Being constantly watched in every move you make can be suffocating but when Prince William went to university he got a short reprieve from his usual royal life
The Royal Family are used to having the eyes of the world on them – even when they’re still growing up. Prince William, as a future king of England, was under almost constant scrutiny when he was still a child, a situation that only became more apparent following his parents’ divorce and his mother’s tragically early death.
Being constantly watched for every move you make can be suffocating but when Prince William went to university he was given a short reprieve from his usual public life. The press agreed that William should study away from the spotlight but it wasn’t that simple as interest in the young prince didn’t just disappear. In a bid to carve a sense of a normal life out of his experience at St Andrew’s William used a different name while completing his studies This allowed him to keep a low profile giving him a chance to have a normal University experience. And Prince William picked a very ordinary name for his alias – Steve. He officially enrolled at the University of St Andrews under the name William Wales, but all his classmates used the nickname to prevent any unwanted attention.
While many will be familiar with nicknames a whole new name to disguise yourself is a very different concept to the ordinary person. Still, for the Royals, it comes with the territory. Prince Harry’s also uses a nickname as his full name of Prince Henry Charles Albert David is a bit of a mouthful. Harry also doesn’t have a surname, he uses Sussex or Mountbatten-Windsor. It’s not only Harry and William who have more than one name, Meghan Markle’s full name is Rachel Meghan Markle. She shares her birth name with the character that made her famous in Suits – Rachel Zane. Meghan uses her middle name professionally and that’s what most people know her as now.
While William was at university, there’s also a good chance his bride-to-be Kate Middleton called him his fake name as they were close friends at university before they became a couple. They shared many classes and lived in the same student halls. Prince William studied the history of art before switching to geography. He graduated alongside Kate in June 2005 when he was 23. The late Queen, Duke of Edinburgh, King Charles and Queen Camilla all attended the ceremony.
Speaking at the time he told the Telegraph: “Today is a very special day for me and I am delighted that I can share it with my family, and in particular with my grandmother, who has made such an effort to come, having been under the weather. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at St Andrews and I shall be very sad to leave.”
