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William, Prince of Wales

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Prince William
Prince William of Wales
Names
William Arthur Philip Louis[1]
HouseHouse of Windsor
FatherCharles, Prince of Wales
MotherDiana, Princess of Wales
OccupationCornet, Blues and Royals
"Prince William" redirects here. For other uses, see Prince William (disambiguation).

Prince William of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the elder son of Charles, Prince of Wales and the late Diana, Princess of Wales. He is second in the line of succession to the British throne and those of each of the other Commonwealth Realms. He is also the President of The Football Association and supports Aston Villa Football Club. As the son of the Prince of Wales and the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince William is a member of the British Royal Family.

The prince is as of 2007 serving as a Cornet in the Blues and Royals regiment of the British Army's Household Cavalry, together with his younger brother, Prince Harry. Within his regiment, he is known as Cornet William Wales.[2]

Early life

Childhood

Prince William was born on 21 June 1982 (21:03) at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, West London, England. His father is Charles, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His mother was the late Diana, Princess of Wales, youngest daughter of John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer and Frances Ruth Burke-Roche. As a male-line grandchild of the British monarch and son of the Prince of Wales, he is styled "His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales". As a child, he was affectionately called by his parents Wombat, Camel[citation needed], or Wills.

He was baptised by then Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Robert Runcie, on 4 August 1982, on the 82nd birthday of his paternal great grandmother Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon the Queen Mother. The baptism took place in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace. His godparents are: former King Constantine II of Greece, Sir Laurens van der Post, Princess Alexandra, the Duchess of Westminster, Lord Brabourne and Lady Susan Hussey.

Through his maternal grandfather, Prince William has descended from King Charles II of England and King James II of England. William, should he become King, will be the first monarch since Queen Anne to be descended from Charles I of England.

He has a younger brother, Prince Henry of Wales, born 15 September 1984.

Royal family of
the United Kingdom and the
other Commonwealth realms
Badge of the House of Windsor

On 1 March 1991 (Saint David's Day), Prince William made his first official public appearance during a visit to Cardiff, the capital of Wales. After arriving by plane, the eight-year-old prince was taken by his parents to Llandaff Cathedral. After a tour of the cathedral, he signed its visitors' book, demonstrating that he was left-handed. Photographs of the Prince taken during his visit are on permanent display at the cathedral. On his departure, numerous school children and local residents from the surrounding area presented gifts to him, which he received with a smile and the whispered words "thank you".

On 3 June 1991, Prince William was admitted to the Royal Berkshire Hospital after being hit on the side of the forehead by another pupil wielding a golf club. The Prince did not lose consciousness, but suffered a depressed fracture of the skull and was operated on at the Great Ormond Street Hospital. A slight scar is still visible today. [citation needed]

Death of the Princess of Wales

On 31 August 1997, Prince William's mother, Diana, Princess of Wales was killed in a car accident in Paris. Her death came days after she spent a holiday in southern France with both Prince William and Prince Harry. Both princes were staying with the Queen at Balmoral Castle at the time. Their father, Charles, woke them from their sleep to tell them the news.

At his mother's funeral, Prince William accompanied his father, brother, his grandfather Prince Philip and his uncle Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer in the funeral cortège from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey. During his eulogy, the Earl Spencer promised that the Spencer family would take an active interest in looking after Diana's children, although William has seen little of him since then and also had little contact with Frances Shand Kydd, Diana's mother. It was said William was very upset when his mother was stripped of her title of HRH when she divorced. [citation needed]

Education

Prince William attended independent schools in southern England. In his early years he was a pupil at Mrs Jane Mynors' nursery school and the pre-preparatory Wetherby School, both in West London. In 1987, he also joined Fun With Music, a music appreciation class conducted by Ann Rachlin. Then, he attended Ludgrove School in Berkshire, a preparatory school. After passing an entrance exam, he went on to Eton College in Berkshire. Whilst there, he studied geography, biology, maths and history of art at A-level. He was a keen football player and captained his house team.

