William's county asks him to US for a party
William's county asks him to US for a party
From Elaine Monaghan in Washington
PRINCE WILLIAM has been invited to celebrate the 275th anniversary of an American county named after an earlier Prince William, whose bloodthirsty exploits earned him the nickname “the Butcher.”
Prince William County in Virginia is named after Prince William Augustus, the Prince’s seventh great uncle, who slaughtered Scots at Culloden in 1746.
“We’ve let bygones be bygones,” said Sean Connaughton, the chairman of the county’s board of supervisors, which is responsible for the year-long commemorations planned for 2006.
Prince William Augustus, or the Duke of Cumberland, was an innocent child just 9 when the county was established in 1731 as a British royal colony.
But he earned notoriety for his ferocious quelling of a Jacobite uprising in 1745, when thousands of Scots loyal to Bonnie Prince Charlie were shot and bayonetted, even when in retreat. Thirty Scots were burnt alive in a cottage where they had taken refuge. He suffered only 300 casualties at Culloden while the Scottish rebels lost 2,000 men.
Prince William Augustus never visited the county named in his honour. He never even visited Virginia, where Cumberland County and the Cumberland Gap are also named after him. Fifty-six out of 61 counties established before the American Revolution were named after British royalty or government figures.
History does not offer an encouraging precedent but organisers of the county’s commemorations hope that Clarence House will give the invitation sympathetic consideration and allow Prince William to travel to Virginia. If Prince William agrees to attend the commemorations in 2006 it would be a massive boon for a county in transition from rural obscurity to relative wealth, not least because it might finally overshadow the unpleasant legacy of Lorena Bobbitt, a famous former resident, who made the county famous by slicing off her husband’s penis in 1993.
“He could bring a little class and excitement to Prince William,” said Liz Bahrns, a county spokeswoman who is helping to plan the event. “It’s really hard to get high-profile individuals.”
A local official told The Times: “There are lots of happy girls around here, including my daughter.”
Mr Connaughton, an Irish Catholic by descent, approved the Prince’s invitation, and addressed it to Sir David Manning, the British Ambassador in Washington.
Prince William can anticipate some top-quality Virginian hospitality if he does decide to visit. “They’re starting construction on a $50 million, five-star hotel and conference facility along the Potomac.
“That should be done by the time he comes over,” Mr Connaughton said.
ROYAL CHARITY
Current Prince William
William, second in line to the throne, spent his gap year with soldiers in Belize and with Raleigh International in Chile
The Prince is pursuing a four-year History of Art MA at St Andrews University
He is considering attending Sandhurst military training college
REBEL SLAUGHTER
Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland
Nicknamed “the Butcher” because of his merciless slaughter of all rebels in a 1745 jacobite uprising
Son of King George II, making him the seventh uncle of the current Prince William
