Hunting Prince swears at Pressman

The Times ^ | January 8, 2002 | SIMON DE BRUXELLES

[Oxylus]

Hunting Prince swears at pressman

BY SIMON DE BRUXELLES

PRINCE WILLIAM'S relations with the media are under scrutiny this morning after he was accused of swearing at a press photographer and forcing him to jump into a ditch at the Beaufort hunt.

Clive Postlethwaite, 51, claims that he was forced to drop his camera and leap backwards yesterday to avoid being trampled by the Prince's horse in a lane near the Prince of Wales's Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire.

Last night Colleen Harris, the Prince of Wales's press spokeswoman, made light of the incident and said that she did not think the Prince would go to the Press Complaints Commission. She said: 'Hunting is a fast moving sport and the photographer may have been in the way. I don't think it would have been deliberate.'

Prince William had joined the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal and Prince Harry for the meeting of the Duke of Beaufort's Foxhounds. Mr Postlethwaite, a freelance photographer, said that he was waiting on a corner near a farm waiting for the hunt to return. He claimed the Prince shouted, 'F p off, Postlethwaite!' as he rode at him.

'Charles went past first, then William saw me and just went mad. He could see me clearly and from a long way off and I did nothing to startle him. He sped up towards me with his eyes wide and teeth showing. He looked so angry, I couldn't believe it. He screamed at me and the horse was so close I had little choice but to drop my camera equipment and jump backwards into the hedge and ditch.

'I was shaken and just about managed to shout out, 'Steady on Wills'. William quickly went into the farm with no regard for the state I was in. I seriously believe I could have been killed.'

[xm177e2]

It never said what exactly Prince William was hunting, could it have been journalists?

[Rain-maker]

I hear bagging the Prince of Wales is worth 600 points on the Boone and Crocket scale.

Anyone get a the draw for the tag yet?

[onedoug]

Rahther!

[nonliberal]

He should play polo in the CNN parking lot.

[fish hawk]

So we are not the only country where the Journalist are whiney crybabies. No big surprise. He is lucky it was not I on the horse. (why couldn't it have been Helen Thomas???)

[nagdt]

GO Prince William.. GO!!!

Ya gotta love a georgeous young man who says this to a papparazi! After all, didn't the P play a role in the death of Prince Williams mother? No WONDER he's PO'd. Good for you Prince!

[Republic of Texas]

Obviously Prince William needs more riding lessons. He should be able to trample a reporter with no problem by now.

[SpringheelJack]

After all those press photographers stood around his dying mother in that car snapping pictures, Postlethwaite should be surprised at being told to "F p off".

[July 4th]

"F p off"

That's a good one. I'll have to remember to use it sometime.

[shaggy eel]

,,, how long has the Prince been riding the horse outside the stables jj?

[Savage Beast]

Good for you, Wills. These so-called "journalists" deserve less respect than used car salesmen and ambulance-chasing lawyers. Sounds like this one hid in the gutter--which is where these vermin belong.

[Reaganesque]

'I was shaken and just about managed to shout out, 'Steady on Wills'. William quickly went into the farm with no regard for the state I was in. I seriously believe I could have been killed.'

Yeah, the world would have mourned that loss. </ sarcasm>

The Prince must have been hunting vermin.

[Bonaparte]

My, but things have changed. The proper procedure used to be to set the hounds on the reporter, tree him, then harness him to a rickshaw for a litle polo practice.

[kitchen]

Charles went past first, then William saw me and just went mad. He could see me clearly and from a long way off and I did nothing to startle him. He sped up towards me with his eyes wide and teeth showing. He looked so angry, I couldn't believe it. He screamed at me and the horse was so close I had little choice but to drop my camera equipment and jump backwards into the hedge and ditch.

Targets of Opportunity?

[jjbrouwer]

What does 'F p off' actually mean?

[truth_seeker]

What does 'F p off' actually mean?

About the same thing as: "bugger off."

[GeronL]

a Prince-Rage incident??

[jjbrouwer]

As the man said: "Steady on, Wills!"

I've never heard that expression in my life. Must be a public school thing.

[truth_seeker]

Must be a public school thing.

Do you know that in British-English, "public school" means "private school?" I think you do.