Like a growing number of British teenagers, Prince William chose to take a gap year after finishing Eton College. He took part in a British Army training exercise in Belize. He spent the final stage of his gap year in southern Chile as a volunteer with Raleigh International. Pictures of the prince cleaning a toilet were broadcast around the world.[3]

After his gap year, Prince William attended the University of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland from 2001, graduating in 2005. He embarked on a degree course in History of Art, but later changed his main subject to Geography. William earned a Scottish Master of Arts degree with upper-second class honours, the highest academic achievement of any heir to the British and other Commonwealth Realm thrones[citation needed]. At St Andrews, the Prince used the name William Wales[citation needed].

In January 2006, Prince William began his cadet course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst to train as an Army Officer, joining his brother who had been there since May 2005. He passed out in December 2006, following his brother into the Blues and Royals.

Royal duties and career

At the age of 21, as second in line to the throne, he became eligible to become a Counsellor of State, and first served in that capacity when the Queen was abroad on a state visit to Nigeria in 2003.

In July 2005, William carried out his first official engagements representing The Queen, as Queen of New Zealand, at World War II commemorations in New Zealand. In the autumn of 2005, the prince took two work placements. He initially worked in land management at Chatsworth House, a Peak District estate of the Duke of Devonshire. William's second work placement was with the HSBC Group in London.

William's first patronage was to the UK charity Centrepoint, [4] which works with homeless young people. During his mother's patronage to the charity, William would occasionally accompany her on visits. William is also patron of the Tusk Trust, an African conservation charity based in the UK.

The prince has been the president of England's Football Association since May 2006. In August 2006 it was announced that he would become Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union from February 2007, supporting his grandmother the Queen, who is Patron of the WRU. In 2007 the WRU's decision to name a new cup for test matches between Wales and South Africa the Prince William Cup caused controversy, with many believing it would be more fitting to name the cup after the late Ray Gravell, with thousands signing on-line petitions.[5][6][7]

In August of 2006, the Queen appointed Prince William to two patronages of the Royal Navy. William is Commodore-in-Chief for Scotland and Commodore-in-Chief for submarines.

Like many of his predecessors, Prince William has chosen to serve in the British Armed Forces. On 15 December 2006, Prince William graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS). The passing out parade was attended by the Queen and the Prince of Wales, along with other members of the Royal Family and Kate Middleton, Prince William's girlfriend. Prince William officially received his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant at a midnight ceremony on 15 December, 2006. Following the announcement in September, Prince William followed his younger brother into the Blues and Royals as a troop leader. Prince William will now spend four months at Bovington Camp in Dorset, training to become a troop commander in an armoured reconnaissance unit.

Prince William and Prince Harry have both indicated that they would be prepared to undertake active service. Given his position in the succession and the reluctance of previous British governments to allow the heir to the throne to be put into dangerous situations, it remains to be seen if this wish will be fully realised. However, Major General Sebastian Roberts, general officer commanding the Household Division, indicated it was possible that the prince could be deployed to a conflict zone. However, Prince Harry's May 2007 deployment was cancelled because of "specific threats".

Unlike Prince Harry, who will continue as a career soldier, Prince William will go on to spend time with both the RAF and the Royal Navy to prepare him for his future role. He will also increasingly carry out public engagements in parallel to his military career.

Prince William has also reportedly expressed a desire to become the Governor General of Australia.[citation needed] That such a desire should ever be fulfilled remains doubtful, according to John Howard the former Prime Minister of Australia, who said ""We have for a long time embraced the idea that the person who occupies that post should be in every way an Australian citizen". [2]

In July 2007, Prince William represented the Royal Family when he opened the 21st World Scout Jamboree celebrating the centennial of the founding of the Scout Movement.

