the garage, speak to the chauffer, make a phone call and I’ll give you another job.

‘So we did that four or five times, gone to the chef, gone to the flower seller whatever, in the end he said, “can I go down and see Aunt Jane?“, which was Diana’s sister, just outside the front of Kensington Palace.’

+7

Inspector Wharfe recalled how Harry used a police radio he had given him to cheerily tell the policeman that he was standing outside Tower Records (above) on Kensington High Street, after sneaking out of the Palace grounds

Inspector Wharfe checked with Lady Jane Fellowes and then allowed Harry to go and see her.

She told the policeman that she would call him when he was on his way back.

He continued: ‘About 20 minutes later, I rang Jane and said, “have you sent Harry back yet?”

She said, “I sent him back ten minutes ago.”

‘A slight panic set in. So I called him up on the radio. I said, “Harry, it’s Ken, where are you?”

+7

Prince Harry lived at Kensington Palace with his mother Princess Diana, father Prince Charles and brother Prince William

+7

Prince Harry sticks his tongue out at photographers from the backseat of his car as he and his brother are driven away after seeing their newborn cousin Princess Beatrice at Portland Hospital in London, 1988

40 times Harry made us smile as he celebrates milestone birthday

+7

Prince Harry and Prince William sitting on a police motorbike alongside their mother Diana in 1987

He said that Harry replied, “Just a moment, I’m outside Tower Records”.

‘It was the quickest run back I had ever done. But anyway, there he was this small kid stood outside Tower Records with my radio,’ he added.

The policeman remained in royal employment until late 1993, after Prince Charles and Diana had separated.

Tower Records’ first store, which opened in 1984, was the one on Kensington High Street.

The following year, the firm’s flagship outlet at Piccadilly Circus opened. Both stores were sold to Virgin in 2003 and then renamed Zavvi in 2007.

Zavvi went into administration in 2008.

Inspector Wharfe is the author of Diana – Closely Guarded Secret and Guarding Diana – Protecting the Princess around the World.

+7

An advert for the opening of Tower Records on Kensington High Street

Their 1981 wedding captivated the world, with millions delighting in what appeared to be a royal fairy tale.

From the outside, Princess Diana‘s relationship with Prince Charles was a match made in heaven.

But, by early 1982, now-pregnant Diana was so unhappy that she resorted to throwing herself down the stairs to get her husband’s attention during a visit to Sandringham, the late Queen Elizabeth’s estate in Norfolk.

The Queen witnessed the aftermath and was left ‘shaking’ and ‘absolutely horrified’, Diana later told royal biographer Andrew Morton.

In audio tapes sent to Morton for his biography, Diana, Her True Story, she claimed she was dismissed by her husband when she initially threatened to throw herself down the stairs.

+8

Prince Charles and Princess Diana joining the late Queen Elizabeth at the Braemar Games in Scotland in September 1981

+8

Princess Diana attending a church service in Windsor on Christmas Day in 1981

+8

The Prince and Princess were staying at Sandringham House, pictured, when the incident happened in 1982

Accusing her of crying wolf, Charles allegedly told her: ‘I’m not going to listen. You’re always doing this to me. I’m going riding now.’

In response to Charles’s disregard and in a bid to get his attention, Diana revealed to Mr Morton: ‘I threw myself down the stairs.’

She said she was trying to get Charles’s attention and wanted him to listen to her.

The couple were staying at Queen Elizabeth’s Norfolk residence at the same time as the monarch and she happened to witness the incident as it played out.

Diana said: ‘The Queen comes out, absolutely horrified, shaking – she was so frightened.’

The Princess was four months pregnant with Prince William at the time but explained: ‘I knew I wasn’t going to lose the baby, [though I was] quite bruised around the stomach.’

+8

Prince Charles, Lady Diana Spencer and the Queen in Buckingham Palace in March 1981, four months before the royal wedding

+8

The couple, next to the Queen, waving from Buckingham Palace balcony on their wedding day in 1981

+8

Diana and Charles standing outside of St George’s Chapel on Christmas Day in 1981

However, the incident didn’t spark the reaction from Charles that Diana desperately desired and she told Mr Morton how ‘it was just dismissal’.

