British Royal Family Throws a King-Size Birthday Party

LONDON —  Queen Elizabeth II and most of her nearest and dearest gathered Wednesday for a night of partying to celebrate a slew of royal birthdays. But the birthday boy himself wasn’t there--Prince William turned 18 at school, cramming for an art history exam.

The royal mega-party at Windsor Castle was to celebrate five royal milestones in the year 2000, including the 70th birthday of the queen’s sister, Princess Margaret, the 50th of daughter Princess Anne and the 40th of son Prince Andrew.

But foremost among the celebrations were the 100th birthday, on Aug. 4, of the Queen Mother Elizabeth, whose enduring popularity has been a bulwark of the British monarchy, and William’s coming of age Wednesday.

The party in the State Apartments at the castle, which rises above the Thames River 25 miles west of London, began with a dinner for about 80 friends. Royalty from Spain, Belgium and Norway were on the guest list, as was ex-King Constantine of Greece, who now lives in north London.

The dinner guests were joined later by about 700 others for drinks. Among them was Sarah, Duchess of York, whose ex-husband is Prince Andrew. It is the first time since the 1997 funeral of Princess Diana that the duchess has been included on the royal guest list.

William, who finishes his studies at Eton later this summer, is preparing for exams that determine university entrance. Although Eton is just across the Thames from Windsor, he was not expected at the party.

“I don’t have an exam on the day, but I will be studying for my History of Art exam the next day,” William told the British news agency Press Assn.

He plans to study art history, probably at Edinburgh University, after taking a year off to work or travel.

And he has decided to postpone until after university the use of the designation His Royal Highness, usually conferred at age 18.

That means he won’t have to be called “sir” and needn’t be bowed and curtsied to. William--second in line to the throne after his father, Prince Charles--has said he wants to be known simply as William.