On Saturday 6 October 2007, it was revealed that Prince William's former Platoon Commander, Major Alexis Roberts, had been killed in Afghanistan, making Major Roberts the most senior British officer to be killed since the beginning of the conflict in 2001. Prince William was said to be "deeply saddened" at the death of his former platoon commander. [8]

In January 2008, Second Lieutenant Wales after only a year in the Blues and Royals will go on attachment to the Royal Air Force and then the Royal Navy, following in the footsteps of his father, Charles, Prince of Wales, who is able to fly both helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft. [9]. William is thought to be taking these attachments in order to prepare himself for any future career as Head of the Armed Forces, if he becomes King.

Girlfriend

William's private life has been the subject of much conjecture.

Kate Middleton

In late 2005 the media began intensively reporting his long-term relationship with girlfriend Kate Middleton, formerly one of his university flatmates, whom he began dating in November or December 2003. There was no statement from the Queen or the Prince of Wales regarding their views of the relationship or a possible marriage.

Kate Middleton attended Prince William's passing out parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on 15 December 2006. This was the first high-profile event Middleton attended as Prince William's guest. She was accompanied by her parents and the prince's private secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton. Her dress was very much in contrast to her modelling days in which she was clad in swimwear (causing a slight dispute among the Royals).

On 14 April 2007 The Sun newspaper broke a 'world exclusive' suggesting that Prince William and Kate Middleton had split up.[10] Other media outlets such as the BBC confirmed the story as the day progressed. The couple decided to break up during a recent holiday in the Swiss resort of Zermatt.[11][12]

A report in the Daily Mail blamed a desire by royal courtiers not to "hurry along" a marriage announcement, and William's desire to enjoy his bachelor status within his Army career. The Mail also suggested that William's friend Guy Pelly encouraged the Prince to take a "careless approach" to relationships. The same article suggested that Middleton had "expected too much" in wanting William to demonstrate his commitment to her.[13]

In June 2007, the young couple attended a party at Lulworth army barracks together. At the time Middleton and William insisted they were "just good friends" following reports of a reconciliation.[14] In July 2007 Middleton accepted an invitation from William to attend the Concert for Diana, held at London's Wembley Stadium, but they sat two rows apart.[15] In August 2007 after the couple spent a week-long holiday together on the isolated island of Desroche in the Seychelle Islands, the BBC and the Daily Mail, among other news sources, stated that Prince William and Ms. Middleton were reconciled and had resumed their relationship. In October 2007 Middleton flew to Scotland with William and they joined his father Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall for a shooting party on the Balmoral Estate.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Styles of
HRH Prince William of Wales
File:Monarch's Grandchildren Coronet.svg
Reference styleHis Royal Highness
Spoken styleYour Royal Highness
Alternative styleSir

Titles and styles

  • 21 June 1982-: His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales

Surname usage

Under an Order-in-Council in 1960, the non-titled descendants of Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh were given the surname Mountbatten-Windsor, combining the dynasty name of Elizabeth and the assumed surname of Philip. However, although titled, the Queen's children have all decided to use the surname also in honour of their father. For their banns for their first marriages, both William's aunt, Anne, Princess Royal and his own father, Charles, Prince of Wales, used Mountbatten-Windsor rather than Windsor. Mountbatten-Windsor is now treated as being the surname of all descendants of the Queen and the Duke[citation needed] except those, like the children of the Princess Royal, who have a new paternal surname (in that case, "Phillips").

As with Royal Family tradition, Prince William used "Wales" as a last name during his years of education, as has Prince Harry. William's York cousins in turn use "York" (other Royal Families also use their parents' title as their own working surname). Past precedent, however, is that such title-surnames are dropped from usage in adulthood, with either title alone or name and Mountbatten-Windsor being used on legal documents and banns of marriage.

Future

Upon the presumed accession of his father to the throne, William will automatically and immediately inherit the titles of Duke of Rothesay and Duke of Cornwall and it is expected that he will be invested by the King as Prince of Wales, although this is not automatic.

Should his father predecease the Queen, leaving William as first-in-line to the throne, she may choose to create him Prince of Wales in his own right.