When he came back from riding, the Princess claimed he ‘just carried on out of the door’.

His response was influenced by advice from his friends who felt Diana needed to ‘pull herself together’, Robert Lacey wrote in his book, Battle of Brothers.

However, as Prince William’s due date approached, Charles did spend more time with Diana and stayed by her side when their first son was born.

In doing so, he became the first male royal to be present at a birth.

In a letter to his godmother, Patricia Knatchbull, Charles said how he was ‘so thankful I was beside Diana’s bedside the whole time’.

+8

The couple were staying at the late Queen Elizabeth’s Norfolk residence at the same time as the monarch and she happened to witness the incident as it played out

+8

Princess Diana during a visit to Wales in October 1981

However, Princess Diana’s struggles with her mental health continued later on. When William was four years old, the princess fainted during a trip to Canada.

She was battling bulimia at the time and told Charles she thought she was ‘about to disappear’ before passing out during an exhibition at Expo’86.

The Princess received some help from doctors but continued to struggle and her marriage to Charles continued a downward spiral.

They eventually separated in 1992 before divorcing in 1996.

She said to Mr Morton how Charles ‘told a lot of people the reason why the marriage was so wobbly was because I was being sick the whole time.

‘They never questioned what it was doing to me.’

His Majesty has been at Balmoral with Queen Camilla since August, and is set to stay there until October.

In spending the summer and autumn at the castle that was so much loved by his mother, King Charles is demonstrating his deep affinity with Scotland.

Fittingly, the monarch arrived at Balmoral wearing a tartan kilt, although his chosen pattern on August 19 was not Royal Stewart.

That pattern is the personal tartan of the monarch and officially no one can wear it without his permission.

But that exclusion is mainly ignored these days – for commercial reasons.

The companies who sell the tartan and kilts know there is a market throughout the world, so they encourage the sale wherever they can.

And people will always buy it, believing they are achieving a connection with royalty.

You can even buy boxes of shortbread bearing the royal tartan emblem.

+10

His Majesty has been at Balmoral with Queen Camilla since August, and is set to stay there until October. Fittingly, the monarch arrived at Balmoral wearing a tartan kilt, although his chosen pattern on August 19 was not Royal Stewart

+10

Her Late Majesty the Queen wearing a tartan skirt as she greets incoming prime minister Liz Truss at Balmoral on September 6, 2022. She passed away two days later

There is no record of anyone being prosecuted for wearing the tartan.

I have experienced just a single occasion when the wearing of a kilt with Royal Stewart tartan was punished.

I was talking to a member of the Household at Balmoral when he told me about one of his predecessors.

How past prime ministers have fared at Balmoral

Every year, the prime minister of the day is invited to Balmoral.

Margaret Thatcher hated the place and couldn’t wait to leave.

James Callaghan was very comfortable there, and enjoyed walking in the grounds with the late Queen and discussing wildlife.

And Alec Douglas Home, who had known the Queen privately for years before he entered Number 10 Downing Street, was arguably even more at home because he was a fellow Scottish landowner.

Harold Wilson said it remined him of ‘Bloody Brigadoon’, the fictional Scottish village in the famous Hollywood movie of the same name.

He said: ‘He suddenly appeared one evening in the downstairs sitting room wearing a kilt with the Royal Stewart tartan and curtseyed to the head butler, who wasn’t amused.

‘The next morning he disappeared from Balmoral – and the Household, and has never been seen again, And never will be!’

Although the history of wearing a kilt goes back centuries and relates to the clan system in Scotland, the Royal Family adopted it only in 1830.

But since then, every year as Summer approaches, the King and his family goes ‘native’– no offence to the People of Scotland intended.

In the 19th century it was Queen Victoria (who else) who first adopted the tartan and kilt.

With Victoria, her word was sacred and every syllable had to be obeyed immediately and without question.

