Read William and Harry for Free Online

year before the British press exposed their secret friendship.

Chapter 3
Off to school
    It’s quite something, putting one’s eldest into school.
    Diana, Princess of Wales
    Prince William charged into the garden slamming the door behind him. He could not bear to hear his parents bicker any longer. ‘I hate you, Papa. I hate you so much. Why do you make Mummy cry all the time?’ he had shouted angrily as Diana broke down again. William had been aware for some time that his parents were not happy. The princess had become increasingly dependent on her elder son, who she regularly confided in, and it was William who would pass his mother tissues through the bedroom door as she sobbed on the other side.
    It was a heavy burden for a young boy, and there was a great sense of relief, among the staff at Kensington Palace at least, when William went away to school. Charles and Diana agreed that the boys-only boarding school Ludgrove in Berkshire would be perfect for their elder son. Set in 130 acres of unspoilt countryside, it had an excellent reputation for sport as well as an impressive academic record. William had been worried and apprehensive about leaving home for the first time. It was 10 September 1990, and as the chauffeur-driven Bentley pulled up at the £2,350-a term school Diana blinked back tears. William, who was eight years old, was dressed in his new uniform of corduroy trousers and tweed jacket.This time it was Diana who clasped her boy’s hand. Her elder son was leaving the nest and things would never be the same again.
    Meanwhile in the front passenger seat Charles was also in reflective mood. His school days had been the unhappiest of his life, and he desperately hoped his son would not be subjected to the bullying he had endured at Cheam School in Surrey. He had cleared his diary to be with William after the criticism he had faced in the newspapers for not turning up for his first day of prep school. By now Charles and Diana’s private lives were headline news, and the prince suspected that the source of many of the stories was his wife. When Charles was on a painting holiday in Italy in May 1988 Harry had been rushed to Great Ormond Street Hospital to have an emergency hernia operation. The British press had again noted Charles’s absence even though he had made half-hour checks via the telephone. This time he was not going to give his wife any ammunition.
    Diana had spent the morning double-checking William’s trunk, which had been carefully packed by his new nanny Ruth Wallace. It contained his favourite wombat toy, which she always placed next to his pillow, and everything else he would need for his first term. At Ludgrove, once William was settled, Diana sped up the M4 back to Apartments 9 and 10 of Kensington Palace while Charles returned to Highgrove. By now the Waleses were living separate lives.
    For William, who had matured from a boisterous child into a sensitive boy, school proved to be a relief from the turmoil at home. William and Harry had only just got used to Nanny Ruth, who whisked them upstairs when discussions became heated between their parents, but now she was leaving and would be replaced by Jessie Webbe.
    William found comfort in the routine at Ludgrove. The day began shortly after seven o’clock, when he would wash and dress for breakfast. Lessons did not start until 9 a.m., and William liked to fit in a quick game of football before the first class. Lessons continued until 5.20 p.m., when the boys were free to play more sport before supper, and after chapel it was lights out at 8 p.m. The school’s amiable headmaster Gerald Barber had been quietly informed by Diana about the complicated situation at home and had promised to keep a close eye on William. Both he and his wife Janet would become key figures in William and Harry’s lives as their parents’ marriage finally fell apart.
    Despite his initial nerves, William had at least one familiar face at his side at all times. His