Prince William, Duke of Cambridge

William in Royal Air Force uniform at the 2010 Trooping the Colour

Having decided to follow a military career, William was admitted to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in January 2006.[37] William officially received his commission as a lieutenant at midnight. As "Lieutenant Wales"—a name based on his father's title Prince of Wales—he followed his younger brother[38] into the Blues and Royals as a troop commander in an armoured reconnaissance unit, after which he spent five months training for the post at Bovington Camp, Dorset.[39]

The Prince's position as second-in-line to the throne and the convention of ministers advising against placing that person into dangerous situations cast doubts on William's chances of seeing combat. These doubts increased after Prince Harry's deployment was cancelled in 2007 due to "specific threats". William, instead, went on to train in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, obtaining his commission as a sub-lieutenant in the former and flying officer in the latter—both broadly equivalent to the army rank of lieutenant. After completing his training, William undertook an attachment with the Royal Air Force at RAF Cranwell.[40][41] Upon completing the course he was presented with his RAF wings by his father,[42] who had received his own wings after training at Cranwell.[43] During this secondment, William flew to Afghanistan in a C-17 Globemaster that repatriated the body of Trooper Robert Pearson.[44] William was then seconded to train with the Royal Navy.[45] In June 2008, William participated in a £40m drug bust in the Atlantic, north-east of Barbados.[46] He was a part of the crew on the Lynx helicopter, which helped seize 900 kg of cocaine from a speedboat.[47]

William piloting a Sea King helicopter in 2010

In January 2009, William transferred his commission to the RAF and was promoted to Flight Lieutenant. He trained to become a helicopter pilot with the RAF's Search and Rescue Force. In January 2010, he graduated from the Defence Helicopter Flying School at RAF Shawbury.[48] On 26 January 2010, he transferred to the Search and Rescue Training Unit at RAF Valley, Anglesey, to receive training on the Sea King search and rescue helicopter; he graduated in September 2010.[49] This made him the first member of the British royal family since Henry VII to live in Wales.[50]

William's first rescue mission as co-pilot of an RAF Sea King was a response to an emergency call from Liverpool Coastguard on 2 October 2010.[51] In November 2011, he participated in a search-and-rescue mission involving a cargo ship that was sinking in the Irish Sea; William, as a co-pilot, helped rescue two sailors.[52]

William was deployed to the Falkland Islands for a six-week tour with No. 1564 Flight from February to March 2012.[53][54] The Argentine government condemned the Duke's deployment to the islands close to the 30th anniversary of the beginning of the Falklands War as a "provocative act".[55][56]

In June 2012, Prince William gained a qualification to be captain or pilot in command of a Sea King rather than a co-pilot.[57] His active service as an RAF search-and-rescue pilot ended in September 2013.[58][59]

In 2014, it was announced that William would accept a full-time role as a pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) based at Cambridge Airport. Despite his qualifications as a military helicopter pilot, William needed a civil pilot's licence and further training before being permitted to take command of the Air Ambulance. Although his position was paid, Kensington Palace announced that William would donate his full salary to the EAAA charity.[60] He underwent part of his training as an EAAA pilot at Norwich Airport.[61] On 13 July 2015, William started his new job, which he felt was a natural progression from his previous role as an RAF search-and-rescue pilot.[62] The Duke has discussed his work with BBC Future, describing working "odd shifts" and dealing mostly with critical care cases.[63] He left his position with EAAA in July 2017 to assume a more active role in royal duties on behalf of his grandmother the Queen.[64] After supporting an anniversary campaign for London's Air Ambulance Charity in 2019, the Duke became the charity's official patron in March 2020.[65] In May 2020, the Duke granted permission to the charity to use Kensington Palace's private lawn to refuel during the COVID-19 pandemic.[66]

In 2001, William met Catherine Middleton while they were students in residence at St Salvator's Hall at the University of St Andrews.[67] She reportedly caught William's attention at a charity fashion show on campus.[68] The couple began dating in 2003.[69] During their second year, William shared a flat with Middleton and two other friends.[70] From 2003 to 2005, they both resided at Balgove House on the Strathtyrum estate with two roommates.[71][72]

Their relationship was followed so closely by the tabloid press that bookmakers took bets on the possibility of marriage, and the retail chain Woolworths produced memorabilia bearing their likenesses.[73] Media attention became so intense that William formally asked the press to keep their distance from Middleton.[73] On 15 December 2006, Middleton attended Prince William's Passing Out Parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.[74][75]

In April 2007, Prince William and Middleton ended their relationship.[76] Middleton and her family attended the Concert for Diana in July 2007 at Wembley Stadium,[70] where she and Prince William sat two rows apart. The couple were subsequently seen together in public on a number of occasions and news sources stated that they had "rekindled their relationship".[77] Middleton was in attendance during the Order of the Garter procession ceremony at Windsor Castle in June 2008, where Prince William was made a Royal Knight of the Garter.[78] In June 2010, the couple moved into a cottage on the Bodorgan Estate in Anglesey, Wales, where William resided during his RAF search-and-rescue training and subsequent career.[79][80][81]