Her husband Prince Albert is said to have designed so-called Balmoral tartan, which is distinct from Royal Stewart tartan.

The Balmoral pattern is said to have been based on Royal Stewart and was first manufactured in the 1850s.

All of Victoria’s successors, with a few reluctant exceptions, have worn kilts. The late Queen Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, didn’t like them but for his older brother King Edward VIII, later Duke of Windsor, the dislike was a positive hatred.

He refused to wear one on any occasion, even the Highland Games, saying they made him look like a pantomime dame.

Perhaps it was because he simply did not have the legs to support a kilt.

Of course, King Charles has never known what it’s like not to wear a kilt in Scotland. He grew up being used to it and he claims he loves them.

Queen Elizabeth wore tartan plaid throughout her stay at Balmoral and, as far as anyone knows for sure, it was one of her favourite patterns.

Of the present generation, Prince William is believed to be hesitant about wearing a kilt – although was spotted in one when he was a young boy.

Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, is pretty easy-going about such things, but again, a picture of him in a kilt would be a worldwide hit.

Royal Stewart is worn by military pipers of the Black Watch, Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and the Scots Guards.

And certain privileged civilian groups, mainly in Canada, with one in Australia, are also permitted to wear it as part of their official uniforms.

+10

Prince Charles wearing a tartan kilt with his sons Prince William and Prince Harry, by the River Dee, August 1997

+10

Queen Victoria at Balmoral in later life, with her family and servants

+10

Scottish ghillies wearing tartan at Balmoral in the 1860s. Victoria was a huge fan of the patterned cloth

+10

King George VI was apparently not a fan of wearing a kilt, but did still wear one on occasioin. Above: King George standing wearing a kilt alongside his daughters and wife Elizabeth at Abergeldie Castle near Balmoral, August 1939

+10

Prince Philip attending the garden party that was held at Balmoral to mark the end of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Tour in 2002

+10

The only picture of Prince William wearing a kilt at Balmoral in 1988

+10

Prince Charles aged 7 wearing a tweed jacket with his Balmoral tartan kilt

+10

In Scotland, Charles was the Duke of Rothesay before becoming King and now Prince William holds the title. Above: Charles in a Balmoral Tartan kilt alongside Camilla in a matching skirt leaving Crathie Church near Balmoral on their first wedding anniversary in 2006

When kilts first came to be used it was as a form of clan identity. But not, as many people believe, on the bodies of men killed in clan battles.

The tartan kilt was worn before a battle started and then it was discarded and a plain, tougher leather kilt was put on, to provide more protection against weapons.

They were also all worn just below the knee, as protection from the heather as well as the enemy, who happened to be another clan.

However, there is one rule that govern the wearing of the kilt that all true Scotsman follow.

True Scots should not wear any form of underwear under their kilt. Nobody knows if the Royals obey the rule by ‘going commando’.

But nothing will ever change the attitude of the Royal Family towards Balmoral, or towards kilts and Royal Stewart tartan.

The love of all three is a tradition engrained in the very souls of the royals. And it won’t change any time soon.

It was a trip that captured the hearts of sceptical Americans, and made Princess Diana more popular than ever across the pond.

The late Princess of Wales‘s three-day visit to New York City in 1989 – her first overseas engagement without her husband Prince Charles – was a huge success.

The Daily Mail reported at the time that the tour ‘enchanted hardened New Yorkers and turned thousands of ordinary Americans into avid royalists.’

Diana embraced a dying young AIDS patient, visited a housing project for homeless people and wowed at a glamorous gala dinner.

At the weekend Prince Harry followed in his mother’s footsteps by arriving in the city without his wife Meghan Markle for a series of engagements.

He will be attending events with African Parks, The HALO Trust and The Diana Award, among others.

+15

Princess Diana greets crowds during a visit to the AIDS unit of Harlem Hospital in New York in 1989

+15

The late Princess of Wales on her first night of her solo trip to New York in 1989

1989: Princess Diana travels solo to New York in very successful trip

Diana used her trip to build her own independence and work on humanitarian causes she was passionate about, while also having fun.

