LONDON (AFP) - Prince William, the second in line to the British throne, celebrated his 23rd birthday as his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II prepared to return to normal duties after catching a bad cold, aides said.
William, who is due to graduate from St. Andrews University in Scotland on Thursday, was spending Tuesday privately, said a spokewoman for Clarence House, the office of his father Prince Charles.
With his student days behind him, the young prince is scheduled to jet off to New Zealand next week to join the British Lions on their rugby tour and carry out his first solo engagements on behalf of the queen.
He will take part in the Lions' training sessions and cheer them on at their second and third tests matches against the New Zealand All Blacks.
William was also due to represent the queen in Wellington and Auckland at wreath-laying and memorial services marking the end of World War II.
It will be the first time he has officially represented his grandmother and his first official engagement abroad.
The queen, meanwhile, was scheduled to return to "normal duties" after cancelling several engagements since the weekend due to a bad cold, said a spokeswoman for Buckingham Palace, her London residence.
"She will be back to her normal duties I believe tomorrow," the spokeswoman told AFP.
The 79-year-old monarch canceled several engagements, including a visit to the military academy where her other grandson Prince Harry is training, after a sore throat over the weekend developed into a bad cold.
The spokeswoman declined to give any update on the queen's condition Tuesday.
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