Prince William has revealed that he had to abandon his studies in art history at university because he kept falling asleep during lectures. The Duke of Cambridge, who turns 40 today, has admitted to dozing off at the University of St Andrews. After secretly joining The Big Issue seller Dave Martin, 60, on his patch in Westminster, William made the remarks.
Mr Martin said the pair sold 32 copies in an hour that would normally take him a week to sell. Mr Martin then handed William a set of abstract postcards he had created. William stated that he enjoyed learning about Renaissance art but became 'a little dozy' with modern art. He changed his major to geography and graduated with a 2:1 in 2005.
To commemorate his birthday, the Duke appears on the cover of The Big Issue, which was published yesterday. His 40th birthday "was a good opportunity... to make sure we were highlighting something that matters to me," he said. 'I studied a little art history at university,' William explained to Mr Martin. 'I had to give it up because I kept falling asleep in lectures... it was terrible.' We did a lot of Renaissance, and it was fantastic. But once we got into modern art, I started to feel drowsy.'
In 2001, William enrolled at St Andrews. There he met his future wife, Katherine Middleton, who also studied art history. During the interview, the Prince also encouraged people to remove their "wireless earphones" and interact more with one another. 'I'm lucky because I am who I am,' he added. People are frequently delighted to speak with me. We need to challenge the normalcy of putting on our wireless earphones and walking down the street while listening to music or talking on the phone.
'Every day in a city, you walk past hundreds of people and don't even look at them. Wouldn't it be interesting to learn more about the people on either side of you?' To commemorate his birthday, he appears on the cover of the current issue of the Big Issue. It comes after the Daily Mail revealed in our landmark 'William at 40' series yesterday that he would be focusing on homelessness and housing in the coming year.
According to the prince, his birthday "was a good opportunity... to make sure we were highlighting something that matters to me." During his time on the streets, he spoke with a number of people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine, as well as other supporters, and urged more people to purchase the magazine. 'I wanted to experience the other side and see what it was like to be a Big Issue vendor,' he explained. My experience was truly eye-opening. I was fortunate to join Dave on a warm, sunny June day.
'People recognized a familiar face and were glad to give me time.' But that isn't the case for the vast majority of Big Issue vendors, who sell all year – even in the dead of winter.' There are approximately 1,300 Big Issue sellers. They purchase magazines for £1.50 and sell them for £3, pocketing the difference. The limited-edition is available throughout the United Kingdom.
Jean Dubreil