William, Prince of Wales, KG, KT, PC, ADC (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales.William was born during the reign of his paternal grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. He was educated at Wetherby School, Ludgrove School and Eton College. He earned a Master of Arts degree in geography at the University of St Andrews where he met his future wife, Catherine Middleton. They have three children: George, Charlotte and Louis. After university, William trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst prior to serving with the Blues and Royals. In 2008 William graduated from the Royal Air Force College Cranwell, joining the RAF Search and Rescue Force in early 2009. He served as a full-time pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance for two years, starting in July 2015.
William, Prince of Wales Facts
- Born: Prince William of Wales, 21 June 1982 (age 41), St Mary’s Hospital, London,
- Spouse: Catherine Middleton,(m. 2011)
- Issue: Prince George of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales, Prince Louis of Wales
- Names: William Arthur Philip Lewis[a]
- Home: Windsor
- Father: Charles III
- Mother: Diana Spencer
- Education: Eton College, University of St Andrews (MA Hons)
- Allegiance : United Kingdom
- Active service: 2006–2013
William, Prince of Wales Early life
Prince William was born on 21 June 1982 in St Mary’s Hospital, London as the first child of Charles, Prince of Wales (later King Charles III), and his first wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, during the reign of his paternal grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.Buckingham Palace announced his name – William Arthur Philip Louis – on 28 June.William was christened in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, on 4 August, coinciding with the 82nd birthday of his paternal great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
William was the first child born to a prince and princess of Wales since Prince John was born to Prince George and Princess Mary (later King George V and Queen Mary) in July 1905.When he was nine months old, William accompanied his parents on their 1983 tour of Australia and New Zealand, as his first trip overseasIt also marked the first time that a royal baby was taken on an overseas tour.His younger brother, Prince Harry, was born in September 1984. Both of them were raised at Kensington Palace in London, and Highgrove House in Gloucestershire.
Known informally as “Wills” within his family,William was nicknamed “Willy” by his brother and “Wombat” by his mother. Diana wished her sons to obtain broader and more typical life experiences beyond royal upbringing, taking them to Walt Disney World, McDonald’s, AIDS clinics and shelters for the homeless. A “rambunctious” and “bratty” child, his biographer Robert Lacey asserts that William grew “more reflective” with a “noticeably quiet character” as he began boarding school. Diana was reported to have described him as “my little wise old man” on whom she started to rely as her confidant by his early teens.
Shaking hands with Barbara Bush, 1991. His mother, Diana, and brother, Harry, look on.
William carried out his first public engagement while accompanying his parents on a visit to Llandaff on Saint David’s Day in 1991. He and Harry travelled to Canada on an official visit with their parents in 1991 and again with Charles in 1998.William’s parents divorced in 1996. Diana died in a car accident in the early hours of 31 August 1997. William, then aged 15, together with his 12-year-old brother and their father, was staying at Balmoral Castle at the time. The following morning, Charles informed William and Harry of their mother’s death.William was reportedly uncertain as to whether he should walk behind his mother’s coffin during the funeral procession. His grandfather Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, told him: “If you don’t walk, I think you’ll regret it later. If I walk, will you walk with me?”.At the funeral, William and Harry walked alongside their father, grandfather, and maternal uncle, Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, behind the funeral cortège from Kensington Palace to Westminster Abbey.
After his mother’s death, William stated that he was “in a state of shock for many years”. He and Harry inherited the majority of the £12.9 million left by their mother on their respective 30th birthdays, a figure that had grown to £10 million each by 2014.In 2014 the brothers inherited their mother’s wedding dress along with many other of her personal possessions including dresses, diamond tiaras, jewels, letters and paintings. They also received the original lyrics and score of “Candle in the Wind” by Bernie Taupin and Elton John as performed by the latter at Diana’s funeral.In 2002 The Times reported that William and Harry would also share £4.9 million from trust funds established by their great-grandmother on their respective 21st birthdays, as well as £8 million upon their respective 40th birthdays
William, Prince of Wales Education
William was educated at private schools, starting at Jane Mynors’ nursery school and the pre-preparatory Wetherby School, both in London. Following this, he attended Ludgrove School near Wokingham, Berkshire, and was privately tutored during summers by Rory Stewart. At Ludgrove, he participated in football, swimming, basketball, clay pigeon shooting, and cross country running. He was subsequently admitted to Eton College, studying geography, biology, and history of art at A-Level. He obtained an ‘A’ in geography, a ‘C’ in biology, and a ‘B’ in history of art.William was captain of the swimming team and his house football team at Eton, also taking up water polo.