After arriving on Concorde, she had to be escorted into Manhattan by an armed SWAT squad in a convoy made up of ten cars due to threats of an IRA protest.

Thousands of people lined up to welcome the Princess, with her arrival receiving ‘more media attention than a meeting of world leaders’.

She kicked off her visit with a glamorous appearance at a party for Dawson International, a Scottish clothing company.

The Princess wore a classy blue and black dress, paired with a patent clutch bag and a single string of pearls.

+15

At the weekend Prince Harry followed in his mother’s footsteps by arriving in the city without his wife Meghan Markle for a series of engagements. Above: The Duke of Sussex seated alongside outgoing Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo at a dinner organised by the World Health Organisation in New York on Sunday

+15

Princess Diana meets royal fans at the Henry Street Settlement in New York City, 1989

+15

Princess Diana during a visit to a day care centre in Harlem with the former First Lady of New York, Matilda Cuomo

+15

The princess talking to a child in Henry Street Settlement during her solo trip in 1989

+15

A man holding up a cardboard placard with the words, ‘Bless you Princess Di in Jesus name’ at Harlem Hospital

+15

Princess Diana walking through the Henry Street Settlement in New York in 1989

The following day, another crowd of people waited to greet Diana when she arrived to the Henry Street Settlement – a housing project for homeless people – on the Lower East Side.

While she was there, Diana visited a day care centre with the First Lady of New York, Matilda Cuomo.

In the evening, Diana wore a glamorous gown by Victor Edelstein to a gala dinner for the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

However, the Mail reported how actor Michael Douglas failed to show up, mirroring another royal snub twelve months earlier when he didn’t accompany Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, to a theatrical workshop.

Aside from glittering parties, Diana’s most notable part of her visit was in Harlem, when she hugged a seven-year-old boy who was dying of AIDS.

+15

Diana during the ‘Winter Garden’ Opera gala for the Brooklyn Academy of Music

+15

The princesses returned to New York many times and often stayed at The Carlyle Hotel, pictured here in 1997

+15

Prince William, following his mother’s footsteps, visiting New York with Kate in 2014

+15

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at an awards ceremony in New York City in 2023

Dr Margaret Heagarty, the head of the paediatric unit at Harlem Hospital, said at the time: ‘She is a wonderful person – kind, compassionate and very sensitive.’

She shook hands with the princess and told her: ‘By coming here today, you have given this hospital and our poor community an enormous uplift.’

Diana’s impact on the AIDS ward was profound, a man in the hospital even held a cardboard placard with the words, ‘Bless you Princess Di in Jesus name’.

Everywhere Diana went she was greeted by hoards of people wanting to catch a glimpse of royalty.

She produced a reaction so noticeable that she was even dubbed ‘Queen of New York,’ by the Mail.

Diana would go on to visit the city several times afterwards.

A favourite place to stay was The Carlyle Hotel. She was there in December 1995, when she visited New York for a charity dinner.

She returned to the hotel in June 1997, when she met Mother Teresa in the city.

+15

The front page of the Daily Mail on February 3 reports how Diana was snubbed by Michael Douglas

+15

A clipping from February 4 about Diana hugging a child with AIDS at Harlem Hospital during her solo trip

In December 2014, Prince William stopped at The Carlyle Hotel during a visit to New York with his wife Kate.

During Harry’s own trip to the Big Apple, he will be paying tribute to his mother at the 25th anniversary of The Diana Award.

The organisation posted a statement from the CEO Dr Tessy Ojo: ‘In our 25th year, The Diana Award is delighted to be leading an event with Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex in New York this September.

‘The event will be driven by young people and their insights on the biggest issues facing their generation today.’

It was initially speculated that Harry’s brother, Prince William, could also be in the city at the same time for the third annual Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit.

However, it has been confirmed that the heir to the throne won’t be making the journey overseas.

Every September, thousands of young adults pack up their most treasured possessions and embark on their next step: university.

