Prince William

At 41 years old, Prince William has this physical status:

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (William Arthur Philip Louis, born 21 June 1982), 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 ranked second in the line of succession to the British throne. William was educated at four colleges in the United Kingdom and studied for a degree at the University of St Andrews.

He spent time in Chile, Belize, and Africa during a gap year.

He completed 44 weeks of training as an officer cadet in December 2006 and was given a Blues and Royals regiment commission.

William finished pilot training at Royal Air Force College Cranwell in April 2008, then went through helicopter flight training and became a full-time pilot with the RAF Search and Rescue Force in early 2009.

In September 2013, his time with the British Armed Forces came to an end.

He obtained his civil pilot's licence and spent more than two years as a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance. Prince William was made Duke of Cambridge in 2011 and married Catherine Middleton.

Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis are three children of the couple.

Early life

Prince William was born in London on June 21 as the first child of Prince William (later King Charles III) and his first wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, and his first wife, Diana, Prince of Wales. William Arthur Philip Louis, who was born on June 28, was announced by Buckingham Palace on June 28th. On August 4, the 82nd birthday of his paternal great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother was baptized by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace.

Former King Constantine II of Greece (his paternal second cousin was also deleted); Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Mr Ogilvy (his paternal first cousin was twice removed); Lord Romsey (his paternal second cousin was also barred); Sir Laurens van der Post; and Sir Laurens van der Post.

In 1905, he was the first child born to a prince and princess of Wales since Prince John. As his first trip overseas, William joined his parents on their 1983 tour of Australia and New Zealand. In 1991 and 1998, he and his family travelled to Canada.

Prince William and his younger brother, Harry, were born at Kensington Palace in London and Highgrove House in Gloucestershire. William was referred to by his mother as "Wombat" by his mother, who wanted him and his brother to have greater life experiences than those that are normally only available to royal children. She took them to Walt Disney World and McDonald's, HIV clinics, and homeless shelters, and even bought them items that weren't owned by teens, such as video games. Diana was reported to have referred to William as "my little wise old man" on whom she began relying as her confidant by his early teens.

In 1996, his parents separated. In the early hours of 31 August 1997, Diana was killed in a car crash. William, and his 12-year-old brother and their father were staying at Balmoral Castle at the time, when they arrived. Charles waited until his sons awakened the following morning to inform them of their mother's death. William and his brother, paternal grandfather Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and maternal uncle Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, were all present at the funeral cortège from Kensington Palace to Westminster Abbey at his mother's funeral.

Education

William was educated in independent schools, beginning 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 by Rory Stewart during summers. He competed in football, swimming, basketball, clay pigeon shooting, and cross country relays at Ludgrove. He took the entrance exam to Eton College and was accepted. He studied geography, biology, and art history at A-Level, earning a 'A' in geography, a 'C' in biology, and a 'B' in history of art.' He started swimming at Ludgrove and became the captain of Eton's swimming team. He also started to play football, captaining his house team.

William's placement in Eton went against the family's tradition of sending royal children to Gordonstoun, which his grandfather, father, two uncles, and two cousins all attended. Both Diana's father and brother attended Eton. In exchange for regular updates about William's life, the royal family and the tabloid press decided that he would be able to study freely. "Prince William is not an institution; nor a soap actor; nor a footballer," John Wakeham, chairman of the Press Complaints Commission, said of the arrangements. He is a boy: the next few years, perhaps the most significant and often painful part of his life, will he grow up and become a man."

William spent a gap year after completing his education at Eton, taking part in British Army training exercises in Belize, worked on English dairy farms, and visited Africa. For ten weeks, William worked on local construction projects and taught English as part of the Raleigh International Programme in Tortel, southern Chile. He lived with other young volunteers, helping with household chores, including toilet cleaning, and also volunteering as a guest disc jockey at a local radio station. His curiosity in African history led him to teach himself Swahili.

