Anger as Edward's crew films William's university
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Your support makes all the difference.A camera crew which caused a row by filming at Prince William's university was working for his uncle, Prince Edward.
St James's Palace said the intrusion was "disappointing" after moves to protect the privacy of Prince William and his fellow students. The incident came just two days after the 19-year-old arrived at St Andrews University in Scotland to begin a four-year-degree in art history.
But Prince Edward's TV company, Ardent Productions, said it did not attempt to film William and that its crew's presence had been cleared with the university press office.
The company chairman, Malcolm Cockren, said Prince Edward had not known about the filming and instructed the crew to stop as soon as he became aware of the situation.
"Ardent Productions fully supports the restrictions on filming Prince William at St Andrews University and at no time did the crew attempt to film Prince William, gain unauthorised access or shoot on the campus."
William, who is second in line to the British throne, contacted his father Prince Charles to complain after the camera crew was spotted as he emerged from a lecture, the Daily Mail and The Sun newspapers both reported.
Initially members of the crew claimed they were freelance, but later admitted they were from Ardent Productions - the television company established by Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, in 1993, the newspapers said.
St. James's Palace confirmed that the crew was working for Ardent.
The university's rector, Andrew Neil, said the crew resisted requests to leave.
"They came back and indeed there was a scuffle at one stage," said Mr Neil, a former editor of the Sunday Times. "Even when Prince Edward was told that he had to get that crew out they still hung on for several hours afterward."
He said in a television interview later: "We have got to make sure there is not one rule for us [the British press] and one rule for Prince Edward's company."
He would be seeking an apology from Prince Edward and his company.
William started his first term on Monday at the medieval university. The young prince stressed to Britain's media in the days before his arrival that he wanted to be "an ordinary student".
It is not the first time his uncle's company has hit the headlines. Edward, who is seventh in line to the throne, has faced accusations that he used official royal visits abroad to secure business for Ardent, which has not turned a profit in seven years.
Edward has also been accused of abusing his family connections to make a series of documentaries about the British royalty, including a TV series about his great-uncle Edward VIII, who gave up the throne to marry American Wallis Simpson.
Both newspapers reported the Ardent crew was working on the company's current production, "The A to Z of Royalty," which has been reportedly sold to the E! Entertainment Network, an American cable TV company.
The Daily Mail said Edward had apologized to his brother Prince Charles' private secretary over the incident.
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