Prince William to New Zealand and Australia on solo trip (Feature)

By Anna Tomforde Jan 15, 2010, 19:28 GMT

London - Britain's Prince William flew to New Zealand and Australia Friday on his first solo official tour representing his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, as the 27-year-old gradually takes on more official royal duties.

During his three-day official visit to New Zealand, where he is due Sunday, William is scheduled to open the new supreme court building in Wellington and conduct a series of official engagements hosted by Prime Minister John Key.

The Rugby-mad prince will also visit Eden Park rugby stadium in Auckland and discuss next year's World Cup with All Blacks players.

The second half of his trip, to Sydney and Melbourne in Australia, is of a more informal nature and was arranged at the prince's request.

A visit to an Australian army base, a traditional Maori meal and an inspection of rural areas near Melbourne devastated by last February's bushfires are on the programme.

Buckingham Palace has been at pains to deny speculation that William, second in line to the throne, was being groomed as a 'shadow king,' given that his popularity ratings far exceed those of his father, Prince Charles.

A palace spokesman described as 'complete and utter fabrication' reports that the handsome young prince would take over a substantial part of the duties of the queen, 83, in an attempt to bypass his father as heir to the throne.

'Prince William is gradually undertaking more public engagements as he takes on more patronage. However, his focus remains for the foreseeable future on his military career.'

Just days before the trip, William took a major step forward in his training to become a Royal Air Force (RAF) search and rescue pilot by completing an advanced helicopter training course.

He is due to complete the training by the end of the summer and start flying sea and mountain rescue missions by the autumn, a palace spokesman said.

The prince would continue to pursue his 'dual role of military and royal duties.'

Palace sources said they were expecting the prince to draw crowds during his overseas tour.

'We are planning for crowds, we would be stupid not to - there is going to be a lot of interest,' a palace insider was quoted in the Guardian newspaper.

Even though republican tendencies are strong in both New Zealand and Australia, which as members of the Commonwealth have the queen as head of state, officials have said the prince's personal popularity is likely to ensure a warm welcome.

William was dubbed 'Prince Charming' by New Zealand's media when he last visited the country to follow the British Lions's Rugby tour in 2005.

'New Zealand and New Zealanders utterly captivated me on that visit, and since then, New Zealand has become a very special place for me,' the prince told the Daily Telegraph when the latest trip was announced.

'Prince William is looking forward to this immensely. He has been ticking off the days,' a palace official in London said.