Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2023 5:56:07 GMT
Girlfriend who never was
Richard Price
Last updated at 00:00 16 June 2003
PRINCE William took the extraordinary step yesterday of publicly denying that he loves a girl with whom he was said to have made a 'pretend engagement'. St James's Palace issued an unprecedented statement in which he insisted he was not and had never been romantically involved with 21-year-old Jessica 'Jecca' Craig.
William was said to be 'deeply embarrassed' by the claims because he is close to her family particularly her father, Kenyan-based conservationist Ian Craig and because he is a friend of Jessica's Old Etonian boyfriend.
But his response served only to intrigue royal observers, who asked: Are courtiers going to deny William is involved with every girl whose name comes to the surface?
Intriguingly, an aide said: 'If and when Prince William gets his first serious girlfriend, we will work out something to say.' There are four more girls, however, who have been repeatedly romantically linked to the prince without any official reaction from St James's.
They are Davina Duckworth-Chad, who joined William on a cruise four years ago, his St Andrews flatmate Kate Middleton, fellow student Bryony Daniels and statuesque blonde Natalie Hicks-Lobbecke.
No statements were rushed out about them, so no wonder friends of the prince were rather puzzled last night.
Stories of a romance with Jecca surfaced in weekend newspapers, including the Daily Telegraph which reported that it was 'an open secret that he had a fairly serious fling' with her during his gap-year trip to Kenya two years ago.
The two were said to have enjoyed 'one of those teenage pretend engagements'.
Yesterday it was claimed the couple had been conducting a secret longdistance relationship ever since. Jessica is due to attend William's 21st birthday party at Windsor Castle on Saturday where she can expect to be presented to the Queen and Prince Charles.
Intriguingly the theme for next week's celebration is 'Out of Africa' with everyone, including the Queen, going in fancy dress.
So who is this attractive, leggy girl for whose good name William was prepared to ask St James's Palace courtiers to intervene?
JECCA Craig is a popular face in Kenya's so- called Happy Valley set, most of whom are the offspring of well-heeled farmers and conservationists born and bred in Africa.
She grew up on the Lewa conservancy, a wildlife reserve her father created on the 55,000 acres his family have tamed and farmed since 1922. It is on the Laikipia plateau, Kenya's last great untamed wilderness, stretching from the Great Rift Valley to the slopes of Mount Kenya.
The Craig family is steeped in the traditions of conservation and environmental management in east Africa. Jecca's older brother Batian was named after one of Mount Kenya's highest peaks.
Despite the huge distances involved, well-off white farmers and their families still flit around the country in small aircraft, visiting friends, enjoying parties, shooting animals and relaxing on the big empty beaches.
Jecca was educated at Pembroke House, a boarding school near Gilgil in the Great Rift Valley. Yesterday a school friend recalled her as popular and good looking.
'She has always had an awful lot of admirers, which is perhaps hardly surprising for a slim, sporty blonde.
'Jecca is very striking indeed and it makes sense that William would be attracted to her. She has had a few boyfriends, as you would expect, but nobody approaching the status of a future king.
'Pembroke House is a very small school. Quite a few of the kids worked either for or with Jecca's father. But she never had any airs and graces. She is a lovely, down-to-earth girl.' William is thought to have met Jecca in 1998 during one of his first trips to Africa, but become close to her during his gap-year travels in early 2001, when he was a guest of the Craigs.
According to St James's Palace, the prince has returned only once since then for a holiday in August last year. But he remained close enough to Jecca to invite her both to his party and as his guest to his cottage on the Balmor@l estate which the Queen gave him as a bolthole from his studies at St Andrews University.
William has made no secret of his love for Africa. He has told his father that he would love to buy a home in Kenya and is thinking of returning there for an extended visit perhaps for as long as a year after completing his degree.
It was during his gap-year visit that William became close to Jessica's father. 'What makes these claims about him and Jecca so embarrassing to him personally is because of his relationship with Mr Craig,' said a friend.
'He feels they suggest he took advantage of the family's friendship and it just simply isn't true.
He is especially incensed at the notion that the two contracted some kind of engagement.
'He feels that other girls who have been linked to him the past have been able to take care of themselves, but Jessica doesn't live in this country and is unused to this kind of attention. She is very upset.' Other sources say Jessica was rather taken with the handsome young prince who adored his days on the safari reserve.
DURING his visit William became keenly involved in rhino conservation, tracking poachers and checking on animal movements and Jessica was often around.
He also rode alongside elephant herds, swam in isolated lagoons and enjoyed tribal dancing.
Last night, however, Jecca's father laughed off stories of a romance. 'Jecca and William are friends from a long time back and it is as simple as that,' said Mr Craig from Kenya.
A spokesman for William said: 'St James's Palace denies that there is or ever has been any romantic liaison between Prince William and Jessica Craig.'
The aide added that the claim that the pair had a 'pretend engagement' came as an embarrassment to Miss Craig because she already has a boyfriend.