The Duke with his family at Trooping the Colour in 2019

On 16 November 2010, Clarence House announced that Prince William and Catherine Middleton were to marry; the couple had become engaged in Kenya in October.[82] The engagement ring given by William to Catherine had belonged to his mother. The wedding took place on 29 April 2011 in Westminster Abbey, London.[83] A few hours before the ceremony, William's new titles Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, and Baron Carrickfergus were announced.[84][85][86][87] Estimates of the global audience for the wedding ranged around 300 million or more, whilst 26 million watched the event live in Britain alone.[88][89][90] The couple were given the country home, Anmer Hall, on the Sandringham Estate, as a wedding gift from the Queen.[91] The Duke and Duchess owned an English Cocker Spaniel, Lupo, from December 2011 to November 2020.[92]

His wife's first pregnancy was announced on 3 December 2012.[93] 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.[94][95] On 8 September 2014, it was announced that the Duchess of Cambridge was pregnant with her second child.[96] She was admitted on 2 May 2015 to the same hospital and gave birth to Princess Charlotte.[97] The Duchess's third pregnancy was announced on 4 September 2017;[98] Prince Louis was born on 23 April 2018.[99] The family officially reside at Kensington Palace.[100]

He is the godfather of Prince Constantine Alexios of Greece and Denmark (b. 1998), a distant relation though his grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, and Mia Tindall (b. 2014), the eldest child of his paternal cousin, Zara Tindall.[101][102]

William and his brother Harry inherited the "bulk" of the £12.9 million left by their mother on their respective 30th birthdays, a figure that had grown since her 1997 death to £10 million each in 2014.[103][104] In 2002 The Times reported that William would also share with his brother a payment of £4.9 million from trust funds established by their great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, on their respective 21st birthdays and would share a payment of £8 million upon their respective 40th birthdays. As the eldest son of the heir-apparent, William is expected to inherit the Duchy of Cornwall, which would bring him an additional income.[105]

In 2014, William and Harry inherited their mother's wedding dress along with many other of her personal possessions including dresses, diamond tiaras, jewels, letters, and paintings. The brothers also received the original lyrics and score of "Candle in the Wind" by Bernie Taupin and Elton John as performed by John at Diana's funeral.[104]

On 3 June 1991, William was admitted to 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.[106] In a 2009 interview, he dubbed this scar a "Harry Potter scar" and said, "I call it that because it glows sometimes and some people notice it—other times they don't notice it at all".[107]

On 1 November 2020, it was reported that William had tested positive for coronavirus in April but decided not to alert the media to 'avoid alarming the nation'.[108] The Daily Telegraph reported he had been "very ill" and had isolated away from his family.[109]

William became aware of HIV/AIDS in the mid-1990s when he accompanied his mother and brother on visits to shelters and clinics for patients. In January 2005, William and his brother volunteered at a British Red Cross aid distribution centre to pack emergency supplies for countries affected by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.[169] In September that year, William granted his patronage to Centrepoint, a charity that assists the homeless.[170][171] The Duke opened their new facility, Apprenticeship House, in November 2019 to mark their 50-year anniversary.[172] In 2005, William worked in the children's unit at The Royal Marsden Hospital, his mother's former patronage, for two days of work experience; he also assisted in the medical research, catering, and fundraising departments.[170] In May that year, he spent two weeks in North Wales with Mountain Rescue England and Wales.[169] In May 2007, William became patron of both organisations.[170] In October 2020, the Duke laid the foundation stone of the hospital's Oak Cancer Centre, 30 years after his mother performed the same for their Chelsea Wing in 1990.[173]

Prince William became a patron of the Tusk Trust in December 2005,[170] a charity that works towards conserving wildlife and initiating community development, including providing education, across Africa.[174] He became associated with the organisation after he witnessed its work first hand in Africa. Stating that "rural African initiatives that foster education, responsibility and participation in the local community light the way to conservation",[175] he carried out his first official duty with the trust in launching a 5,000-mile (8,000 km) bike ride across the African continent in 2007. Later that year, William and Harry organised the Concert for Diana, in memory of their mother, which benefitted the charities and patronages of Diana, William, and Harry.[176] In 2010, he also became a patron of 100 Women in Hedge Funds Philanthropic Initiatives.[177] In March 2011, the Duke and Duchess set up a gift fund held by The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry to allow well-wishers who wanted to give them a wedding gift to donate money to charities instead.[178] The gift fund supported 26 charities of the couple's choice, incorporating the armed forces, children, the elderly, art, sport and conservation.[179][180][181][182][183] The charity has since been renamed The Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.[184]

Prince William at a United for Wildlife Taskforce Meeting at Buckingham Palace in 2017