The William decision to place William at Eton went against the family tradition of sending royal children to Gordonstoun, which his father and grandfather both attended. Diana’s brother and father were both Eton students.The royal family and the tabloid press agreed that William would be allowed to study free from intrusion in exchange for regular updates about his life. John Wakeham, chairman of the Press Complaints Commission, stated “Prince William is not an institution; nor a soap star; nor a football hero. He is a boy: in the next few years, perhaps the most important and sometimes painful part of his life, he will grow up and become a man.”While at Eton, he often had tea on weekends at the nearby Windsor Castle with his grandmother, discussing state boxes and constitutional duties meant to “prepare as future King.”
On 3 June 1991, William was admitted to the Royal Berkshire Hospital after being accidentally hit on the forehead by a fellow pupil wielding a golf club. He suffered a depressed fracture of the skull and was operated on at Great Ormond Street Hospital, resulting in a permanent scar. The incident received widespread media attention.In 1999, he underwent an operation on his left hand after he broke a finger. After completing his studies at Eton, William took a gap year, during which he took part in British Army training exercises in Belize, worked on English dairy farms, and visited Africa. As part of the Raleigh International programme in the town of Tortel in southern Chile, William worked for ten weeks on local construction projects and taught English. He lived with other young volunteers, sharing in the common household chores.His interest in African culture prompted him to teach himself Swahili.
William In 2001, William enrolled at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Similar to his time at Eton, the media agreed not to invade William’s privacy, and students were warned not to leak stories to the press. He embarked on a degree course in Art History but later changed his main subject to Geography. William focused his dissertation on the Indian Ocean’s Rodrigues coral reefs and graduated with an undergraduate Master of Arts (MA Hons) degree with upper second class honours in 2005.While at university, he represented the Scottish national universities water polo team at the Celtic Nations tournament in 2004.[36] He was reportedly known as “Steve” by other students to avoid any journalists overhearing and realising his identity.
William, Prince of Wales Early appointments and duties
William At the age of 21, William was appointed a Counsellor of State; he first served in that capacity when the Queen attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in the same year. In July 2005, he embarked on his first solo public engagements on an overseas tour of New Zealand, travelling to participate in World War II commemorations. According to author Tina Brown, he had, like his father, expressed a desire to become Governor-General of Australia.In 2009, the Queen set up a private office for William and Harry with David Manning as their adviser. Manning accompanied William on his first official tour in January 2010 as he toured Auckland and Wellington; William opened the new building of the Supreme Court of New Zealand and was welcomed by a Māori chief. The visit spurred crowds of “many thousands”, with positive public reception compared to that of his mother’s 1983 tour. In March 2011, William visited Christchurch, New Zealand, shortly after the earthquake,and spoke at the memorial service at Hagley Park on behalf of his grandmother. He also travelled to Australia to visit areas affected by flooding in Queensland and Victoria.
Upon graduation from university, William interned in land management at Chatsworth House and in banking at HSBC. To prepare for his eventual management of the Duchy of Cornwall, in 2014, he additionally participated in a Cambridge practical agriculture management degree run by the Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership (CPSL), of which his father is patron
William, Prince of Wales Military and air ambulance service
William Having decided on a military career, William was admitted to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in January 2006.As “Lieutenant Wales” – a name based on his father’s then title Prince of Wales – he followed his younger brother[66] into the Blues and Royals as a troop commander in an armoured reconnaissance unit, after which he spent five months training for the post at Bovington Camp in Dorset.
Despite the Queen’s approval for William to serve on the frontline, his position as second-in-line to the throne at the time cast doubts on his chances of seeing combat. Plans by the Ministry of Defence to send William to Southern Iraq leaked and the government eventually decided against sending him as it would endanger both his life and the lives of people around him if he was targeted. William instead trained in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, obtaining his commission as a sub-lieutenant in the former and a flying officer in the latter, both broadly equivalent to the army rank of lieutenant. After completing his training, William undertook an attachment with the Royal Air Force at RAF Cranwell.
