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William, Prince of Wales (born 21 June 1982) is the heir to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales [1], and stands first in the line of succession [2]. This page uses only the information published by the Royal Household on royal.uk.
Birth and education
The Royal Household records that Prince William was born at 9.03pm on 21 June 1982 at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, and was christened William Arthur Philip Louis by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Robert Runcie, in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace on 4 August 1982 [1].
He went to Mrs Mynors Nursery School in west London and to Wetherby School from 1987, then to Ludgrove School in Berkshire from 1990, and to Eton College from 1995 to 2000, where he took A Levels in Geography, Biology and History of Art [1]. After a gap year that included exercises with the Welsh Guards in Belize and volunteering with Raleigh International in Chile, he went to the University of St Andrews in September 2001. He switched from History of Art to Geography and graduated in June 2005 with a 2:1 Master of Arts (Honours) in Geography [1].
Military and flying career
After university he trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and was commissioned in December 2006 into the Household Cavalry (Blues and Royals) as a Second Lieutenant, becoming a Lieutenant a year later [1]. He then trained as a Search and Rescue pilot from early 2009 and joined C Flight, 22 Squadron at RAF Valley in Anglesey in September 2010. In three years with the RAF he took part in 156 search and rescue operations [1]. The Royal Household gives his full-time military service as seven and a half years [1].
From March 2015 to July 2017 he worked as a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance, flying out of Cambridge Airport [1].
Marriage and children
On 29 April 2011 Prince William married Catherine Middleton, whom he had met at St Andrews [1]. They have three children [1]:
- Prince George (born 22 July 2013), second in line [2][3]
- Princess Charlotte (born 2 May 2015), third in line [2][3]
- Prince Louis (born 23 April 2018), fourth in line [2][3]
Titles
On the day of his marriage, Queen Elizabeth II created him Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus [1]. When King Charles III acceded on the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, Prince William became Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay, and the King announced in his first address to the Nation and Commonwealth that his elder son would be known as The Prince of Wales, the title the King himself had held for over 64 years [1].
He was appointed a Royal Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter on St George's Day 2008 and, in 2012, a Knight of the Order of the Thistle [1].
Public role
The Royal Household describes the Prince's work as supporting the King through charitable work, royal duties and engagements in the UK and overseas, including state visits, Trooping the Colour and investitures at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, where he presents honours on the King's behalf [1]. He lays a wreath at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday [1].
His charitable priorities, as listed on royal.uk, are the natural environment, through the Earthshot Prize (first awards ceremony in London in October 2021) and United for Wildlife; homelessness, through the five-year Homewards programme; mental health; and the welfare of serving and former members of the Armed Forces [1]. He is President of the Football Association and of BAFTA, and President or Royal Patron of nearly 30 organisations [1]. Much of this work is carried out with the Princess of Wales through The Royal Foundation [1].
His military affiliations include Royal Colonel of the Welsh Guards, and, from August 2023, Colonel-in-Chief of the Mercian Regiment and of the Army Air Corps and Royal Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Valley [1].
Place in the line of succession
Under the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, which applies to those born after 28 October 2011, birth order rather than sex decides precedence; Prince William's children therefore follow him in order of birth [2]. See GOTHA's line of succession to the British throne.
Licence: this article is original GOTHA text, released under CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Its sources are summarised or briefly quoted.