William was back in the United Kingdom and had enrolled at the University of St Andrews by 2001. The media decided not to invade William's privacy, similar to his time at Eton, and students were warned not to reveal information about him to the public. The extra attention did not discourage him; he began a degree in Art History and later switched to Geography; William wrote his dissertation on the coral reefs off the coast of Rodrigues in the Indian Ocean and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (MA Hons) degree in 2005, receiving first class honors. He competed for the Scottish national Universities water polo team at the Celtic Nations tournament in 2004 while studying at university. Some students advised him not to worry about any journalists overhearing and realizing their identities. He was identified as "Steve" by some students. In February 2011, William returned to St Andrews with his wife as patron of the university's 600th Anniversary Appeal.

William interned in land management at Chatsworth House and in banking at HSBC as a student. He enrolled in a certificate in agricultural management at Cambridge, which was administered by the Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership (CPSL), of which his father is a member. According to a CNN article in 2014, the duchy is "a £760 million (roughly US$1.25 billion) entity established in 1337 to provide a private estate for use by the reigning monarch's eldest son," which William inherited when his father became king in 2022.

Personal life

When William and Catherine Middleton were students at St Salvator's Hall at the University of St Andrews in 2001, they met her. At a charity fashion preview on campus, she allegedly caught William's attention. In 2003, the couple began dating. William and two other friends lived in a flat in Middleton's second year. Both lived at Balgove House on the Strathtyrum estate from 2003 to 2005, with two roommates. The couple briefly broke off in 2004, but they rekindled their friendship shortly thereafter.

Their relationship was closely followed by the tabloid press, and Woolworths made memorabilia containing their names. William asked the media to keep their distance from Middleton because their interest became so intense. Middleton attended Prince William's Passing Out Parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on December 15, 2006.

William and Middleton's relationship ended in April 2007. Middleton and her family attended the Concert for Diana in July 2007, where she and Prince William sat two rows apart. The pair were later seen together in public on a number of occasions, and news outlets announced that they had "rekindled their friendship." Middleton was present at the Order of the Garter procession at Windsor Castle in June 2008, where Prince William was made a Royal Knight of the Garter. The couple moved to a cottage on the Bodorgan Estate in Anglesey, Wales, where William lived during his RAF search-and-rescue service and subsequent career.

William and Catherine were due to marry on November 16, 2010 in Clarence House; the couple had been engaged in Kenya in October. William's engagement ring had belonged to his mother. The wedding took place in Westminster Abbey, London, on April 29, 2011. William's new titles Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, and Baron Carrickfergus were announced just a few hours before the ceremony. According to estimates, there were around 300 million to the global audience for the wedding, while 26 million watched the event live in the United Kingdom. As a wedding gift from the Queen, the couple received the country home, Anmer Hall on the Sandringham Estate. William and Catherine's London home, Nottingham Cottage, was used following their marriage in 2011. In 2013, they moved to Kensington Palace's four-story, 20-room Apartment 1A. Renovations took 18 months at a cost of £4.5 million. In 2017, Kensington Palace became the couple's main residence, moving from Anmer Hall, the country's home. In 2022, it was announced that the couple, along with their children, would relocate to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.

Catherine's first pregnancy was announced on December 3, 2012. On July 22, 2013, she was admitted to the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital, London, where Prince William had been born. Prince George was born later that day. Catherine was expecting her second child on September 8, 2014, according to the newspaper. On May 2nd, she was admitted to the same hospital and gave birth to Princess Charlotte. Catherine's third pregnancy was announced on September 4, 2017; Prince Louis was born on September 23, 2018.

William and Catherine have owned two English Cocker Spaniels, named Lupo and Orla. Prince Constantine Alexios of Greece and Denmark, the godfather of Prince Constantine Alexios of Greece and Denmark (b. Mia Tindall (b. 1998), a distant cousin of Edinburgh's Duke, and a distant cousin of his grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh. Zara Tindall, his paternal cousin, died in 2014 (Zeland).

