William Mountbatten-Windsor

**William, Prince of Wales** (William Arthur Philip Louis, born June 21, 1982) is a member of british royal family. He is oldest son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales.He is the heir apparent to british throne.

He has a younger brother Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (b.1984).

In 2011, William was made *Duke of Cambridge* preceding his marriage to Catherine Middleton. They have three children: Prince George (b.2013), Princess Charlotte (b.2015) and Prince Louis (b.2018), who are 2nd, 3rd and 4th in Line of succession.

## Early life

Prince William was born on June 21, 1982 at St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London. On June 28, 1982, His name, William Arthur Philip Louis, was announced by then Prince Charles and Diana.

He was christened on August 4, 1982, the 82nd of his great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace. His godparents are former King Constantine II of Greece, Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Mrs Ogilvy, the Duchess of Westminster, Lady Susan Hussey, Lord Romsey (his paternal second cousin once removed) and Sir Laurens van der Post.

In 1996, William's parents divorced. On August 31, 1997, Diana passed away in a car accident in France. Prince William, then aged 15, along with his 12-year-old brother, Prince Harry, and their father, then Prince of Wales, was staying at Balmoral Castle at the time. The following morning, Prince Charles, told them about Diana's death. William was reportedly uncertain as to whether he should walk behind his mother's coffin during the funeral procession.

His grandfather Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, told him: "If you don't walk, i think you'll regret later. If I walk, will you walk with me?". At the funeral, William and Harry, walked alongside their father, grand father and maternal uncle, Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, behind the funeral cortège fro Kensington Palace to Westminster Abbey.

## Education

William was educated at private 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 by Rory Stewart. At Ludgrove, he participated in football, swimming, basketball, clay pigeon shooting, and cross country running. He was subsequently admitted to Eton College, studying geography, biology, and history of art at A-Level. He obtained an 'A' in geography, a 'C' in biology, and a 'B' in history of art. William was captain of the swimming team and his house football team at Eton, also taking up water polo.

The decision to place William at Eton went against the family tradition of sending royal children to Gordonstoun, which his grandfather and father both attended. Diana's father and brother both attended Eton. The royal family and the tabloid press agreed that William would be allowed to study free from intrusion in exchange for regular updates about his life. John Wakeham, chairman of the Press Complaints Commission, stated "Prince William is not an institution; nor a soap star; nor a football hero. He is a boy: in the next few years, perhaps the most important and sometimes painful part of his life, he will grow up and become a man." While at Eton, he often had tea on weekends at the nearby Windsor Castle with his grandmother, discussing state boxes and constitutional duties meant to "prepare [him] as future King."

On 3 June 1991, William was admitted to the Royal Berkshire Hospital after being accidentally hit on the forehead by a fellow pupil wielding a golf club. He suffered a depressed fracture of the skull and was operated on at Great Ormond Street Hospital, resulting in a permanent scar. The incident received widespread media attention. In 1999, he underwent an operation on his left hand after he broke a finger. 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, and visited Africa. As part of the Raleigh International programme in the town of Tortel in southern Chile, William worked for ten weeks on local construction projects and taught English. He lived with other young volunteers, sharing in the common household chores. His interest in African culture prompted him to teach himself Swahili.

In 2001, William enrolled at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Similar to his time at Eton, the media agreed not to invade William's privacy, and students were warned not to leak stories to the press. He embarked on a degree course in Art History but later changed his main subject to Geography. William wrote his dissertation on the coral reefs of Rodrigues in the Indian Ocean and graduated with an undergraduate Master of Arts (MA Hons) 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. He was reportedly known as "Steve" by other students to avoid any journalists overhearing and realising his identity

## Personal life

In 2001, William met Catherine Middleton while they were students in residence at St Salvator's Hall at the University of St Andrews, and they became close friends. She reportedly caught William's attention at a charity fashion show at the university in 2002 when she appeared on the stage wearing a see-through lace dress. During their second year, William shared a flat with Middleton and two other friends. The couple began dating in 2003. From 2003 to 2005, they both resided at Balgove House on the Strathtyrum estate with two roommates. In 2004, the couple briefly split but reconciled soon afterwards.

The relationship was followed closely by the tabloid press. Media attention became so intense that William asked the press to keep their distance from Middleton. On 15 December 2006, Middleton and her family attended William's Passing Out Parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. In April 2007, William and Middleton were reported to have split. Middleton and her family attended the Concert for Diana in July 2007 at Wembley Stadium, The couple were subsequently reported to have "rekindled their relationship". Middleton was in attendance during the Order of the Garter procession ceremony at Windsor Castle in June 2008, where William was made a Royal Knight of the Garter. In June 2010, the couple moved into a cottage on the Bodorgan Estate in Anglesey, Wales, where they resided until 2014

The couple became engaged in October 2010 while on holiday in Kenya. Clarence House announced their engagement on 16 November. William gave his fianceé his mother's engagement ring. The wedding took place in Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011. One million people lined the wedding procession route in London, while the global audience for the wedding was reported to be over 300 million. William and Catherine used Nottingham Cottage as their London home until 2013, when £4.5 million renovations completed at Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace, which continues to be their official residence in the capital. The couple were given the country house Anmer Hall, on the Sandringham Estate, as a wedding gift from the Queen, where they lived from 2015 to 2017. Kensington Palace was the couple's main residence until 2017, when the family moved to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.

Catherine's first pregnancy was announced on 3 December 2012. She was admitted on 22 July 2013 to the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital, London, where Prince William had been delivered. Later that day, she gave birth to Prince George. On 8 September 2014, it was announced that Catherine was pregnant with her second child. She was admitted on 2 May 2015 to the same hospital and gave birth to Princess Charlotte. Catherine's third pregnancy was announced on 4 September 2017; Prince Louis was born on 23 April 2018. William and Catherine have owned two English Cocker Spaniels, named Lupo and Orla

## Titles and succession

* June 21, 1982 - April 29, 2011: *His Royal Highness Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales*
* April 29, 2011 - September 8, 2022: *His Royal Highness The Duke of Sussex*
	+ in Scotland: April 29, 2011 - September 8, 2022: *His Royal Highness The Earl of Strathearn*
* September 8, 2022 - September 9, 2022: *His Royal Highness The Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge*
	+ in Scotland: September 8, 2022 - present: *His Royal Highness The Duke of Rothesay*
* September 9, 2022 - present: *His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales*
* February 13, 2023 - present: *His Royal Highness The Earl of Chester*

William has been a British prince since birth, and was known as "Prince William of Wales" until 2011. On his wedding day, 29 April 2011, his grandmother Elizabeth II created him Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus. The letters patent granting these titles were issued on 26 May that year.

As the eldest son of the monarch, William automatically became Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland on the accession of his father on 8 September 2022. From 8 to 9 September, William was styled as "His Royal Highness the Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge". On 9 September, Charles announced the creation of William as Prince of Wales. William has since been known as "His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales", except in Scotland, where he is called "His Royal Highness the Duke of Rothesay" instead. The letters patent formally granting him this title and that of Earl of Chester were issued on 13 February 2023.