Twenty-three years ago today, it was Prince William‘s turn to do just that on his first day at St Andrews in Scotland.

The Palace had struck a deal with the media to give William privacy while he was studying, aside from agreed photo opportunities.

One of those occasions was his arrival for the start of term with his father King Charles, then the Prince of Wales.

William’s student life began with a slight mishap – Charles, who was driving, missed the university’s entrance at first and had to reverse in front of the 5,000 onlookers, the Daily Mail reported at the time.

+11

Twenty-three years ago today, Prince William, then 19, arrived for his first day at university. He turned up with his father King Charles, who was then the Prince of Wales

+11

Prince William originally enrolled to study art history at the Scottish university

+11

William’s student life began with a slight mishap – Charles, who was driving, missed the university’s entrance at first and had to reverse in front of the 5,000 onlookers, the Daily Mail reported at the time

Whilst Charles was dressed in a blazer, chinos and shirt and tie, William chose an understated jumper and shirt combo, which he paired with jeans.

Before disappearing off to the relative privacy of university life, he took the time to chat with some of the royal fans who had flocked to see him.

William originally enrolled to study art history and the course fees – £1,075 per term – were paid for by Charles for ‘the first year at least,’ the Mail reported, despite William’s offer to cover them himself.

His student accommodation consisted of a small room in St Salvator’s Hall – a housing block nicknamed ‘Sallies’ by students – and he brought bedding, a television and a stereo to kit it out.

William had specifically requested a room without an en-suite so he could get the full student experience of queuing for the communal showers.

+11

The father and son were greeted by 5,000 royal fans hoping to catch a glimpse of them

+11

Prince William in St Salvator’s, his first year university accommodation, in November 2004

+11

Prince William studying in the main library at St Andrews in 2004

He had been offered a place to stay at the residence of principal Dr Brian Lang but turned it down.

Charles’ suggestion of renting a private house was also declined.

Instead, a nearby room was reserved for a police bodyguard who had a bathroom especially installed.

William was very aware of his impact on people, however, and was keen to make genuine friends.

The young prince said in an interview around the time: ‘People who try to take advantage of me and a get a piece of me, I spot it quickly and soon go off them.’

He added: ‘I just hope I can meet people I get on with. I don’t care about their background.’

However, William’s first term at St Andrews got off to a rocky start.

+11

The prince playing in a rugby tournament during his final year at university in 2005

+11

William met Kate Middleton, who he later married, at university. The pair are pictured on their graduation day in 2005

+11

Prince William walking in his graduation gown with Charles and Camilla in June 2005

He returned home to Highgrove for Christmas and had spent most of his weekends during term time there or in London.

According to royal expert Robert Lacey in his 2020 book Battle of Brothers, William expressed doubts to his father during the holidays over his choice of course and institution and told him how he wanted to move,

His grandfather, Prince Philip, is said to have responded: ‘William needs to knuckle down and not wimp out.’

He found life in the small Scottish town to be quiet, with the highlight of his week being shopping at Tesco and playing sport on a Wednesday.

Kensington Palace and St Andrews managed to resolve the issue by liaising with one another and agreed for William to switch courses to Geography.

Charles spent the Christmas holiday having a heartfelt discussion with William, who eventually decided against moving away.

William later said he felt he was ‘daunted’ rather than homesick.

He said at the time: ‘My father was very understanding about it and realised I had the same problem he had probably had.

+11

Kate chatting with her friends while watching William play rugby at university in 2005

+11

The Daily Mail’s coverage of William on his first day at St Andrews in 2001

‘We chatted a lot, and in the end we both realised – I definitely realised – that I had to come back.

‘I think it was the new surroundings. When I was with Raleigh International in Chile during my gap year, it was the same sort of thing. You’re thrown into completely new territory.

‘I don’t think I was homesick. I was more daunted.’

The decision paid off, as it was at St Andrews that William met and fell in love with Kate Middleton.

It was at a charity fashion show in St Andrews where William exclaimed, ‘wow! Kate’s hot’, as his future wife walked down the catwalk in a see-through dress.