06/05/2023
Prince William placing imperial mantle, a floor-length cloak created for King George IV, more than 200 years ago, upon his father, King Charles III. This represents historic divine right of kings.
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.
Born in London, William 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 spouse, Catherine Middleton. William then trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst prior to serving with the Blues and Royals. In April 2008, William graduated from 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 performs official duties and engagements on behalf of the British monarch. He holds patronage with over 30 charitable and military organizations, including the Tusk Trust, Centrepoint, The Passage, Wales Air Ambulance and London's Air Ambulance Charity. He undertakes projects through The Royal Foundation, with his charity work revolving around mental health, conservation, and emergency workers. In December 2014, he founded the "United for Wildlife" initiative, which aims to reduce worldwide illegal wildlife trade. In April 2016, William, his wife Catherine and his brother Harry initiated the mental health awareness campaign "Heads Together" to encourage people to open up about their mental health issues. In October 2020, William announced the launch of the Earthshot Prize, a £50 million initiative to incentivize environmental solutions over the next decade.
William was made Duke of Cambridge prior to his wedding to Catherine Middleton in April 2011. They have three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. He became Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay following his father's accession to the throne on 8 September 2022. The following day, he was made Prince of Wales, the traditional title for the heir apparent to the monarch.
Prince William was born at St Mary's Hospital, London, on 21 June 1982 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 grandmother Queen Elizabeth II. Buckingham Palace announced his name, William Arthur Philip Louis, on 28 June. On 4 August, the 82nd birthday of his paternal great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, he was christened in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie.
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 1905. When he was nine months old, William accompanied his parents on their 1983 tour of Australia and New Zealand, as his first trip overseas. It marked the first time that a royal baby was taken on an overseas tour. William's younger brother, Prince Harry, was born in 1984. William and Harry were raised at Kensington Palace in London, and Highgrove House in Gloucestershire.
Known informally as "Wills" within the family, William was nicknamed "W***y" 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. Diana was reported to have described William as "my little wise old man" on whom she started to rely as her confidant by his early teens.
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 Prince Charles in 1998.
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. William became captain of the swimming team and his house football team at Eton, also taking up water polo.
The decision to place William at Eton was unique compared to the family tradition of sending royal children to Gordonstoun, which his grandfather and father both attended. Diana's father and brother both attended Eton. 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 [him] as future King."
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. He embarked on a degree course in Art History, later changing his main subject to Geography. William wrote his dissertation on the coral reefs of Rodrigues in the Indian Ocean and graduated with an undergraduate Master of Arts (MA Hons) degree with upper second-class honors in 2005. While at university, he represented the Scottish national universities water polo team at the Celtic Nations tournament in 2004. He was known as "Steve" by other students to avoid any journalists overhearing and realizing his identity.
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 2003. 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 Diana'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 enrolled in a vocational agricultural management course at Cambridge, which was organized by the Cambridge Program for Sustainability Leadership (CPSL), of which his father is patron.
In April 2011, William was created Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, and Baron Carrickfergus on the day of his wedding to Catherine Middleton. In May 2011, he and Catherine met the then US president Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at Buckingham Palace. The couple toured Canada in summer 2011, attending Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill; William delivered speeches at Quebec City Hall and Northwest Territories, the former entirely in French and the latter including phrases from the Na-Dene and Inuvialuktun languages. The couple drew crowds of up to half a million and were praised for their relatability, with William referred "comfortably" to as a prince of Canada by the CBC.
William and Catherine served as ambassadors for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, during multiple sporting events throughout the games. In September 2012, they toured Singapore, Malaysia, Tuvalu, and the Solomon Islands as part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The couple attended further commemorations of the Jubilee throughout the year, including the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant in July. William hosted his first investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace in October 2013, an "extension of the Duke of Cambridge's public duties" after leaving the Royal Air Force. In April 2014, William and Catherine undertook a royal tour to New Zealand and Australia with their son, Prince George. The itinerary included visiting the Plunket Society for children and visiting fire-damaged areas in New South Wales. The tour was well-received by local press, with New Zealand prime minister John Key crediting the couple with alleviating republican sentiment. In August, William, Catherine, and Harry represented the royal family at World War I commemorations in Belgium. In December 2014, William and Catherine visited New York and Washington D.C, where he met President Obama at the White House and made a speech at the World Bank.
