Prince William Turns 25

The Prince Who Will Be King Hits The Quarter Of A Century Mark

(CBS)  Earlier this week, Prince William attended the annual Trooping of the Colour for his grandmother the queen's birthday.

It was an impressive way to begin a big week for William. He turns 25 on June 21 and now the choices he makes are beginning to have more consequences.

One of the choices he's already made was to break up with Kate Middleton, the girlfriend he'd had since college.

"It's been quite an epic year for him, he's seen the end of a very significant relationship, a relationship that everyone thought would end in a marriage so that's been a big blow to him," gossip columnist for the British paper The Mail on Sunday Katie Nicholl told CBS news correspondent Mark Phillips.

Nicholl said that she thinks that the decision to end the relationship was probably mutual, but has still been hard on the prince.

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Photos: A Prince And An Officer

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"This will be the first birthday in four-and-a-half years that he's spent without Kate," she said.

Indeed, one of the world's most eligible bachelors is about to get more eligible. At 25 his share of the inheritance his mother left behind — about $40 million — starts kicking in. William didn't join the army because he needed the money.

"The story about prince William going shopping for 850 pounds of booze so that he can go and watch a football match 'with my mates the soldiers' — he's not anybody's mate, he's never going to be anybody's mate," royal writer Victoria Mather said. "Don't pretend you're going to be everybody's mate, it ain't going to happen. Get real. I think we're actually looking at somebody who is a nice young man, rather immature, who wants to be normal, but get with the program — you're never going to be normal."

Someday, William is going to be king. But there are likely decades to fill before that happens. Soon, he finishes his military training and the big question for him now is, what next?

"He ought to do a proper job, but its very difficult. What do you do, put him into a bank?" Mather said. "'Hello, it's William Windsor here, I'd like to sell you some shares.' "

William doesn't have to start a career — he has one waiting. So for a man-about-town famous for night-clubbing until the early hours, the more immediate question may be how to celebrate this milestone.

"I'm hearing that it will be a low key affair," Nicholl said. "He will be driving tanks at his camp in Dorset and it'll be a pretty normal day for him. His fellow officers will probably throw an impromptu bash for him, but I'll be watching the club Friday or Saturday, my money will be on his being there."

[raprsrscum]

Reel-crazy - YOU checked the story out didn't you??

[raprsrscum]

Get Kate back FOOL!!! You'll end up like your father if you don't marry the right girl...

[tnt1954]

snide remarks aside, the snoad family wishes
you well. when i was 25 i married the
most beautiful woman in the world at st. mel's
catholic church. for many reasons both
public and private it had to be annulled
for the good of the world after seven months.
got the child support blues? so many of
us do. long lost children suddenly appearing?
birth family blues? orphanages in charles
dickens time like little women by louisa
mae alcott and little men by louisa mae alcott
are often poignant stories. who will take
in the persian civil war orphans? montana?
my team caused it years ago, in 1979 on
secret orders from the future. it had to
be done. shah had gone power mad. with
laser weapons and galactic ambition.
see dune by frank herbert. oh so sorry.
tuff luck. tuff love.

[cmp271]

Happy Birthday William! I was there when you were born, in the same country and we "wet the babys head" with champagne from the class VI store on base-RAF Alconbury. Lovely!

Get back with Kate. She is your bride, you will never find anyone with more taste, class, intelligence, and beauty to replace her. Don't let this Royal stuff get in your way. She is more than that!!

Keep Harry in line too!!

Your job is to be the pin up boy for Britain as long as you can be. Helps the tourist trade.

Happy 25th, now the insurance can go down!

[gaye5]

apdepetris, you said, So many of the royal marriages haven't faired very well (look at Charles and Diana).
I totally agree with you, I believe in having a royal family but if Charles becomes King he sure will not be my King. They are suposed to be an example to the world, and his example is disgusting, immoral and not one that the world should follow, he is a disgrace to the crown, and that his parents agreed with him marrying Camilla who along with Charles caused all this, makes me disappointed in his parents...
Although I am not a Diana fanatic, I can sure see why she had so many problems mentally, emotionally and physically. No one could go through what she did and not be effected. The whispers around the corners, the constant remarks, the expectations and the realisation of what she had got herself into which was a marriage of convince to give an heir to the thrown and the feeling of being so alone must have been so extreemly awful.
Any girl treated like this poor innocent lass was, would naturally go looking for someone to befriend, and of course sometimes things happen when you are lonely, scared and so venerable and have no one to turn to, good gracious even her mother left them when they were children. I personally think that Diana did very, very well despite all the hell she went through...In her very short life, she did far better with her boys than the royal family did with Charles, she brought up a son who Britain can be proud to call King..

[thgdriver]

Happy birthday Willie! This is under entertainment!?

The American Film institute list of 100 greatest American movies was posted today and it not even mentioned over here at CBS but this is. Who the hel! is running this side show? I will list my 5 favorites anyhow.

1-The Searchers (John Wayne)
2-The Caine Mutiny (H. Bogart )
3-Patton ( G. C. Scott )
4-High Noon ( Gary Cooper )
5-The Ten Commandments ( C. Heston )

[dmk3]

That Prince William is one FINE man,gorgeous. Happy birthday to you.......Willie

[samthetvcat]

William seems to have turned out okay - big milestone for him and the big bash he's throwing this summer is to honor his mom (that charity concert with Elton and Sting, etc).

Tough about him having a hard time finding a career . . . if he goes out and gets a job the public would criticize him for taking the spot somebody else could have and if he doesn't have a regular job then people criticize him as being a rich brat - what's he supposed to do? He's turned out pretty 'normal' considering the abnormal circumstances he was born into . . .

[prinzowhales]

Ai...Prince Willi...wee-wee Willi...Gawd bless him....'going right now down to the BP station and fill up with some royal go-juice to help the royal stockholders get some decent dividends to see that the young man gets a new pair o' socks...while the British Army fights for their right to NOT have to compete with Iraqi oil. Gawd bless him!

[apdepetris]

I like how the subtitle of this is "The Prince Who Will Be King..."

Honestly, he is going to have to wait quite a while before becoming king. Look how long Charles has been waiting - and it doesn't look like the Queen intends to step down anytime soon. Personally I wish we could skip Charles altogether and move right on to William when the time comes. I think he would do a much better job. He seems to be a lot like his mother and does a better job of handling the public attention than Charles does (who always seem gruff, aloof, and stanoffish.

Hopefully he will be able to find a nice girl and get married and start a family eventually. So many of the royal marriages haven't faired very well (look at Charles and Diana). I hope that he will bring a nice, happy family image back to the monarchy. I certainly don't think you'll get that from Harry. He seems to be the wild child of the bunch.