The bulk of the £12.9 million left by their mother on their respective 30th birthdays, according to William and his brother Harry, who inherited the "bulk" of the £12.9 million left by their mother on their respective 30th birthdays, a figure that had increased from her 1997 birth to £10 million each in 2014. William would also pay his brother £4.9 million from trust funds established by their great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's, on their respective 21st birthdays and reveal a payment of £8 million on their respective 40th birthdays, according to The Times in 2002. Harry is expected to inherit the bulk of the money left by the Queen Mother's two brothers, according to a source, when William is expected to ascend to the throne, giving him more financial benefits. William has inherited the Duchy of Cornwall, giving him additional funds as the King's eldest son.

The brothers inherited their mother's wedding dress in 2014, as well as several other items of her personal possessions, such as dresses, diamond tiaras, jewelry, letters, and paintings. Bernie Taupin and Elton John's original lyrics and score of "Candle in the Wind" were also performed by John at Diana's funeral.

After being accidentally struck on the forehead by a fellow pupil wielding a golf club, William was admitted to Royal Berkshire Hospital on June 3rd. He had a depressed skull fracture and was operated on at Great Ormond Street Hospital, resulting in a permanent scar. The news of this incident sparked quickly, and journalists descended on Ludgrove School to seek the name of the boy who had swung the golf club, but nobody revealed the identity until the headmaster briefed his students and swore them to silence. In a 2009 interview, he referred to the resulting scar as a "Harry Potter scar" and said, "I call it that because it glows occasionally and some people note it, but others don't notice it at all." After a finger fractured in 1999, he underwent an operation on his left hand.

William had tested positive for COVID-19 in April, but it was not to inform the public that the country was not concerned about 'avoiding alarming the world.' The Daily Telegraph announced that he had been "very sick" and had been isolated from his family; other sources claim he was not ill, not bedridden, and not working for the majority of the time.

Public life

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. On his 21st birthday, William and his father accompanied him on a tour of Wales, visiting the Anglesey Food Festival and establishing a center for the homeless in Newport. Following graduation from university, William began royal duties in support of, and on behalf of, the Queen at official functions, public appearances, and overseas tours. He embarked on his first solo overseas tour in July 2005, heading to New Zealand to attend the World War II commemorations. For the 30th anniversary of his father's charity The Prince's Trust, William and his brother were together interviewed for the first time by television stars Ant & Dec. Tina Brown, a writer, said he had, like his father, expressed an interest in becoming Australia's Governor-General. Prime Minister John Howard of Australia expressed his desire for the position to be held by an Australian citizen. With David Manning as his advisor, the Queen established a private office for William in 2009. Manning accompanied him on a tour of Auckland and Wellington in January 2010; William opened the Supreme Court of New Zealand's new building, which was welcomed by a Mori chief.

William and his brother spent June 2010 in Botswana, Lesotho, and South Africa, visiting projects relating to wildlife, sport, and young children. He attended a memorial service at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, on Remembrance Day in November 2010. William spoke at the memorial service in Hagley Park on behalf of his grandmother in March 2011. He travelled to Australia to visit areas in Queensland and Victoria that have been affected by flooding. Time magazine named him one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World in April 2011. At Buckingham Palace in May 2011, William and Catherine spoke with US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. In summer 2011, the couple toured Canada, spending the Canada Day festivities on Parliament Hill. In Copenhagen, Denmark, the pair visited the UNICEF Supply Division for malnourished children.

