Paparazzi Circle Prince William's Student Home
Billie
St. ANDREWS, Scotland (Reuters) - The battlelines are being drawn up at
Scotland's oldest university this week as Prince William, the photogenic eldest
son of the late Princess Diana, starts his new life as an art history
undergraduate.
The medieval burgh of St. Andrews on Scotland's east coast has long been
renowned as a haven for floods of upper-class English students.
But with the possible future King of England about to enroll on a four year
course, the tiny town and its 590-year-old seat of learning are braced for an
altogether different invasion as the world's press demand a slice of the
action.
The 19-year-old prince is yet to touch down -- Buckingham Palace is due to
reveal details on Monday -- and the university's raucous 'freshers' week'
festivities do not start until Tuesday, but local tempers are already starting
to fray.
``There have been one or two minor instances of photographers and reporters
causing disruptions in pubs -- asking questions and then not leaving when asked
to by the landlord,'' Dana Green, president of the Student's Association told
Reuters.
Despite the university's reputation for English politeness, persistent
offenders will get a distinctly Scottish cold shoulder.
``Students and townsfolk don't take kindly to rude people. It is a close
community and we won't tolerate any anti-social behavior,'' Green said.
The prince enjoyed relative privacy from the paparazzi's prying lenses while at
the exclusive English public school of Eton, but there is now huge media
curiosity about the handsome heir to the British throne -- and his love life.
With the first snap of 'Wills' locked in an amorous clinch likely to make a
fortune for its taker, the paparazzi are hardly going to give up their prey
easily.
``It would have to be a good quality photo and it would have to be more than a
just peck on the lips, but I think you'd probably be able to retire on it,''
said Alasdair Lyall of London-based photo agency All Action.
``Worldwide, you'd be looking at about half a million pounds ($737,400).''
Any salacious shot would be worth far less in Britain, Lyall said, where
editors have come under ever-tighter scrutiny from regulators and a public
disgusted by the death in a Paris car crash of Princess Diana, hounded by
photographers to the last.
``We would not be doing it ourselves -- it's not worth the aggro,'' Lyall said.
Instead, foreign paparazzi working for French, Spanish or Italian magazines are
likely to be the ones lurking in the bins and alleyways of the ancient town,
reputed to be one of Scotland's most haunted places.
Either that, or it will be an inside job from one of the university's 6,000
students.
``The only chance they have of getting any shots of him on the inside is if
they get it from students,'' said Rob Henderson of Big Pictures in London.
The university has launched a pre-emptive strike, issuing strict guidelines to
its students about the dos and don'ts of handling reporters and to ``think
carefully'' before accepting any cash from a news organization.
Britain's media regulators, the Press Complaints Commission, are also keeping a
close eye on proceedings.
``We'll get a rash of stories and pictures in the first few weeks followed by
the odd complaint and then it'll all calm down. After all, he is there for four
years,'' said spokesman Tim Toulmin.
``Prince William is entitled to the protection of the press code. Just because
he has left Eton doesn't mean it's a free for all,'' he added.
"STUPIDITY IS NOT A HANDICAP. Park elsewhere!"
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Hane
"Billie " <pusss...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20010917124838...@mb-fq.aol.com...
> By Ed Cropley
>
>
>
> With the first snap of 'Wills' locked in an amorous clinch likely to make a
> fortune for its taker, the paparazzi are hardly going to give up their prey
> easily.
They hardly gave up their prey for his mother either.
KBELL12345
Ron Turner
Make good porn, anyway.
<wondering who would do who, hehe>
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God bless America!
Reading "American Empire" by Harry Turtledove (alternate history)