William Upon completing the course he was presented with his RAF wings by his father, who had received his own wings after training at Cranwell.During this secondment, William flew to Afghanistan in a C-17 Globemaster that repatriated the body of Trooper Robert Pearson. William was then seconded to train with the Royal Navy.He then completed an accelerated Naval Officer training course at the Britannia Royal Naval College.Whilst serving on HMS Iron Duke in July 2008, William participated in a £40m drug seizure in the Atlantic, north-east of Barbados.He was part of the crew on the Lynx helicopter which helped seize 900 kg of cocaine from a speedboat, for which he was awarded the United States Joint Services Achievement Medal.
William piloting a Sea King helicopter in 2010
In January 2009, William transferred his commission to the RAF and was William promoted to Flight Lieutenant. He trained to become a helicopter pilot with the RAF’s Search and Rescue Force. In January 2010, he graduated from the Defence Helicopter Flying School at RAF Shawbury. On 26 January 2010, he transferred to the Search and Rescue Training Unit at RAF Valley, Anglesey, to receive training on the Sea King search and rescue helicopter; he graduated in September 2010. This made him the first member of the British royal family since Henry VII to live in Wales.
William’s first rescue mission as co-pilot of a RAF Sea King was in response to an William emergency call from Liverpool Coastguard on 2 October 2010. In November 2011, he participated in a search-and-rescue mission involving a cargo ship that was sinking in the Irish Sea; William, as a co-pilot, helped rescue two sailors.William was deployed to the Falkland Islands for a six-week tour with No. 1564 Flight from February to March 2012.The Argentine government condemned William’s deployment to the islands close to the 30th anniversary of the beginning of the Falklands War as a “provocative act”.In June 2012, he gained a qualification to be captain or pilot in command of a Sea King rather than a co-pilot. His active service as an RAF search-and-rescue pilot ended in September 2013. He conducted 156 search and rescue operations, which resulted in 149 people being rescued. He later became patron to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
On 13 July 2015, William began working full-time as a pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) based at Cambridge Airport, which he felt was a natural progression from his previous search-and-rescue role. He donated his full salary to the EAAA charity. William required a civil pilot’s licence and further training before being permitted to begin his role.He underwent part of his training at Norwich Airport.William described working irregular shifts and dealing mostly with critical care cases. He also discussed the impact of witnessing intensive trauma and bereavement on his mental health and personal life.The BBC has written that William was “exposed to the National Health Service in a way that no other senior royal has been or possibly ever will be.”
William left his position with EAAA in July 2017 to assume full-time royal duties. After supporting an anniversary campaign for London’s Air Ambulance Charity in 2019, he became the charity’s official patron in March 2020. In May 2020, he granted permission to the charity to use Kensington Palace’s private lawn to refuel during the COVID-19 pandemic.To mark Air Ambulance Week 2020, he wrote a letter thanking air ambulance workers, stating his “profound respect” for the community, particularly during the “immeasurably difficult” outbreak In February 2023, he became patron of the Wales Air Ambulance charity.
William, Prince of Wales Personal life
In 2001, William met Catherine Middleton while they were students in residence at St Salvator’s Hall at the University of St Andrews, and they became close friends.She reportedly caught William’s attention at a charity fashion show at the university in 2002 when she appeared on the stage wearing a see-through lace dress.During their second year, William shared a flat with Middleton and two other friends. The couple began dating in 2003.From 2003 to 2005 they both resided at Balgove House on the Strathtyrum estate with two roommates. In 2004, the couple briefly split but reconciled soon afterwards.
William The relationship was followed closely by the tabloid press. Media attention became so intense that William asked the press to keep their distance from Middleton.On 15 December 2006, Middleton and her family attended William’s passing out parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. In April 2007 William and Middleton were reported to have split.Middleton and her family attended the Concert for Diana three months later;the couple were subsequently reported to have “rekindled their relationship”.She was in attendance during the Order of the Garter procession ceremony at Windsor Castle in June 2008, where William was made a Royal Knight of the Garter. In June 2010 the couple moved into a cottage on the Bodorgan Estate in Anglesey, Wales, where they resided until 2014.
