Prince William's return to University

<![CDATA[The Duke of Cambridge returned to university on Tuesday after nearly nine years since graduating from St Andrews.
Prince William will be attending the University of Cambridge where he will take part in a 10-week course tailored in agricultural management at the Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership. This course involves 20 hours of lectures and seminars each week in addition to assigned reading and field trips. He will be receiving instruction from three departments within the university, including those in geography, plant science and land economy.
The course will take place at St. John’s College where he visited on Tuesday upon his arrival to Cambridge. His tour of the grounds was accompanied by the Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Master of St John’s College Professor Christopher Dobson, and representative for the Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership Polly Courtice.
The Prince is pursuing the bespoke course to prepare him for when he one day inherits the Duchy of Cornwall estate. The current Duke of Cornwall is Prince Charles. William will receive the duchy and the title at the time of The Prince of Wales’ succession to the throne. The estate consists of over 54,000 hectares of land, including woodlands and livestock farms. The duchy funds the public, private, and charitable pursuits of The Prince of Wales, as well as his family. Prince Charles has been notably active in managing the estate for optimum economic value, sustainability, and supporting the surrounding rural communities.
Prince Charles also was a student at the University of Cambridge. He studied archaeology, history, and anthropology at Trinity College from 1967 to 1970.
This bespoke agricultural management course builds on an already accomplished education for Prince William. In his teenage years he studied geography, biology and art history at A-level at Eton College. Before entering university he studied Kiswahili at universities in Kenya and Tanzania during his gap year. He then attended the University of St Andrews in from 2001 to 2005, where he obtained a Scottish Master of Arts Degree in geography. Following graduation he attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst where he had joined as an Officer Cadet.
The announcement the William’s attendance at Cambridge did not sit well with a few students at the university. The Tab, a Cambridge student newspaper, stated that the Duke’s A-level results were mediocre and not enough to permit admission. Many have felt the Prince has received an unfair advantage in being accepted to pursue study at the distinguished university.

However, the 10-week course is a form of continuing education, one of many types offered by the university. Cambridge professor Ross Anderson stated that it is not uncommon to offer these sorts of bespoke courses to professionals who can afford the fee, and implored cynics not to discriminate others against the circumstances of their birth. A university spokesman also clarified that because there is no degree associated with these courses there is a different admission criteria.
Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge, is to focus on nearly 5-month old Prince George during this time in their new remodeled Apartment 1A in Kensington Palace. William is likely commute for his course. However accommodations have been provided for when he must stay overnight in Cambridge, which is a 46-minute train ride from London.
The course is set to end in March before The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit Australia and New Zealand in April. It is expected that Prince George will join his parents for the tour.
 
photo credit: Beacon Radio and Jason Simpson via photopin cc]]>