Prince William is one of the most high-profile members of the British royal family and will one day step into the role of King. But like many young people eager to spread their wings after school, he was keen to enjoy university life away from the spotlight.

After taking a gap year, William, now 43, attended the University of St Andrews in Scotland between 2001 and 2005. He initially enrolled to study Art History before later switching to Geography, and it was there that he met his future wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales.

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William’s first day At St Andrews University in Scotland

Throughout his time at St Andrews, William managed to live relatively under the radar – helped in part by an agreement between the university and the British press not to publish paparazzi photographs or intrusive stories about the young royal.

The prince also reportedly used the unexpected fake name ‘Steve’ in a bid to go unnoticed during his four years of study.

WATCH: “People were very protective of him in the town” St. Andrews lecturer John Walden on Prince William’s university days

Prince William’s privacy at St Andrews

William has long made efforts to protect his privacy – something he and Kate now also prioritise for their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

In an exclusive interview with HELLO!, Dr Brian Lang, the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of St Andrews during William’s time there, explained how the university worked to safeguard the prince’s privacy.

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Prince William graduated on 23 June 2005

“Andrew Neil, the Lord Rector of the university, being a very experienced newspaper man, helped us negotiate a deal with the British press, whereupon they would leave William alone in return for a photo opportunity once a semester. And on the whole, that worked,” said Dr Lang.

“One thing that I did as soon as we knew that William was going to be a student, was to warn the student body that we expected them to respect privacy of information.

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The Queen attends Prince William’s graduation ceremony at St Andrews

“So, I made it quite clear to the students by doing an interview to the student newspaper, in which I made it quite clear that we would take a very, very dim view of any inappropriate information being passed on. Not just about William, but about any other student,” he said.

“This was not just a privacy issue for William, but for his fellow students as well. The privacy warning and the privacy injunctions were applied to the whole student body. We needed to take care of the privacy of all of the students, all of the staff, as well as William, and again on the whole that worked.”

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Prince William and Prince Charles after a graduation ceremony at the University Of St Andrews in 2005

The former Principal continued: “After William had gone, a newspaper editor told me that he was astonished by just how disciplined and how secure the student body had been during William’s time. They behaved extremely well.

“I think that says a great deal for the student body and staff of St Andrews that nothing inappropriate, nothing significant, was passed on.”

Prince William and Princess Kate’s bid for privacy

William has continued to speak out against press intrusion over the years and discussed the issue with actor Eugene Levy on The Reluctant Traveler in October 2025.

William said: “I want to create a world in which my son is proud of what we do, a world and a job that actually does impact people’s lives for the better.

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William and Kate returned to the University of St Andrews on May 26, 2021

“That is caveated with, I hope we don’t go back to some of the practices in the past, that Harry and I had to grow up with – and I’ll do everything I can to make sure we don’t regress in that situation.”

He continued: “Growing up, I saw that with my parents. And if you let that creep in, the damage it can do to your family life is something that I vowed would never happen to my family. And so, I take a very strong line about where I think that line is and those who overstep it, you know I’ll fight against.”