Royals play down William U.S. move
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William reported by Sunday Mirror to want to keep a low profile.
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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Royal officials have dismissed as "pure speculation" a report that Prince William wants to live in the United States for a few years after he finishes his university course.
The Sunday Mirror newspaper said William, the eldest son of the heir to the British throne Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, had told courtiers that he would like to take a post-graduate degree or get a job with an American auction house or art gallery.
The tabloid said the prince, who will be 21 next month, believed he would have more privacy in the U.S. than in London. He is currently studying at St. Andrews University in Scotland where he has largely avoided the media spotlight.
A courtier was quoted by the Sunday Mirror as saying: "William is determined to maintain a degree of anonymity and feels America offers him the best chance of that."
But St. James's Palace said Prince William was not due to leave St. Andrews until 2005 and there were no firm plans about what he would do afterwards. "This report is pure speculation," a spokesman told CNN.
Royal biographer Ben Pimlott said any move abroad for William would be unusual as most princes in line to the throne enter the armed forces after their education.
"Until recently royals didn't even go to university and William would certainly be the first to study as a post-graduate. To go abroad in his position would be unprecedented," he told the Sunday Mirror.