The palace also denied reports that Jecca was staying at the Highgrove estate in preparation for William's 21st birthday next week. Indeed, it said, there were doubts whether Jecca would even attend William's birthday celebrations at all.
www.dailymail.co.uk/columnists/article-228850/Girlfriend-was.html
Richard Price
Last updated at 00:00 16 June 2003
PRINCE William took the extraordinary step yesterday of publicly denying that he loves a girl with whom he was said to have made a 'pretend engagement'. St James's Palace issued an unprecedented statement in which he insisted he was not and had never been romantically involved with 21-year-old Jessica 'Jecca' Craig.
William was said to be 'deeply embarrassed' by the claims because he is close to her family particularly her father, Kenyan-based conservationist Ian Craig and because he is a friend of Jessica's Old Etonian boyfriend.
But his response served only to intrigue royal observers, who asked: Are courtiers going to deny William is involved with every girl whose name comes to the surface?
Intriguingly, an aide said: 'If and when Prince William gets his first serious girlfriend, we will work out something to say.' There are four more girls, however, who have been repeatedly romantically linked to the prince without any official reaction from St James's.
They are Davina Duckworth-Chad, who joined William on a cruise four years ago, his St Andrews flatmate Kate Middleton, fellow student Bryony Daniels and statuesque blonde Natalie Hicks-Lobbecke.
No statements were rushed out about them, so no wonder friends of the prince were rather puzzled last night.
Stories of a romance with Jecca surfaced in weekend newspapers, including the Daily Telegraph which reported that it was 'an open secret that he had a fairly serious fling' with her during his gap-year trip to Kenya two years ago.
The two were said to have enjoyed 'one of those teenage pretend engagements'.
Yesterday it was claimed the couple had been conducting a secret longdistance relationship ever since. Jessica is due to attend William's 21st birthday party at Windsor Castle on Saturday where she can expect to be presented to the Queen and Prince Charles.
Intriguingly the theme for next week's celebration is 'Out of Africa' with everyone, including the Queen, going in fancy dress.
So who is this attractive, leggy girl for whose good name William was prepared to ask St James's Palace courtiers to intervene?
JECCA Craig is a popular face in Kenya's so- called Happy Valley set, most of whom are the offspring of well-heeled farmers and conservationists born and bred in Africa.
She grew up on the Lewa conservancy, a wildlife reserve her father created on the 55,000 acres his family have tamed and farmed since 1922. It is on the Laikipia plateau, Kenya's last great untamed wilderness, stretching from the Great Rift Valley to the slopes of Mount Kenya.
The Craig family is steeped in the traditions of conservation and environmental management in east Africa. Jecca's older brother Batian was named after one of Mount Kenya's highest peaks.
Despite the huge distances involved, well-off white farmers and their families still flit around the country in small aircraft, visiting friends, enjoying parties, shooting animals and relaxing on the big empty beaches.
Jecca was educated at Pembroke House, a boarding school near Gilgil in the Great Rift Valley. Yesterday a school friend recalled her as popular and good looking.
'She has always had an awful lot of admirers, which is perhaps hardly surprising for a slim, sporty blonde.
'Jecca is very striking indeed and it makes sense that William would be attracted to her. She has had a few boyfriends, as you would expect, but nobody approaching the status of a future king.
'Pembroke House is a very small school. Quite a few of the kids worked either for or with Jecca's father. But she never had any airs and graces. She is a lovely, down-to-earth girl.' William is thought to have met Jecca in 1998 during one of his first trips to Africa, but become close to her during his gap-year travels in early 2001, when he was a guest of the Craigs.
According to St James's Palace, the prince has returned only once since then for a holiday in August last year. But he remained close enough to Jecca to invite her both to his party and as his guest to his cottage on the Balmor@l estate which the Queen gave him as a bolthole from his studies at St Andrews University.
William has made no secret of his love for Africa. He has told his father that he would love to buy a home in Kenya and is thinking of returning there for an extended visit perhaps for as long as a year after completing his degree.
It was during his gap-year visit that William became close to Jessica's father. 'What makes these claims about him and Jecca so embarrassing to him personally is because of his relationship with Mr Craig,' said a friend.
'He feels they suggest he took advantage of the family's friendship and it just simply isn't true.
He is especially incensed at the notion that the two contracted some kind of engagement.
'He feels that other girls who have been linked to him the past have been able to take care of themselves, but Jessica doesn't live in this country and is unused to this kind of attention. She is very upset.' Other sources say Jessica was rather taken with the handsome young prince who adored his days on the safari reserve.
DURING his visit William became keenly involved in rhino conservation, tracking poachers and checking on animal movements and Jessica was often around.
He also rode alongside elephant herds, swam in isolated lagoons and enjoyed tribal dancing.
Last night, however, Jecca's father laughed off stories of a romance. 'Jecca and William are friends from a long time back and it is as simple as that,' said Mr Craig from Kenya.
A spokesman for William said: 'St James's Palace denies that there is or ever has been any romantic liaison between Prince William and Jessica Craig.'
The aide added that the claim that the pair had a 'pretend engagement' came as an embarrassment to Miss Craig because she already has a boyfriend.
The palace also denied reports that Jecca was staying at the Highgrove estate in preparation for William's 21st birthday next week. Indeed, it said, there were doubts whether Jecca would even attend William's birthday celebrations at all.
www.dailymail.co.uk/columnists/article-228850/Girlfriend-was.html
and ski: Prince William on holiday with in-laws
tale BS.
#JamesMiddleton