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CNN Saturday Morning News

Interview With Camilla Cecu

Aired June 21, 2003 - 07:38   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: In case your invitation did get lost in the mail, we'd like to let you know that Prince William turns 21 years old today. He is the second in line to the British throne.
Let's go ahead and see what social historian Camilla Cecu has to say about all of this. She joins us now from London with more.

Good morning to you. What do you think of that coin that we just saw?

CAMILLA CECU, SOCIAL HISTORIAN: I haven't actually seen it, but I should imagine the Marriott Afina (ph) portrait is a little bit more flattering than the one on the coin.

COLLINS: I would imagine that you would probably be right about that. Tell us, if you would, Camilla, what is the significance of Prince William turning 21? Here in the United States, a lot of jokes usually made about being able to go out to what you would call the pubs. Obviously you can do that a little bit earlier in your country.

So what happened on the 21st birthday?

CECU: Well, the queen has six councilors of state, which are -- who are people who are allowed to go out domestically and abroad and be her consuls, in effect. And you cannot be a councilor of state until you are 21. So he has now become a councilor of state. He's actually replaced the princess royal, Princess Diana (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

COLLINS: So will he...

CECU: ... steps down.

COLLINS: I see. Will he obviously be having to do a lot more public appearances as the future king of England?

CECU: Not for the moment. He says until he's finished being a student, he's going to have -- do very few engagements, very few appointments. So we won't see him, much more of him. And he -- there's talk of him taking a year off after he's finished St. Andrew's. So actually we still won't see him for a few years. But we could now, because, as I say, the queen has made him a councilor of state.

COLLINS: I see. All right, well, now we have to get personal about him. You know, a lot of girls all around the world very interested in Prince William. They think that he's pretty hunky. But we're hearing that he has a steady girlfriend. What do you know about that rumor?

CECU: You talking about Jessa Craig (ph)?

COLLINS: I'm not sure.

CECU: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the girl who lives in Kenya?

COLLINS: Yes, it's possible.

CECU: Definitely. We don't know if he did have a -- we don't know if he did have a relationship with her. They're obviously very close. She now has another boyfriend, but she's come over for the party.

COLLINS: I see.

CECU: And -- with her boyfriend. So that obviously -- it isn't a relationship now. But they're obviously close, they're friends.

COLLINS: OK, very good. Well, tell us a little bit about the difference between Prince William and Prince Charles. I read an interview that he did recently. It was mostly supposed to be about his mother, but he did speak quite a bit about his father and how he feels about him and how he seems to think that his father has really gotten the shaft through a lot of reporting that has been done on him.

What do we see that's so different about the two of them?

CECU: They obviously have an extremely good relationship. They get on very well, and they banter a lot, they tease each other. They are -- they have a very good father-son relationship, and I know Prince Charles is very keen to teach Prince William about being the heir to the throne.

And this relationship, I'm sure, will get stronger as it goes on.

COLLINS: So Princess Diana clearly had quite a bit of influence on young Prince William, though. Tell us a little bit about that.

CECU: She did, and he was talking in an interview, actually to mark his 21st, he was talking about the fact that she used to take him to a lot of the homeless shelters. And these weren't public visits. Lot of people didn't know they were happening.

And he's saying he now understands the significance of that, and he will definitely take (UNINTELLIGIBLE), and he is going to become very involved in homeless charities, which was one of her main charities.

COLLINS: Well, what about the birthday bash today? What will be expected?

CECU: I'm sorry, could you repeat that?

COLLINS: Just wondering a little bit more about the details of the big birthday bash that will be happening today.

CECU: All right. Well, he spent a year in Africa, and absolutely fell in love with Africa, and so purely for his suggestion, he decided to have a fancy-dress party, and he was heard to say that he actually thought it was quite funny to see some of the members of the royal family in fancy dress.

And so it's purely his idea to have an out-of-Africa theme party, there was even something like a charging elephant on the invitation. And all the -- some of the different rooms that are being used at Windsor Castle are going to be decked up as what -- maybe part of the bush or different things. And there's going to be a band from Botswana, and it is going to be.

The food, however, apparently won't be African, so he did tell his guests they didn't have to worry about eating crocodile.

COLLINS: Just in case they were worried about that.

All right, Camilla Cecu, thanks so much for being with us this morning. We appreciate it very much.

