kpusa1981 said:
There are a couple of pics smiling were he is smiling but he is not the only one.
Do bear in mind that it appears that he knows his duty and is attempting to surpress his smile, as ALL officers would do. Also bear in mind that he is a young man TRAINING to be an officer, and must learn all of the rules, and be able to hold to them, and that takes TIME. I am sure that there are others who are trying to surpress smiles, but they are not such interesting photography subjects as Prince William. Again, at least he is trying to surpress his smile, as all trainees would do.
I really wonder what he is like in person. I hope that he has his mothers sparkles, and that he is still down to earth, and caring!
Also, regarding the polo games, I believe that each and every one that he has played in since going to Sandhurst has been a charity event. As second in line to the throne, that is part of his duty, to raise awareness for charities, etc. And when he attends, naturally there is more interest and more money donated. So to get time off from Sandhurst for something along those lines, I believe it is perfectly acceptable.
His first duty is to his country, and by combining that with his military training, he is doing a very good job. I am also sure that Her Majesty, his father and their PR people along with the school, and himself, determine together which events will not conflict with his training. So long as he is not missing training, it's ok in my opinion.
Furthermore, he is not any cadet, he does have obligations that the other cadets do not have. As long as he is properly trained to lead his men and women at the end of the day, he does need to fulfill his other obligations. And they are obligations! He did not ask for this life, but he is doing very well at it in my opinion. But along with the lifestyle comes the OBLIGATIONS to millions of people.