The News of the World has an article in today’s edition about Prince William’s “future training” to be King. If we bear in mind that the past three years of military service were a crucial part of that preparation, there’s nothing really new in this piece.

Normally the NOTW doesn’t have the best reputation for Royal stories, but this assessment has authority as it’s written by Robert Jobson, author of the excellent book William’s Princess.

There’s a broad hint in the piece that the Prince may not have time for a wedding next year because of his busy schedule learning to be a Monarch. Every year will be a hectic one for William from now on, so this is a bit disingenuous. He will have to find time somewhere along the line. Next year will probably be less arduous than most simply because he will be learning rather than doing the job full-time. It’s much easier to find a gap in a period of study than when carrying out engagements planned two years in advance.

Jobson lists William’s new schedule:

* Working at different Whitehall departments and being shown the inner workings of government by Privy Councillors, including former Prime Minister John Major.

* Lessons in the job of being King by constitutional experts such as Oxford don Dr Vernon Bogdanor.

* Learning to manage the Duchy of Cornwall, the landed trust he will inherit from Charles when his father becomes King.

* Running the Sandringham Estate — a job his grandfather Prince Philip has been doing for years.

* Solo tours of the Commonwealth, taking some of that burden from the Queen.

An aide is quoted as saying, “For the first time we have an established Monarch, an active and experienced Heir to the Throne and in Prince William and Prince Harry real youth appeal. The Prince Of Wales has had a long time to prepare for what will probably be a relatively short reign. Prince William has effectively got to get to grips with the job very quickly. It is a very different world to when the Queen ascended the Throne and she wants him to be prepared for what is to come. William too wants to make sure he is ready for any challenge that’s thrown at him.”

All this we have known for some time. Most of these activities can be accomplished fairly quickly, given the knowledge already gained over 26 years of being a Prince while watching his father and his grandmother performing their duties. Much of what William will need will be on-the-job experience — actually doing it for himself.

There has also been talk of him working in a newspaper office. It will be an asset for him to experience the difficulties involved in gathering, fact-checking, writing and publishing news stories to exceptionally short deadlines. It will allow him to be less censorious of the hard-working hacks who bring us the latest on … himself, for example. He will also understand the need to provide the press and broadcast media with unambiguous lines of information. Putting a heavy spin on every story quickly dissipates the credibility of the messenger.

Jobson quotes a senior courtier, “A key skill for him to learn, the Queen believes, is to disguise his feelings, like politicians. His father has never really managed to achieve this.”

William and Kate are expected to take a three-week break when his Royal Navy secondment finishes next week. I don’t imagine he will want to fly back to the Caribbean so soon after his deployment, so we may hear of a fresh destination for their holiday. I’m told Montana is very refreshing at this time of the year.

The article serves as a useful reminder of William’s schedule for the next two years. One thing’s for sure, there’s no obvious reason to postone that much anticipated Royal wedding.

The military should have taught Prince William how to make crisp decisions. Now is the time for crispness. Limpness is not an option.

Prince William is getting rave reviews from his commanding officer while serving a five-week placement with the Royal Navy in the Caribbean.

Prince William in Monserrat on hurricane relief duty

The Ministry of Defence in London said today that the Prince flew by helicopter from HMS Iron Duke to the island of Montserrat to help test the Navy’s response to a 155-mile-per-hour hurricane that could leave hundreds dead and injured, while destroying 95pc of the buildings.

William joined senior officers and local leaders directing 170 people on board the ship. He also took part in a coach crash exercise before returning to the frigate by boat.

Iron Duke Captain Commander Mark Newland said that William Wales, as the Prince is known, is a natural leader. “Sub-Lieutenant Wales, as part of his remit on board, has been involved in the planning from the outset, and that’s primarily in developing a plan and understanding of the nature of the infrastructure on Montserrat.

“With [him], it’s reasonably easy — what you have is an Army officer who understands a military context. He understands instinctively the business of command and where his teams fit in there.

“What I have seen is his ability to integrate very quickly into teams, whether it be at the command level or the very low tactical level. Being sent away with a small group to lead and conduct a particular task — that, to him, is second nature.”

There were recent reports that William has been awarded a service medal by the U.S. Coastguard for his part in the capture of £40m ($80m) of cocaine from drug smugglers during the hurricane season.

It looks like he will return home on August 1 covered in glory. No-one can claim he hasn’t served on the front line — at least in peacetime.

There are reports today that Prince Harry and Chelsy Davy are once again on collision course for breakup.

Chelsy Davy in despondent mood

Last year’s split came as a result of Chelsy’s despair over Harry hardly ever visiting her at Leeds University, where she suffered considerable initial culture shock over the city’s cold, dark climate and generally grubby demeanour.

However, that breakup was later put down to the couple creating a cover story for Harry’s top secret mission to Afghanistan. Whatever the real reason, it’s well known there were tensions in their often sparky relationship.

Now, with Chelsy flying off to South Africa at the end of her first year of a two-year post-graduate course in law and business, the same complaint seems to be repeating itself.

With Harry on a training exercise with the Army, some believe his new passion for being around “military types” is interfering with his long-term need for Chelsy.

The couple are set to holiday together soon and friends hope they can sort out their difficulties as they have in the past. Friends of Chelsy and Kate Middleton have said that young men become “impossible” when they join the Army. The intense comradely pull to be part of the group can easily destroy other non-military relationships.

A friend of Harry is reported as snapping, “Harry is incorrigible. He is at that age when he likes drinking with his mates. Chelsy will have to resign herself to that or it will be over.”

This powerful influence on both Harry and to some extent Prince William has apparently convinced some courtiers that the Royal brothers need to be exposed to other lifestyles.

William’s new press officer is likely to be very different from the Equerry and military minder types to which they have been long exposed.

Just coming in over the wires :

Prince William’s ship HMS Iron Duke has intercepted a reported £40m ($80m) consignment of cocaine during its anti-drug-smuggling patrols in the Atlantic near Barbados.

In a joint-operation with the U.S. Coastguard, the frigate caught an ocean-going speedboat presumed bound for Europe or West Africa. It’s known that the Navy wants William to play a full part in these operations.

Kate Middleton will be pleased to hear her boyfriend is in the thick of things.

The British Commanding Officer Mark Newland said, “This is a fantastic start to HMS Iron Duke’s North Atlantic deployment. To have had a direct impact on the flow of cocaine into Europe just four days after we arrived in theatre shows the benefit the Royal Navy can have in the area of maritime security and counter drug operations. From the first moment the Lynx helicopter discovered the suspect vessel, my ship’s company, working hand in glove with our U.S. Coast Guard colleagues, turned this opportunity into a certainty and ultimately a successful seizure.”

Interesting that the latest figures show £40m is the annual cost of the Monarchy. Clearly, the Prince is doing his bit to pay that off.

£100 cocktails all round at Boujis tonight.