Prince William had to be talked out of making a huge decision that royal aides felt would be a 'personal disaster' for the future king. There was great excitement when it was revealed William would be attending St Andrews University in Scotland - and in September 2001 he began his first term, studying Art History. According to royal author Robert Lacey in his book Battle of Brothers , uni life wasn't quite what William had expected and he reportedly "had not anticipated quite how 'boring' - his word - life in a small Scottish seaside town could be".
For a prince who everyone instantly recognised, navigating student life was a challenge; his nights out were "clouded" because all the other students were fascinated by him, and he wasn't enjoying his course. In the end, William only spent two of the 13 term-time weekends at the university and would often go home to London or Highgrove . It all came to a head when he headed back for the Christmas break.
He confided in his father that he wanted to leave the university and move elsewhere. According to Lacey, Charles originally agreed with his son, but soon changed his mind after speaking with his private secretary Sir Stephen Lamport, who also confided in deputy private secretary Mark Bolland . Palace aides were concerned the situation could cause a 'personal disaster for William' and that the Prince 'would have been seen as a quitter'.
Indeed, his grandfather Prince Philip had a typically no-nonse response to the news, reportedly s.
