Prince William is the elder son of Princess Diana and King Charles III and is the next in line to the British throne. He was strongly affected by his parents' divorce in 1996 and his mother's tragic death in 1997 and expressed discomfort at the growing attention he received as he reached adulthood. William served in the Royal Air Force and supports numerous charities.

On April 29, 2011, he made international headlines when he married his college sweetheart, Kate Middleton, at Westminster Abbey. The couple's son Prince George, second in line to the throne, was born on July 22, 2013. Their second child, Princess Charlotte, was born on May 2, 2015, and another son, Prince Louis, followed on April 23, 2018.

Early Life & Education

Prince William was born Prince William Arthur Philip Louis Windsor on June 21, 1982, in London, England, the elder son of Diana, Princess of Wales, and Charles, Prince of Wales. His official title is "His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales."

William attended Mrs. Mynor's Nursery school in West London (1985-87), Wetherby School in Kensington, London (1987-90), and Ludgrove School in Wokingham (1990-95). In 1995, at the urging of his grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince William (nicknamed "Wills") entered Eton College, one of England's most prestigious secondary schools. A serious student with excellent grades, he also excelled in sports at Eton, particularly swimming. With his father and brother, he enjoys outdoor sports including riding, skiing, shooting and fishing.

Affected by both his parents' divorce in 1996 and his mother's tragic death in 1997, the tall and handsome young William publicly stated his dislike for the press, and expressed discomfort with the growing attention he received from love-struck adolescent girls. He gave the impression of being a well-mannered, responsible and mature young man with a strong sense of duty and loyalty to the royal family, fully aware of his role as the future king of England.

Military Service and Philanthropy

Upon his graduation from Eton, William took a break from his studies to visit South America and Africa. He then attended Scotland's St Andrew's University, where he received a degree in geography in 2005. Following in the footsteps of his younger brother, Prince Harry, William joined the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as a military cadet and received his commission as a second lieutenant in the Household Cavalry in December 2006. In 2008, he was appointed to be a Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. Two years later, he graduated from his search-and-rescue pilot course with the Royal Air Force.

Along with his military career, William supports numerous charities, including serving as patron to Centrepoint, an organization for homeless youth, and the Tusk Trust, which is dedicated to the preservation of African wildlife. In 2007, William and his brother Harry hosted a special concert to celebrate their late mother and raise funds for charities that Princess Diana supported during her life as well as charities supported by the princes.

In September 2013, Prince William announced that he would be leaving the military to focus on his royal responsibilities and charity work. Additionally, according to BBC News, Prince William planned to devote much of his energy to wildlife conservation. He explained that "The threats to our natural heritage are extensive, but I believe that this collaboration of the best minds in conservation will provide the impetus for a renewed commitment and action to protect endangered species and habitats for future generations."

While still maintaining his royal duties, Prince William announced in 2014 that he would be taking a position as a pilot for Bond Air Services, an air ambulance company. He started training for the position in 2015. It was reported that Prince William was believed to be the first British royal heir to work in the private sector and that his salary would be donated to charity.

Kate Middleton

As the future king of England, William has seen his personal life become the subject of much media attention. He was romantically linked to Kate Middleton after the couple met while attending St. Andrew's University, with rumors of a possible engagement swirling around the pair for months. To the surprise of royal watchers, the couple announced that they were splitting up in April 2007, before Middleton resurfaced at several public and official events and accompanied Prince William on vacation. Speculation about a wedding engagement between the two continued to swell.

On November 16, 2010, it was announced that Prince William and Kate Middleton were engaged. Prince William had popped the question in October during a holiday in Kenya, using his mother's engagement ring. It was also stated that the couple would live in North Wales, where Prince William was stationed with the Royal Air Force. Middleton is not of royal or aristocratic lineage, which is a break from longtime royal tradition.

With his marriage at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011, the Queen officially conferred her grandson with the title William, Duke of Cambridge, as well as the additional titles Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus. Later, he was appointed to Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

Royal Births

Anticipating the arrival of Middleton and Prince William's firstborn, international media outlets camped out in front of St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington at the beginning of July 2013. St. Mary's was the same hospital where Princess Diana gave birth to Prince William and later Prince Harry.

On July 22, 2013, the palace announced Middleton had given birth to a baby boy, weighing in at 8 pounds and 6 ounces, at 4:24 p.m. local time. Two days later, the baby's name was revealed: George Alexander Louis, who will be known as "His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge."

Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge welcomed their second child on May 2, 2015. The Duchess gave birth to a daughter, Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, weighing 8 pounds, 3 ounces, at 8:34 a.m. local time at St Mary's Hospital. The baby is the Queen's fifth great-grandchild and the third in line to the throne after her brother Prince George.

In September 2017, Kensington Palace announced that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were expecting their third child. Middleton gave birth to Prince Louis Arthur Charles on April 23, 2018. The newest member of their family weighed 8 lb, 7 oz.

The Royal Foundation

Created in 2009 as The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry, the charitable organization eventually became The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2019.

The foundation has focused on issues like mental health via the Heads Together initiative, as well as programs to support children and veterans making the transition to civilian life.

In late 2019, Prince William announced plans for the Earthshot Prize to be awarded every year, over the course of a decade, to five recipients who present the best solutions to the planet's pressing environmental problems.

In April 2020, the Duke and Duchess revealed that they would use the foundation to aid frontline responders and families affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

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. After his marriage, William's public image grew more "staid" and fatherly, 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".

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.