In stark contrast to his late-night partying with friends last weekend, after it emerged he had split with long-time love Kate Middleton, Prince William cut a lonely figure as he took in a film near the Army base where he is stationed on Tuesday. Accompanied only by a police bodyguard, he left Bovington base in Devon for an evening screening of Will Ferrell's ice-skating comedy Blades Of Glory. If he was in need of cheering up the film seemed to do the trick, as onlookers noted him chuckling with his companion.
While the Prince's former girlfriend has been seen out several times in the last few days at her millionaire parents' Berkshire home, this was the first time her erstwhile beau had appeared since news of the break-up emerged. According to friends he is showing signs of missing Kate, the woman many believed would be his future Queen. And they think William hasn't ruled out a reconciliation with his partner of four years, whom he has vowed to keep in regular touch with.
Many members of the public are refusing to believe the royal romance is over for good, too. Bookmaker Ladbrokes has cut the odds on William and Kate still getting married from 12-1 to 6-1, after 80 per cent of punters backed the pretty brunette as his most likely bride.
Since the demise of his relationship William has found himself thrust into the spotlight more than ever. And with the eyes of the world on him, he decided not to attend Wednesday's funeral of his Army pal Joanne Dyer, also 24, whom he trained with at Sandhurst and kept in touch with after they graduated. She and three colleagues died when a bomb hit their armoured vehicle in Iraq earlier this month.
The Prince had initially planned to attend the church service, but felt it would be kinder to Joanne's family if he stayed away for fear of turning the occasion into a media circus. He has, instead, written a letter of condolence to her parents. "William and Jo were extremely close and he is absolutely devastated by the news," said a friend. "Her death is especially resonant as his brother Harry is only a few weeks away from deployment to Iraq himself."
Photo: © Alphapress.com