The issue of what title, if any, Prince William might receive prior to his father's accession to the throne is more problematic - Buckingham Palace has refused to speculate as to what title might be given to Prince William in the future - however, since it is usual for a title to be awarded upon marriage, this is not an imminent consideration. It is likely that he would be created a duke upon marriage.

Regnal

As the eldest son of the current Prince of Wales, William is also expected to ascend to the respective thrones of the United Kingdom and the other 15 Commonwealth realms. If William decides to use his first name as his regnal name, he would be known as William V.

Honours

Military

Honorary military appointments

Arms

Arms of Prince William of Wales

On his 18th birthday, Prince William was granted his own personalized coat of arms. His arms are those of the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom with a label for difference: Quarterly (by quarters):

1st and 4th, Gules three Lions passant guardant in pale Or (England). (The first and fourth quarters display the three lions, representing England).
2nd quarter is of a lion rampant within a Double Tressure floury counterflory Gules (Scotland). (The second quarter, displays a red lion in a yellow field with a double border coloured red, this represents Scotland).
3rd, Azure a Harp Or stringed Argent (Ireland). (The third quarter shows a harp against a blue background, this represents Ireland).

The whole distinguished by a Label of three points Argent the central point charged with an Escallop Gules. The Escallop Gules is in reference to his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, as the escallop appears in the Spencer coat of arms. As the eldest son of the eldest son of the sovereign, his arms are distinguished by a label of three points unlike the arms of other grandchildren of the sovereign, which are distinguished by a label of five points.

Ancestry

Genealogists' results of his well-researched ancestry are presented at many websites and the first four generations are given below. For further ancestry, see Template:Genealogics pedigree.

Ancestors of Prince William of Wales

Through his maternal grandfather, Prince William is descended from King Charles II of England and King James II of England. William, should he become King, will be the first monarch since Queen Anne to be descended from Charles I of England.

Patrilineal descent

William's patriline is the line from which he is descended father to son.

Patrilineal descent is the principle behind membership in most royal houses, and can be traced back through the generations - which means that if William were to choose an historically accurate house name it would be Oldenburg, as all his male-line ancestors have been members.

