William enjoys a degree of success

The 22-year-old, who studied for four years at St Andrews University, received an upper-second class, or 2:1, Master of Arts (MA) honours degree in geography.

His result was better than the degree obtained by his father, the Prince of Wales, who received a lower-second class degree in history from Trinity College, Cambridge. He also gained better results than any of his uncles, who did no better than 2:2s from university.

The Prince was one of hundreds of St Andrews students who went online yesterday at 9am to check their results on a website.

He found out his grade ahead of his historic carriage ride with his stepmother, the Duchess of Cornwall, in the Trooping the Colour parade.

A Clarence House spokesman said: "William got an upper-second class honours. He's delighted. Everyone is absolutely delighted. His father's very proud."

Owing to changes in data protection, university grades are no longer posted on notice boards for all to see.

William said last year that he was hoping to get a 2:1, but that a lot depended on his 10,000-word dissertation on the coral reefs of Rodrigues in the Indian Ocean.

The Prince, who celebrates his 23rd birthday later this month, had a somewhat rocky start to his life in St Andrews. In his first term he struggled to adjust, but eventually settled down after switching his choice of course from history of art to geography.

His father - the first heir to the throne to take a degree - also swapped courses, having initially picked archaeology and anthropology.

The Earl of Wessex, who studied at Jesus College, Cambridge, gained a 2:2.

St Andrews was a haven for the Prince, where the locals grew used to having a Royal pin-up around town and the media agreed to observe a truce whereby they would not pursue him for pictures in return for occasional photo sessions arranged officially.

With his university experience at an end and military training beckoning, William is preparing to fly to New Zealand - without his girlfriend Kate Middleton - to join the British& Irish Lions tour.

During his stay on the islands he will also carry out his first solo engagements on behalf of the Queen to celebrate the end of the Second World War, marking a new era of Royal duties for the Prince. William, who plans to join the Army like his younger brother Prince Harry, has spoken about being "wary" of developing his public role too soon.

The 22-year-old Prince will be one of around 14,000 graduates - out of just over 27,000 - who will leave a Scottish university this year with a 2:1. It is now the most common graduate qualification, leading to claims that its academic quality has been reduced over the last two decades. But academic experts insisted that 2:1s were now more rigorously scrutinised then they were in the past.

The Prince will leave St Andrews with largely fond memories. Not only was he allowed to pursue his studies in relative peace among residents who, in the main, ignored the royal presence, it was where he met his girlfriend. For the last two years they have been room-mates in the same house. But that period of peace from the media will now come to an abrupt end.

From this Thursday the hard-negotiated "gentlemen's" agreement between the British media and Buckingham Palace that prevented saturation coverage throughout his days as a student will finish. In short, once the Prince leaves his student digs, his life, until he joins the Army later this year, is expected to become an international media scrum.

There is no doubt the agreement reached in 2001 between editors and the Palace, policed by the Press Complaints Commission, helped William to complete his studies in peace.

Newspapers and broadcasters pledged not to intrude on the Prince and vowed to spike any stories that would break the voluntary pact. In return, the palace held a number of regular photo opportunities and interviews throughout the duration of his academic life.

Open season will start following graduation next Thursday. The first picture of a kiss between William and Kate Middleton will be the prize, bringing a massive pay-day for the lucky photographer who snaps it.

DIPLOMAS AND DROP-OUTS: WINDSORS MAKING THE GRADE

IN 1970, Prince Charles became the first heir to the British throne to sit public examinations - gaining a B in his history A-Level and a C in French - before going on to attend university. The Prince of Wales is said to have "scraped through" at Trinity College, Cambridge, to get a lower second class honours in history - a 2:2.

Prince Edward, who studied at Jesus College, Cambridge, was also awarded a 2:2. He left university to join the Royal Marines but soon dropped out and has pursued a career in theatre production instead.

Prince Harry, William's brother, did not bother with university, preferring instead to go to Sandhurst after struggling academically at Eton. He just managed the minimum two A-Levels needed to get into the military academy with a grade D in geography and a B in art.

Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, left Benenden School with two A-Levels before marrying first Mark Phillips and later, following divorce, Timothy Laurence.

The Duke of York, Prince Andrew, passed three A-Levels at Gordonstoun, but went straight from school into the Royal Navy.