William, Prince of Wales Marriage and children
The couple became engaged in October 2010 while on holiday in Kenya.Clarence House announced their engagement on 16 November. William gave his fianceé his mother’s engagement ring. The wedding took place in Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011.About a million people lined the wedding procession route in London, while the global audience for the wedding was reported to be over 300 million.William and Catherine used Nottingham Cottage as their London home until 2013, when £4.5 million
William renovations completed at Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace, which continues to be their official residence in the capital.he couple were given the country house Anmer Hall, on the Sandringham Estate, as a wedding gift from the Queen, where they lived from 2015 to 2017.ensington Palace was the couple’s main residence until 2017, when the family moved to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor
Catherine’s first pregnancy was announced on 3 December 2012.She was admitted on 22 July 2013 to the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital, London, where Prince William had been delivered. Later that day, she gave birth to Prince George.On 8 September 2014, it was announced that Catherine was pregnant with her second child.She was admitted on 2 May 2015 to the same hospital and gave birth to Princess Charlotte. Catherine’s third pregnancy was announced on 4 September 2017 Prince Louis was born on 23 April 2018.William and Catherine have owned two English Cocker Spaniels, named Lupo and Orla
William, Prince of Wales Prince of Wales
8 September 2022, and William’s father succeeded as Charles III. William, now heir apparent, was created Prince of Wales by his father on 9 September.Controversy regarding the title became a topic of public debate in Wales.By 17 September, a petition calling for the end of the title had received over 30,000 signatures, while a YouGov poll showed 66 per cent support for William to be given the title
compared to 22 per cent opposed.
William, Prince of Wales Charity work
William became aware of HIV/AIDS in the mid-1990s when he accompanied his mother and brother on visits to shelters and clinics for patients. In January 2005, William and his brother volunteered at a British Red Cross aid distribution centre to pack emergency supplies for countries affected by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.Later, in May 2005, he spent two weeks in North Wales with Mountain Rescue England and Wales (MREW).In May 2007, William became patron of MREW and president of the Royal Marsden Hospital, the latter of which was a role previously held by his mother.
In July 2007, William and Harry organised the Concert for Diana, in memory of their mother, which benefitted the charities and patronages of Diana, William, and Harry. In October 2008, William and his brother embarked on the 1,000 mile eight-day Enduro Africa motorbike ride across South Africa to raise money for Sentebale, UNICEF and the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. In 2010, he became a patron of 100 Women in Hedge Funds’ philanthropic initiatives for the following three years until 2012.William succeeded Lord Attenborough in 2010 as the fifth president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.In March 2011, William and Catherine set up a gift fund held by The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry to allow well-wishers to donate money to charities supporting the armed forces, children, the elderly, art, sport and conservation in lieu of gifts. The charity was later renamed the Royal Foundation
William, Prince of Wales Sport
William often plays polo to raise money for charity. He is a fan of football, and supports the English club Aston Villa.He became president of England’s Football Association in May 2006 and vice-royal patron of the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) in February 2007, supporting the Queen as patron. The same year, the WRU’s decision to name the Prince William Cup drew criticism as some believed it would have been more appropriate to name it after Ray Gravell. In December 2016, William became patron of the WRU.
In December 2010, William and the British prime minister David Cameron attended a meeting with FIFA vice-president Chung Mong-joon at which Chung suggested a vote-trading deal for the right to host the 2018 World Cup in England. The English delegation reported the suggestion to FIFA, considering it a violation of anti-collusion rules.In 2011, William as president of the English FA, voted against Australia’s 2022 FIFA bid and instead voted for South Korea; despite being the country’s future heir. In 2020, he voted against the joint Australia–New Zealand 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup bid and instead voted for Colombia.
William, Prince of Wales Public image
William has been one of the most popular members of the British royal family since his birth.Having lived a public life since birth, he was regarded as a “heartthrob” and eligible as a young adult, similar to his father. Ruth La Ferla of The New York Times contrasted William’s “refined” and “polite” appeal to Leonardo DiCaprio’s “bad-boy” popularity. Following his marriage, William’s public image assumed a more “staid” and fatherly demeanour, having “settled into a stable domestic order.”
Journalist Anne McElvoy has described William’s public personality as a “genial presence” with a “tougher side”, alongside his mother’s “inimitable style”.Much of his royal duties focus on “big bet” projects, rather than “plaques and patronages”. In 2016, William gave an interview stating his goal was “how do I make the royal family relevant in the next 20 years … that’s the challenge for me”.
William In April 2011, Time magazine listed him as one of the most influential people in the world alongside his then-newly wed spouse Catherine.In August 2023, Gallup, Inc. named him as the most popular public figure in the US after conducting a survey that asked for people’s views on 15 prominent individuals.In December 2022 and September 2023, he was found to be the most popular member of the royal family by statistics and polling company YouGov.