House of Oldenburg

  1. Egilmar I of Lerigau, dates unknown
  2. Egilmar II of Lerigau, d. 1142
  3. Christian I of Oldenburg, d. 1167
  4. Moritz of Oldenburg, d. 1209
  5. Christian II of Oldenburg, d. 1233
  6. John I, Count of Oldenburg, d. 1275
  7. Christian III, Count of Oldenburg, d. 1285
  8. John II, Count of Oldenburg, d. 1314
  9. Conrad I, Count of Oldenburg, 1300 - 1347
  10. Christian V, Count of Oldenburg, 1340 - 1423
  11. Dietrich, Count of Oldenburg, 1398 - 1440
  12. Christian I, King of Denmark, 1426 - 1481
  13. Frederick I, King of Denmark, 1471 - 1533
  14. Christian III, King of Denmark, 1503 - 1559
  15. John II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg, 1545 - 1622
  16. Alexander, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg, 1573 - 1627
  17. August Philipp, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck, 1612 - 1675
  18. Frederick Louis, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck, 1653 - 1728
  19. Peter August, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck, 1696 - 1775
  20. Karl Anton August, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck, 1727 - 1759
  21. Friedrich Karl Ludwig, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck, 1757 - 1816
  22. Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, 1785 - 1831
  23. Christian IX, King of Denmark, 1818 - 1906
  24. George I, King of Greece, 1845 - 1913
  25. Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, 1882 - 1944
  26. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, 1921 -
  27. Charles, Prince of Wales, 1948 -
  28. Prince William of Wales, 1982 -
  • In the fictional Princess in Waiting book, Princess Mia meets Prince William at the Farewell Ball that Genovia throws for her before her return to America. He briefly says something polite to her before turning away, and Mia is temporarily dazzled by his eyes. Prince William is also referred to at other instances in the book series.
  • On Instant Star, Jamie claims sarcastically that if Tommy resembles Johnny Depp, then he is William, to which Sadie replies that Tommy looks nothing like Johnny Depp.
  • Paris, on Gilmore Girls, contacts Rory through her boyfriend Dean's cell phone and to alleviate Rory's surprise, Paris says that she will no longer call "Prince William" on his cell.
  • A 50-year-old deposed Prince William is a recurring character in the American Flagg! comic book series from the 1980s. He had been living in Oklahoma since 1996, and was commonly known as "Bill" though his formal name was William Windsor-Jones.
  • Lizzie McGuire's cartoon alter-ego, while Lizzie walks down the red carpet leading to a ceremony in the movie named after her, receives a call from William on a cell phone. Caught up in the glamour of the moment, she puts him on hold.
  • What a Girl Wants finds Daphne Reynolds strutting down the catwalk in a fashion show which William (played by official lookalike Matthew Turpin) attends. Eventually, after thanking London, Daphne falls off the stage and onto his father's lap.
  • In The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, Prince William is included in the line-up of photos from which Princess Mia must choose her future husband. After Mia exclaims, "Oh, yes, yes! I — I absolutely accept!" she is informed that because William is in line for the British throne, he is ineligible.
  • In an episode of Criminal Minds, Garcia hacks into the CIA database to get Prince William's phone number.
  • In Love Actually, the character of Colin Frissell hatches a plan to visit Wisconsin in search of romance because, as he puts it, "any bar anywhere in America contains ten girls more beautiful and more likely to have sex with me than the whole of the United Kingdom." His rationale is that American women will find his accent irresistible, that "stateside [he is] Prince William without the weird family."
  • He also appears in a book called To Catch a Prince.
  • In the '80s comic strip Bloom County, Prince William makes a brief appearance as a ferocious child ("William the Terrible"). He announces his intention to "take back Massachusetts" and "conquer and pillage weak countries" upon becoming King.
  • In the Korean drama Goong, Prince William visits the palace to explore Korean culture.
  • In the movie Spiceworld, when the tour bus is rushing through London to get to their last concert, the Spice Girls are seen waving at Prince William and Prince Harry.
  • Gracie Hart, during an interview in Miss Congeniality 2, is asked whether or not she and William are dating. She replies that they are not and that she dislikes castles.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ As a titled royal, William holds no surname, but, when one is used, it is Mountbatten-Windsor (or, more colloquially, his father's territorial designation, Wales)
  2. ^ William joining Harry's regiment
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ "Prince William Patron of Centrepoint". Retrieved March 21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Prince William to watch namesake cup tie on icwales
  6. ^ RAY GRAVELL AND THE PRINCE WILLIAM CUP - Early Day Motion by Adam Price on 13 November 2007
  7. ^ Prince watches Wales lose his cup on bbc.co.uk
  8. ^ BBC News. "William tribute to ex-commander". Retrieved 2007-10-06.
  9. ^ BBC News. "Prince to serve with RAF and Navy". Retrieved 2007-10-10.
  10. ^ "Wills and Kate split", The Sun, 14 April 2007. Retrieved on 15 April 2007.
  11. ^ Wills & Kate: Tears in the Alps (The Sun)
  12. ^ Prince William splits from Kate (BBC)
  13. ^ "A historic act of folly and supreme egotism on the part of the Prince", Daily Mail website, 14 April 2007. Retrieved on 15 April 2007.
  14. ^ News: Wills and Kate are 'just friends' (The Sun)
  15. ^ "Chelsy and Harry get close at the Diana concert ... but Kate and William keep us guessing". Daily Mail. Retrieved July 1, 2007

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William, Prince of Wales
Born: 21 June 1982
British royalty
Preceded by Line of succession to the British Throne
2nd position 		Succeeded by
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by Gentlemen Succeeded by
Preceded by Gentlemen
in current practice 		Succeeded by
Order of precedence
Preceded by Canadian order of precedence Succeeded by

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