William, Prince of Wales

**William, Prince of Wales**, KG, KT, PC, ADC (William Arthur Philip Louis; 21 June 1982) is a member of the British royal family and the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the oldest son of Charles III and the late Diana, Princess of Wales. He is the second-oldest grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. He is first in line to the British throne. He married Catherine Middleton, now Catherine, Princess of Wales, on 29 April 2011. Before his wedding, Prince William was made Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus.

## Early life

Prince William was born at St Mary's Hospital in London. His father is Charles III. His mother was Diana, Princess of Wales. He is the third grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. His mother, Diana, tried to shield Prince William and his younger brother, Prince Harry, from the media.

William and Harry's parents, Diana and Charles, divorced in 1992. The divorce was very controversial and the media was very interested in the personal lives of the royal family. In 1997, Diana died in a car crash.

## Education

Prince William began learning at independent schools then Jane Mynors' nursery school and the pre-preparatory Wetherby School, both in London. Following this, he went to Ludgrove School, and, after passing the entrance exams, he went to Eton College, where he learnt geography, biology, and art history at A-Level.

At Eton, he took part in many sports including Football, basketball, and water polo. He then took a year away from education (a 'gap year') before going to the University of St Andrews. He graduated in 2004, with a degree in geography.

## Military

William graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on 15 December 2006; the graduation parade was attended by the Queen and the Prince of Wales, along with other members of the Royal Family, and William officially received his commission as a lieutenant.

With his rank obtained, the Prince, using the name of William Wales, followed his younger brother into the Blues and Royals as a troop commander in an armoured reconnaissance unit, after which he spent four months in training for the post at Bovington Camp, Dorset. He also learned to fly, and became a RAF Search and Rescue pilot.

## Marriage to Kate Middleton

On 16 November 2010, it was announced by Clarence House that William and Catherine Middleton were to marry. Catherine was a commoner (not royalty). The couple had met at University of St Andrews. Their engagement began on 16 November 2010. The wedding took place on 29 April 2011 in Westminster Abbey, London. That day was made a bank holiday in the UK. After the wedding, William and Catherine became known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

## Children

On 22 July 2013, Catherine gave birth to a baby boy. On 24 July, it was announced that the baby would be called Prince George of Cambridge, with the full given name of George Alexander Louis.

A daughter, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, was born on 2 May 2015. She was given the full name of Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.

On 23 April 2018, a second son was born. He was given the full name of Louis Arthur Charles.

Now that William is Prince of Wales his children are all known as Princes/ses "of Wales" rather than "of Cambridge".

In 2020, his brother, Prince Harry decided to leave the royal family with his wife, Meghan. Since then, it has been reported that the relationship between William and Harry has been very tense.

## Royal duties

Prince William has done many public duties for his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and his father, King Charles III. William and Kate have visited many countries on behalf the royal family. In 2022, they took a tour of the Caribbean Commonwealth realms. The tour attracted a lot of criticism from protestors, who demanded that the royal family apologised for their involvement in slavery. William has also visited Pakistan, Japan, America and Canada.

## Future

As Duke of Cambridge he was second in line to the throne. When his grandmother died he became first in line (Duke of Cornwall) and the next day his father made him Prince of Wales.

Through his mother's line he is descended from numerous dukes. He is also a descendant of Charles II of England and James II of England. If he becomes King, he will be the first monarch descended from Charles I of England since Queen Anne. He is also related to King Henry IV of England. Sir Winston Churchill is also distantly related to William.