In February 2015, William visited Japan, meeting Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko at the Imperial Palace and visiting survivors devastated by the 2011 tsunami. From 1 to 4 March, he visited the Chinese cities Beijing, Shanghai, and Yunnan and met President Xi Jinping. It was the first royal visit to mainland China in almost three decades, with press referring to William's diplomacy as "deft" and "polished". In April 2016, William and Catherine undertook a tour to India and Bhutan. Activities included visiting children's charities such as Childline India, as well as a visit to Lingkana Palace.
William and Catherine toured Canada once again in September 2016. Countries visited by the couple in 2017 include France, Poland, Germany, and Belgium. In January 2018, the couple visited Sweden and Norway. The visits, which were, like others, requested by the Foreign Office, were interpreted to benefit UK-European relations post Brexit. In June 2018, William toured Jordan, Israel and Palestine.
William and Catherine toured Pakistan in October 2019, which was the royal family's first visit to the country in 13 years. In March 2020, the couple carried out a three-day tour of Ireland, visiting County Meath, Kildare, and Galway.
In December, the couple embarked on a tour of England, Scotland, and Wales via the British royal train "to pay tribute to the inspiring work" of communities and charities in 2020. Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed his support.
In William's capacity as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the couple toured the country in May 2021. In Cornwall on 11 June 2021, William and Catherine attended the G7 summit for the first time.
In March 2022, William and Catherine embarked on a tour of Belize, The Bahamas and Jamaica as part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
In May 2022, William attended the State Opening of Parliament for the first time as a counsellor of state, where his father, the Prince of Wales, delivered the Queen's Speech on behalf of William's grandmother.
Queen Elizabeth II passed on 8 September 2022, and William's father succeeded as Charles III. William, now heir apparent, was announced as Prince of Wales by his father on 9 September.
On 27 September 2022, William and Catherine visited Anglesey and Swansea, which marked their first visit to Wales since becoming Prince and Princess of Wales. William visited the Senedd in November 2022, meeting Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford. In the same month, he and Catherine welcomed South African president Cyril Ramaphosa and attended a state dinner in honour of his visit. They made their first official visit to Cornwall as Duke and Duchess in February 2023, visiting Falmouth.
In March 2023, William undertook a solo visit to Poland. He had talks with Polish president Andrzej Duda at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw.
Sampling of humanitarian and environmental patronage efforts of Prince William:
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. In May that year, 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 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 also became a patron of 100 Women in Hedge Funds Philanthropic Initiatives. 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 has spoken out for LGBT rights as part of his work against cyberbullying, stating the importance of being "proud of the person you are" and discussing the effects of online abuse and discrimination. He was recognized at the British LGBT Awards in May 2017.
In March 2020, William appeared in a video for the National Emergencies Trust, launching a fundraising appeal to help charities during the pandemic. The appeal raised £11 million in its first week, eventually totalling to £90 million, with the money going out to "front line charities" and to the UK Community Foundations to be distributed among "local community foundations". In April 2020, he officially became the patron of the organization. In April 2020, he made a surprise appearance in The Big Night In, a 20 April 2020 telethon held during the COVID-19 pandemic, in a skit which he held a video call with Stephen Fry, who revised his role as (a descendant of) Lord Melchett, from the Blackadder series.
In December 2020, William and his wife became joint patrons of NHS Charities Together. In February 2021, William visited a vaccination center in King's Lynn and later encouraged use of the vaccine, denouncing false information that could cause vaccine hesitancy. In May 2021, he got his first dose of COVID-19 vaccine by NHS staff at the Science Museum in London.
In September 2021, it was reported that William had helped an Afghan officer who was a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and an assistant to the British troops be evacuated from the Kabul airport along with more than 10 members of his family amid the 2021 Taliban offensive. In March 2022 William and Catherine made a donation to help Ukrainian refugees.
In February 2023, they donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) which was helping victims of the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake.
