Prince William hopes to strike black gold in Azerbaijan

　　Prince William caused much excitement Down Under last month when he let slip that he might make Australia the destination of his first official foreign trip. Mandrake hears that the inhabitants of a much less-visited nation may, in fact, be the first to enjoy his company. William, 27, is involved in discussions about taking part in a polo tournament in Azerbaijan, the former Soviet republic, to raise millions of pound for his father's charity, the Prince's Trust.

　　The competition is being organised by Saroj Chakravarty, a friend of the Prince of Wales, who introduced Charles and his sons to Fakhraddin Gurbanov, Azerbaijan's ambassador to this country, and Tale Heydarov, the chairman of the European Azerbaijan Society, at the Chakravarty Cup last month. William and Prince Harry, 24, played in the charity tournament, which was held at the Beaufort Polo Club, in Gloucestershire. A group of diplomats and businessmen flew over from Azerbaijan and spent