William Arthur Philip Louis, Duke of Cambridge (born 21 June 1982)

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, is a member of the British Royal Family. He is the elder son of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales. Since birth, he has been second in the line of succession to the British throne.

MM

William was educated in the United Kingdom and studied for a degree at the University of St Andrews. In April 2008, William graduated from Royal Air Force College Cranwell, joining RAF Search and Rescue Force in early 2009.

MM

In 2011, Prince William was made Duke of Cambridge and married Catherine Middleton. The couple have three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

MM

William's mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, wished him and his younger brother, Harry, to obtain broader life experiences than those usually available to royal children; she took them to Walt Disney World and McDonald's, AIDS clinics, shelters for the homeless, and bought them items typically owned by teenagers, such as video games. Diana, who was by then divorced from Charles, died in a car accident in August 1997.

MM

William was educated at independent 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. At Ludgrove, he participated in football, swimming, basketball, clay pigeon shooting, and cross country running. He sat the entrance exam to Eton College and was admitted. There, he studied Geography, Biology, and History of Art at A-Level. At Eton, he took up water polo and continued to play football, captaining his house team.

MM

The decision to place William in Eton went against the family tradition of sending royal children to Gordonstoun, which William's grandfather, father, two uncles, and two cousins all attended. Diana's father and brother both attended Eton.

MM

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, visited Africa, and for ten weeks taught children in Southern Chile. As part of the Raleigh International programme in the town of Tortel, William lived with other young volunteers, sharing in the common household chores, including cleaning the toilet,and also volunteered as a guest disc jockey at a local radio station. His interest in African culture prompted him to teach himself Swahili.

MM

In 2001 William enrolled at the University of St Andrews on a degree course in Art History, later changing his main subject to Geography, and earned a Scottish Master of Arts 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.

MM

He was known as "Steve" by other students to avoid any journalists overhearing and realising his identity.

MM v1.0

William returned to St Andrews in February 2011 as patron of the University's 600th Anniversary Appeal.

MM

William was admitted to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in January 2006where he received his commission as a lieutenant. As "Lieutenant Wales" he followed his younger brother 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, Dorset.

MM

The Prince's position as second-in-line to the throne and with ministers advising against placing that person into dangerous situations cast doubts on William's chances of seeing combat. These increased after Prince Harry's deployment was cancelled in 2007 due to "specific threats". William, instead, went on to train in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. After completing his training, William undertook an attachment with the Royal Air Force at RAF Cranwell. Upon completion he was presented with his RAF wings by his father.

MM

In 2009, William transferred his commission to the RAF and was promoted to Flight Lieutenant. He trained to become a helicopter pilot with the RAF's Search and Rescue Force. In 2010, he graduated from the Defence Helicopter Flying School at RAF Shawbury and 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.

MM

William's first rescue mission as co-pilot of an RAF Sea King was a response to an 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.

MM

William was deployed to the Falkland Islands for a six-week tour from February to March 2012. The Argentine government condemned the Duke's deployment to the islands close to the 30th anniversary of the beginning of the Falklands War as a "provocative act".

MM

In June 2012 Prince William 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.

MM

In 2015, William accepted a full-time role as a pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) based at Cambridge Airport. Although his position was paid, Kensington Palace announced that William would donate his full salary to the EAAA charity. He left his position with EAAA in July 2017 to assume a more active role in royal duties on behalf of his grandmother the Queen. After supporting an anniversary campaign for London's Air Ambulance Charity in 2019, the Duke became the charity's official patron in March 2020.

MM

William plays polo to raise money for charity, 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  in February 2007, supporting the Queen as patron.

MM

Both William and his brother are enthusiastic motorcyclists; William has owned a Ducati 1198 S Corse.

MM

William's private life became a subject of tabloid speculation, especially around his relationship with Catherine Middleton, one of William's university flatmates whom William began dating in 2003. Middleton attended William's passing-out parade at Sandhurst, which was the first high-profile event that she attended as his guest. Their relationship was followed so closely that bookmakers took bets on the possibility of marriage and the retail chain Woolworths produced memorabilia bearing the likenesses of the couple. Media attention became so intense that William formally asked the press to keep their distance from Middleton.

MM

It was reported in April 2007 that the couple had split up, but they resumed their relationship a few months later.

MM

In November 2010, Clarence House announced that Prince William and Middleton were to marry; the couple had become engaged in Kenya in October.

MM

The wedding took place on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey, London. A few hours before the ceremony, William's new titles Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, and Baron Carrickfergus were announced.

MM

On 22 July 2013 Catherine gave birth to Prince George. Princess Charlotte was born on 2 May 2015 and Prince Louis on 23 April 2018.

Prince William in 2009

Prince William playing Polo at Sandhurst, July 2007.

A Sea King Rescue helicopter being flown by

Prince William in 2010

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the official Canada Day celebration in Ottawa, 2011, during their first tour outside the United Kingdom.

Accompanied by his father, Prince William proceeds to St George's Chapel, Windsor to be installed as a Knight of the Garter in 2008.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with Prince George, Admiralty House, Sydney, Australia in 2014.

Prince William and the then Foreign Secreatry Boris Johnson, meet with leaders of African Commonwealth countries, in central London, to discuss ambitious proposals to protect endangered species across Africa.