CECU: You're welcome.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired June 21, 2003 - 07:38   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: In case your invitation did get lost in the mail, we'd like to let you know that Prince William turns 21 years old today. He is the second in line to the British throne.
Let's go ahead and see what social historian Camilla Cecu has to say about all of this. She joins us now from London with more.

Good morning to you. What do you think of that coin that we just saw?

CAMILLA CECU, SOCIAL HISTORIAN: I haven't actually seen it, but I should imagine the Marriott Afina (ph) portrait is a little bit more flattering than the one on the coin.

COLLINS: I would imagine that you would probably be right about that. Tell us, if you would, Camilla, what is the significance of Prince William turning 21? Here in the United States, a lot of jokes usually made about being able to go out to what you would call the pubs. Obviously you can do that a little bit earlier in your country.

So what happened on the 21st birthday?

CECU: Well, the queen has six councilors of state, which are -- who are people who are allowed to go out domestically and abroad and be her consuls, in effect. And you cannot be a councilor of state until you are 21. So he has now become a councilor of state. He's actually replaced the princess royal, Princess Diana (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

COLLINS: So will he...

CECU: ... steps down.

COLLINS: I see. Will he obviously be having to do a lot more public appearances as the future king of England?

CECU: Not for the moment. He says until he's finished being a student, he's going to have -- do very few engagements, very few appointments. So we won't see him, much more of him. And he -- there's talk of him taking a year off after he's finished St. Andrew's. So actually we still won't see him for a few years. But we could now, because, as I say, the queen has made him a councilor of state.

COLLINS: I see. All right, well, now we have to get personal about him. You know, a lot of girls all around the world very interested in Prince William. They think that he's pretty hunky. But we're hearing that he has a steady girlfriend. What do you know about that rumor?

CECU: You talking about Jessa Craig (ph)?

COLLINS: I'm not sure.

CECU: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the girl who lives in Kenya?

COLLINS: Yes, it's possible.

CECU: Definitely. We don't know if he did have a -- we don't know if he did have a relationship with her. They're obviously very close. She now has another boyfriend, but she's come over for the party.

COLLINS: I see.

CECU: And -- with her boyfriend. So that obviously -- it isn't a relationship now. But they're obviously close, they're friends.

COLLINS: OK, very good. Well, tell us a little bit about the difference between Prince William and Prince Charles. I read an interview that he did recently. It was mostly supposed to be about his mother, but he did speak quite a bit about his father and how he feels about him and how he seems to think that his father has really gotten the shaft through a lot of reporting that has been done on him.

What do we see that's so different about the two of them?

CECU: They obviously have an extremely good relationship. They get on very well, and they banter a lot, they tease each other. They are -- they have a very good father-son relationship, and I know Prince Charles is very keen to teach Prince William about being the heir to the throne.

And this relationship, I'm sure, will get stronger as it goes on.

COLLINS: So Princess Diana clearly had quite a bit of influence on young Prince William, though. Tell us a little bit about that.

CECU: She did, and he was talking in an interview, actually to mark his 21st, he was talking about the fact that she used to take him to a lot of the homeless shelters. And these weren't public visits. Lot of people didn't know they were happening.

And he's saying he now understands the significance of that, and he will definitely take (UNINTELLIGIBLE), and he is going to become very involved in homeless charities, which was one of her main charities.

COLLINS: Well, what about the birthday bash today? What will be expected?

CECU: I'm sorry, could you repeat that?

COLLINS: Just wondering a little bit more about the details of the big birthday bash that will be happening today.

CECU: All right. Well, he spent a year in Africa, and absolutely fell in love with Africa, and so purely for his suggestion, he decided to have a fancy-dress party, and he was heard to say that he actually thought it was quite funny to see some of the members of the royal family in fancy dress.

And so it's purely his idea to have an out-of-Africa theme party, there was even something like a charging elephant on the invitation. And all the -- some of the different rooms that are being used at Windsor Castle are going to be decked up as what -- maybe part of the bush or different things. And there's going to be a band from Botswana, and it is going to be.

The food, however, apparently won't be African, so he did tell his guests they didn't have to worry about eating crocodile.

COLLINS: Just in case they were worried about that.

All right, Camilla Cecu, thanks so much for being with us this morning. We appreciate it very much.

CECU: You're welcome.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com