Wills's African Jaunt

By Caitlin O'toole

05/07/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

Worldly Prince William is traveling in Africa as the latest stage in his "gap year" between high school and college, his office said on Saturday. St. James's Palace said the 18-year-old prince had left for a 3 1/2-month trip to Africa. A palace spokeswoman would not specify which countries William will visit, but said he would learn about Africa's wildlife and environment, be involved in game conservation and possibly help out with safari trips. Last year, William began his pre-university gap-year adventures with stops in Chile, Rodrigues Island in the Indian Ocean, and in Belize, where he trained with the Welsh Guards. This fall, William plans to attend Scotland's St. Andrews University to study art history.