Prince William’s secretive life as radio DJ scrubbing toilets
Prince William undertook a year-long challenge.
Prince William he once had dream of becoming a DJ or a policeman
Prince William took some time out from his Royal duties when he was 18, travelling to Chile, Kenya, Tanzania and Botswana to work on important projects. Like lots of other teenagers, Prince William took a break from his studies to see a bit of the world before moving to university. The 18-year-old travelled to Chile where he spent three months working on community projects with the expedition organisation Raleigh International.
During his time there he helped build and decorate houses and playgrounds, and was seen painting and chopping wood, and he also worked 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.
In royal biographer Katie Nicholl's book Kate: The Future Queen, Mr 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, however 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 expeditions with the Welsh Guards. When he returned to the UK the Prince and his dad 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 hadn't 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.
