Kidnap game raises controversy

LONDON -- A British Scout troop's outdoor exercise depicting the mock kidnapping of Prince William's bride-to-be has raised some eyebrows.

The Scouts' annual "quest" in the small English town of Amersham, west of London, last week involved watching an actress playing Kate Middleton being kidnapped by a team of balaclava-clad men, according to a local newspaper. An actor playing Prince William then appealed to the 300 Scouts, aged 11 to 13, to help him find his princess.

Most of the Scouts spent about eight hours hiking around the area looking for clues to the location of the missing Middleton, according to the Buckinghamshire Advertiser.

The paper quoted event organizer Brian Shelley as saying he did not see anything inappropriate in the rescue-the-princess-themed outing.

"The Scouts loved it and found it very amusing," Shelley was quoted as saying. "Nobody raised any concerns on the day, so I'm surprised to hear if there were any."

News of the game angered some local councilors and led to national media coverage.

Buckingham Palace declined comment on the topic of the mock kidnapping.

William and Middleton are being married April 29 at London's Westminster Abbey. The government is expected to deploy a major security presence for the event.