Why Prince William Spent Three Months Scrubbing Toilets in Chile Before Going to College

During his gap year, Prince William spent three months in Chile, cleaning toilets and doing manual labor.

Will went to Chile as part of his work with UK-based company called Raleigh International, which coordinates community and environmental projects in South America.

Royal expert and biographer Katie Nicholl wrote about Will's time in Chile in her book Kate: The Future Queen.

We normals have to do chores. We have to wash our own dishes and scrub our own toilets. Royals don't have to do their own chores. They have people to do those things for them. And royals certainly don't have to do other people's chores. But sometimes they do.

Prince William, for example, spent three months in Chile during his gap year working with a UK-based company called Raleigh International, which coordinates community and environmental projects in South America. During his time with Raleigh, Will did a ton of manual labor and, according to people who knew him during that time, genuinely enjoyed the experience.

In her book Kate: The Future Queen, royal expert and biographer Katie Nicholl describes Will's time with the program:

"William was in Chile for three months. From the moment he arrived, he threw himself into his new surroundings and got to know other people on his trip. According to Logistics Manager Graham Hornsey, who has led to an impressive thirty-five expeditions and came to know William well, the prince proved to be a very grounded and decent young man."

"William coped very well, and what struck me about him was how normal he was," Hornsey said. "He said he wanted to be treated like everyone else, and he was. When you saw him cleaning the toilets, it wasn't for the cameras, he really did clean the lavatories."

And even though Will didn't do the work for the cameras, that doesn't mean cameras weren't there. Photographic evidence:

Pool/Tim Graham Picture LibraryGetty Images

And, just for fun, a few other pictures of Will doing manual labor during his gap year time in Chile:

Pool/Tim Graham Picture LibraryGetty Images

Pool/Tim Graham Picture LibraryGetty Images

For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.

subscribe here