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At the age of 13, Prince William faced the daunting prospect of becoming a new boy in a school that was almost ten times
the size of his old one. That was hard enough. What made his transition to Eton far more of an ordeal was that no one —
from masters to pupils — could fail to be unaware of the open warfare that was tearing his parents’ marriage apart.
For a boy trying to handle his first weeks at a big school, it was excruciatingly hard to bear. But there was worse to come,
as his house master Andrew Gailey soon discovered. While William was still settling in, Gailey learned that the Princess of
Wales was recording an interview in secret for the BBC.
On November 20, 1995, a large proportion of the nation sat glued to their TV sets in disbelief as Diana gave the performance
of her life on Panorama. Looking pale and vulnerable, with heavy black kohl lining her eyes, she talked about her bulimia, her
affair with James Hewitt and her husband’s obsession with Camilla Parker Bowles.
It was clear she’d chosen to punish Charles in the most damaging way she could. What she’d failed to appreciate, however,
was the damage she was inflicting on her elder son. William watched the whole programme in his house master’s study. And,
not unnaturally, he was deeply upset. No child wants to hear one parent assassinating the integrity of the other, let alone
talking about mutual infidelities.
<a href="http://s1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj559/365Wildfire/?action=view&current=article-2139793-0C268F4C000005DC-688_634x729.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj559/365Wildfire/article-2139793-0C268F4C000005DC-688_634x729.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Royal family: Prince Charles holding Prince Harry and Diana, Princess of Wales, holding
Prince William in the wild flower meadow at Highgrove on July 14, 1986 in Tetbury, England
<a href="http://s1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj559/365Wildfire/?action=view&current=article-2139793-00997FAD00000190-280_634x436.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj559/365Wildfire/article-2139793-00997FAD00000190-280_634x436.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Ahoy: Princess Diana with Prince William and Prince Andrew on HMS Brazen in 1986
the size of his old one. That was hard enough. What made his transition to Eton far more of an ordeal was that no one —
from masters to pupils — could fail to be unaware of the open warfare that was tearing his parents’ marriage apart.
For a boy trying to handle his first weeks at a big school, it was excruciatingly hard to bear. But there was worse to come,
as his house master Andrew Gailey soon discovered. While William was still settling in, Gailey learned that the Princess of
Wales was recording an interview in secret for the BBC.
On November 20, 1995, a large proportion of the nation sat glued to their TV sets in disbelief as Diana gave the performance
of her life on Panorama. Looking pale and vulnerable, with heavy black kohl lining her eyes, she talked about her bulimia, her
affair with James Hewitt and her husband’s obsession with Camilla Parker Bowles.
It was clear she’d chosen to punish Charles in the most damaging way she could. What she’d failed to appreciate, however,
was the damage she was inflicting on her elder son. William watched the whole programme in his house master’s study. And,
not unnaturally, he was deeply upset. No child wants to hear one parent assassinating the integrity of the other, let alone
talking about mutual infidelities.
<a href="http://s1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj559/365Wildfire/?action=view&current=article-2139793-0C268F4C000005DC-688_634x729.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj559/365Wildfire/article-2139793-0C268F4C000005DC-688_634x729.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Royal family: Prince Charles holding Prince Harry and Diana, Princess of Wales, holding
Prince William in the wild flower meadow at Highgrove on July 14, 1986 in Tetbury, England
<a href="http://s1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj559/365Wildfire/?action=view&current=article-2139793-00997FAD00000190-280_634x436.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj559/365Wildfire/article-2139793-00997FAD00000190-280_634x436.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Ahoy: Princess Diana with Prince William and Prince Andrew on HMS Brazen in 1986
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