Prince William took a gap year at 18, travelling to Chile, Kenya, Tanzania and Botswana to work on important projects. Like many teenagers, he took a break from his studies to see the world before university.
Community work in Chile
The 18-year-old spent three months in Chile working on community projects with the expedition organisation Raleigh International. He helped build and decorate houses and playgrounds, and was seen painting, chopping wood and working on a dairy farm.
According to the group's logistics manager Graham Hornsey, the royal was determined to be treated like everyone else in the group, which meant he had to scrub the loos. The prince also reportedly did some DJ slots at a local radio station.
Royal biographer's account
In royal biographer Katie Nicholl's book Kate: The Future Queen, Hornsey says: "William coped very well, and what struck me about him was how normal he was. He said he wanted to be treated like everyone else, and he was. When you saw him cleaning the toilets, it wasn't for the cameras, he really did clean the lavatories."
During his break he also visited a number of African countries, although the palace never made the exact details public. It is rumoured that he spent time in Kenya, Tanzania and Botswana. He also made a quick trip to Belize on a survival expedition with the Welsh Guards.
Return and family parallels
When he returned to the UK, the Prince and his father Charles posed for a number of official photos to thank the media for letting him enjoy his break in private.
William's future wife Kate, who he had not met at the time, did a very similar trip just a few weeks later, but they just missed each other. The couple met at university having both taken a gap year at the same time to go travelling.
Prince Harry also took a gap year after leaving Eton with two A-levels in 2003. He worked on a sheep farm in Australia and with Aids orphans in Lesotho, paving the way for the charity he later set up there. The concept of a gap year started in the United Kingdom in the 1960s.
