Gap Year
Gap Year
Like many students, The Duke of Cambridge chose to have a gap year before beginning his university course in order to travel and gain a variety of new experiences.
He undertook a number of new activities during the year, including preparing for survival exercises with the Welsh Guards in Belize, working as a volunteer with Raleigh International in Chile, working on a dairy farm in the UK and visiting countries in Africa.
His stay in Belize involved sleeping in a hammock strung between trees, wearing jungle combats, hats and boots, and eating British Army rations.
In October, November and December 2000, The Duke visited Southern Chile, during 10 weeks as a volunteer with Raleigh International. He helped to construct walkways from log posts and taught English in local schools.
His Royal Highness said that the favourite part of his gap year was spent working as a farm labourer on a dairy farm in England with an hourly wage of £3.20, rising before dawn to milk cows and “performing mucky jobs” along with everyone else.