Profile of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge

Title: Prince William of Wales, Duke of Cambridge
Full Name: William Arthur Philip Louis

Father: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales
Mother: Diana, Princess of Wales
Relation to Elizabeth II: Grandson
Born: June 21, 1982 at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London
Current Age: 30 years, 3 months and 28 days
Married: Catherine Middleton on April 29, 2011 at Westminster Abbey

Prince William was born on 21 June 1982 in St Mary’s hospital Paddington, London, and is the eldest son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. He was christened by the Archbishop of Canterbury at Buckingham Palace on 4 August 1982. His parents divorced in 1996 and his mother Princess Diana was killed in a car accident in 1997. He and his brother Harry had to endure intense media interest following the death and funeral of Diana. He attended primary and prep schools in London and then Ludgrove school in Berkshire, before going to Eton College from July 1995 where he studied Biology and History of Art at A level. He was a keen on swimming and football and was captain of his house team. During a gap year in 2000/2001 he visited Belize in S. America where he took part in an army training exercise, Chile where he worked on a dairy farm as a volunteer with Raleigh International, and 15 weeks studying conservation in Africa. On his return he entered the University of St Andrews in Scotland where he started on a degree in History of Art but later changed to Geography. He graduated in 2005 with a 2.1 degree in Geography.

In January 2006 he became an officer cadet at Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst joining his brother who had been there since May 2005. He passed out on 15 December 2006 at a parade attended by the Queen and the Prince of Wales and received a commission as 2nd Lieutenant in the Blues and Royals regiment. He trained at Bovington as a troop commander in an armoured reconnaissance unit, and in 2008 is completing attachments to the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy following in the footsteps of his father. In January 2009 he started training as a pilot of Sea King search and rescue helicopters, and is now an operational pilot based in North Wales with one of the 6 UK based RAF Search and Rescue flights. The normal tour of duty is 30 to 36 months.

His interests include sport and he is president of England Football Association and Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union. He supports Aston Villa football club. As one of the world’s most eligible bachelors, his relationship with his long-term girlfriend Catherine (Kate) Middleton whom he met at University in 2001 was closely followed by the media. Her family has a middle class background with no titled connections. Their 9 year relationship was the centre of considerable media attention and included threats of legal action over harassment from the press, a break up for a few months in 2007 and statements at the time that they were ‘just good friends’, however they were increasingly seen together at public events.

Prince William is reported to have asked her to marry him during a holiday in Kenya, and the engagement ring belonged to his late mother Diane. The engagement was announced on 16 November 2010, and they were married on 29 April 2011 in Westminster Abbey. Prince William and Catherine were made Duke and Duchess of Cambridge by the Queen on their marriage. They live in North Wales where Prince William is a serving helicopter pilot in the Royal Air Force. Their first official Royal Tour will be to Canada in July 2011. He is second in line to the British throne after his father Charles, Prince of Wales. If he accedes to the throne after his father he will become King William V and his wife Queen Catherine.

Prince William of Wales
Duke of Cambridge

HRH Prince William, The Duke of CambridgeWho: Prince William is the amazingly tall blonde son of Prince Charles and the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
His story: Prince William’s childhood was anything but typical. As the future king, he is expected to take on responsibilities not required of many young men. His late mother tried to make life as normal as possible for him, taking him to McDonald’s, shopping, or to visit members of her charitable organizations. Prince Charles, though more inclined to give William a traditional royal upbringing, allowed Diana to show their son everyday life.
However, at the age of five, he told friends that he wasn’t allowed to know the name of his school “for security reasons.” As one of the two most senior heirs to the throne, William has never been able to fly on the same aircraft with his father in case of an attack or accident. And wherever Prince William goes, personal policemen are never far off. Not an everyday occurrence for a young boy!
Prince William has one sibling, his younger brother Harry, who was born in 1984. The two are very close and have been known for their good-natured ribbing of each other in front of the press. In fact, it is said William gets along very well with everyone, and has a very cheerful nature. His father had trouble fitting in and was cruelly hazed while at Cheam, his preparatory school, whereas William has had an easier time with classmates.
His first school was Mrs. Mynors’ Nursery School in London, a first for a future king. At age eight, Prince William was sent to Ludgrove where he shared a room with four other boys. He spent five years there, and it was during this time that Charles and Diana separated and began divorce proceedings. When on holiday from school, William and Harry divided their time between Charles and Diana, at either St.James’ Palace and Highgrove, (Charles’ offices and private home,respectively) or Kensington Palace.
The prince was close to both his mother and father. Charles was a good father, but was criticized in the press when his duties took him away from his boys. They usually made up for lost time during family holidays in Switzerland or at Balmoral.
At Ludgrove, Prince William proved to be an excellent athlete. He was on the school soccer,basketball, and swimming teams, and became captain of hockey and rugby teams. He also participated in clay pigeon shooting and cross country running, and is an excellent skier.
After Ludgrove came Eton. Eton was a very traditional establishment which was known for producing future Prime Ministers, diplomats, Civil Servants, poets, and historians. After graduating from Eton, William spent his gap year working in Chile and visiting several countries in Africa. As the year came to a close, William had to choose which university he would attend – he chose to study at St. Andrews University in Fife, Scotland.
While at St. Andrews, William met the dashing, sporty brunette Catherine Middleton. She was one of his roommates during their time at college, but their romantic relationship came to light in 2001 over a cuddle during a skiing holiday.
The Prince graduated from St Andrews with a 2:1 in Geography in 2005. He and Middleton continued their relationship, but at one point decided to break it off in early 2007. Reports said it was due to the prince’s military career and his move to an army camp in Dorset; others said the intense media pressure caused Kate to flee. Happily, the pair stayed friends.
After getting together a few months later for the “Concert For Diana”, love blossomed once more. The pair became engaged in October 2010 during a holiday in Africa.
HM The Queen bestowed the Dukedom of Cambridge upon William for his wedding on April 29th, 2011. Kate is now known as HRH The Duchess of Cambridge.
Side Note:
Prince William was a rambunctious little boy. The media loved reporting on his behavior, especially while bedeviling a flower girl at his uncle Andrew’s wedding with a ceremonial dagger. Such misadventures earned him the name “Billy the Basher”. As he grew older, he became more quiet and thoughtful.
The Details
Full Name: William Arthur Philip Louis

Date of Birth: June 21, 1982

Hometown: London, England

Education: Eton College

University: St. Andrews

Residence: Anglesey, Wales/Kensington Palace