During various sporting events throughout the games, William and Catherine served as ambassadors for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. As part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in September 2012, they toured Singapore, Malaysia, Tuvalu, and the Solomon Islands. Throughout the year, William and Catherine attended more Jubilee commemorations, including the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant in July. In October 2013, the Prince attended his first investiture service at Buckingham Palace. In April 2014, William and Catherine undertook a royal tour to New Zealand and Australia with their son, Prince George. The tour included visits to the Plunket Society for children and visiting fire-ravaged areas in New South Wales. The couple travelled to Gold Beach, France, in June 2014, to attend the 70th anniversary of the Normandy landings. William flew to Malta in September 2014 to mark the country's 50th independence anniversary, swapping for his wife after the announcement of her second pregnancy. On October 21, William and Catherine met with Singapore President Tony Tan on his state visit to the United Kingdom. He spoke with President Obama in the Oval Office in December 2014 and spoke out against the illicit trade in wildlife at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. In December 2014, the couple stayed in New York and attended a charity dinner at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

William visited Japan in February 2015, visiting Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko at the Imperial Palace and visiting survivors of the 2011 tsunami victims. He toured Beijing, Shanghai, and Yunnan from 1 to 4 March, and met with President Xi Jinping. It was the first royal visit to mainland China in almost three decades. William and his wife undertook a trip to India and Bhutan in April 2016. During a visit to Lingkana Palace, visiting children's charities such as Childline India as well as a sightseeing tour. The couple reunited with the Obamas at Kensington Palace later this month. William and Catherine went to India and Bhutan in April 2016. In September 2016, the couple visited Canada for the second time. In November 2016, he visited Vietnam, met with Prime Minister Nguyen Phuc and visited local primary schools. The couple's visit to France, Poland, Germany, and Belgium in 2017 included France, Poland, Germany, and Belgium. In January 2018, the couple travelled to Sweden and Norway. The visits, which were, as others, were expected by the Foreign Office, and were interpreted to strengthen UK-European relations post Brexit. William toured Jordan, Israel, and Palestine in June 2018.

William and Catherine of Northern Ireland underwent a two-day visit in February 2019, visiting Belfast, Fermanagh, and Ballymena. William spent three weeks in March and April 2019 on MI6, MI5 and GCHQ. In October 2019, William and Catherine, the royal family's first visit to Pakistan in 13 years, made a tour of the country. William spent December 2019 in Kuwait and Oman, commemorating the Anglo-Kuwaiti Agreement of 1899, which was 120 years old. The couple undertook a three-day tour of Ireland in March 2020, visiting County Meath, Kildare, and Galway. The couple and President Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, and First Lady Olena Zelenska at Buckingham Palace on October 20, the first royal reception at the palace since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. In December, the pair embarked on a three-day tour of England, Scotland, and Wales aboard the British royal train "to honor the unfathing work of individuals, businesses, and agencies around the world." Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, expressed his support for the initiative, while First Minister Nicola Sturgeon sluggish about the tour, citing travel restrictions; before booking the tour, UK, Scottish, and Welsh governments were consulted. The couple toured Edinburgh, Fife, and Orkney in May 2021, when William was Lord High Commissioner to the Church of Scotland's General Assembly. William and Catherine were among the first visitors to attend the G7 summit in Cornwall on June 11, 2021. They also attended a reception, where William and his father discussed both governmental and corporate approaches to environmental issues.

As part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, William and Catherine embarked on a tour of Belize, The Bahamas, and Jamaica in March 2022. Given the British royal family's ancestral links to colonialism and the Atlantic slave trade, they were chastised by a variety of political figures and the media. During the couple's visit, reparations for slavery became a significant demand. During the visit, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness told the couple that the country intends to become a republic. William told the royal family with "pride and reverence" that they would accept each country's decision. William described the Caribbean tour as "a chance to reflect" on "the many topics that matter most to the people of the region," and referring to the Windrush incident in 2022, as well as discrimination against minorities.

William attended the State Opening of Parliament for the first time as a counsellor of state, where his father, Prince of Wales, delivered the Queen's Address on behalf of William's grandmother in May 2022. He attended King Charles III's Proclamation Council on September 10, 2022, and he served as a witness alongside his stepmother Queen Camilla on September 10, 2022. William and Catherine visited Anglesey and Swansea on September 27th, their first visit to Wales since being Prince and Princess of Wales.

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