In December 2014, The Duke founded the United for Wildlife Transport Taskforce, which aims to reduce worldwlide illegal wildlife trade.[185] The Duke has spoken out for LGBT rights as part of his work against cyberbullying, stating the importance of being "proud of the person you are" and discussing the effects of online abuse and discrimination. He was recognised at the British LGBT Awards in May 2017.[186] In 2018, the Royal Foundation launched multiple mental health initiatives, including Heads Together, a campaign led by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry to de-stigmatise mental health. Legacy programmes include Heads Up, launched in May 2019 in partnership with the Football Association, utilising football to affect the conversation surrounding mental health in adults.[187] Later that month, the Duke and Duchess launched Shout, the UK's first 24/7 text messaging service for those who suffer from mental issues.[188] William has cited his interest in mental health to his experiences as an air ambulance pilot, as well as his work with homelessness, veterans welfare, and his wife's advocacy on addiction.[189]

In March 2020, the Duke appeared in a video for the National Emergencies Trust, launching a fundraising appeal to help charities during the coronavirus pandemic. The appeal raised £11 million in its first week, with the money going out to "front line charities" and to the UK Community Foundations to be distributed among "local community foundations".[190] In late March 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge began supporting a new mental health initiative by the Public Health England amidst the coronavirus pandemic.[191] In April 2020, he officially became the patron of the National Emergencies Trust.[192] He made a surprise appearance in The Big Night In, a 20 April 2020 telethon held during the COVID-19 pandemic, in a skit which he held a video call with Stephen Fry, who revised his role as (a descendant of) Lord Melchett, from the Blackadder series.[193][194] Later that month, the Duke and Duchess announced Our Frontline, an initiative providing mental health support to emergency medical workers.[195] In May and June 2020, the Duke and Duchess, alongside their children, delivered food parcels made on the Sandringham Estate to local isolated pensioners during the COVID-19 pandemic.[196][197] In June 2020, The Duke of Cambridge, stated that he had been serving as a volunteer on the Shout hotline during the pandemic.[198] In September 2020, the Duke established the Emergency Responders Senior Leaders Board, commissioned by the foundation to research the mental health and wellbeing of emergency responders.[199] The project is in partnership with King's College London and the Open University.

After two years of research, the Duke launched the Earthshot Prize in October 2020, designed to provide funding and incentive for environmental solutions over the next decade. The Prize is slated to be given every year from 2021 until 2030 to five winners each year, in accordance with five categories detailing the restoration of nature, air cleanliness, ocean conservation, waste-free living, and climate change. The selection process will be performed by the Duke, alongside a council of judges from six continents, overseen by a panel of experts. The first awards ceremony is slated to take place in London in autumn 2021.[200] Following the launch, William gave a TED Talk on environmental protection and conservation as part of the TED Countdown climate change initiative.[201] Later that month, the Duke took over the patronages of Flora and Fauna International and the British Trust for Ornithology, passed on from the Queen and Prince Philip.[202] In December 2020, the Duke and Duchess became joint patrons of NHS Charities Together.[203]

Prince William playing polo at Sandhurst in 2007

William often plays polo to raise money for charity.[204] He is a fan of football, and supports the English club Aston Villa.[205] He became President of England's Football Association in May 2006 and vice-royal patron of the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) in February 2007, supporting the Queen as patron.[170] The same year, the WRU's decision to name a new cup for test matches between Wales and South Africa the Prince William Cup caused controversy; some believed it would have been more appropriate to name it after Ray Gravell.[206][207][208] In 2011, William as President of the English FA, voted against Australia's 2022 FIFA bid and instead voted for South Korea; despite being the country's future heir. In 2020, again as President of the English FA, he voted against the joint Australia–New Zealand 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup bid and instead voted for Columbia.[209]

In 2006, William, along with other Sandhurst officers, took part in a one-mile (1.6 km) run to support the charity Sport Relief, as he had done in 2004 with a team from Clarence House. In May 2007, William became patron of the English Schools' Swimming Association.[170] In 2013, he succeeded his grandfather Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, as president of the UK charity Fields in Trust.[210]

In December 2010, William and Prime Minister David Cameron attended a meeting with FIFA vice-president Chung Mong-joon at which Chung suggested a vote-trading deal for the right to host the 2018 World Cup in England. The English delegation reported the suggestion to FIFA's ethics investigator because they considered vote-swapping to be a violation of anti-collusion rules.[211][212] In 2012, together with the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, William launched Coach Core. The program was set up following the 2012 Olympics and provides apprenticeship opportunities for people who desire to pursue a career as a professional coach.[213]

Both William and his brother are enthusiastic motorcyclists; William owns a Ducati 1198 S Corse.[214] In May 2014, William, like his father and paternal grandfather, became president of the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC).[215] He enthusiastically took part in a bandy event in Stockholm in January 2018.[216] In May 2020, the Duke of Cambridge appeared in a BBC One Documentary titled Football, Prince William and Our Mental Health as a part of a campaign to promote men to discuss their mental issues using football as a common medium.[217]

• 1982–2011: His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales
• 2011–present: His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge
  • In Scotland: His Royal Highness The Earl of Strathearn[231][232][233]
  • In Northern Ireland: Baron Carrickfergus[234][235]

The hereditary titles of Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, and Baron Carrickfergus were announced on 29 April 2011 and formally patented on 26 May that year.[84][fn 3] William is a Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter (KG),[237] a Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle (KT),[231] a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom (PC), and a Personal Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to the Queen.[238]

As a British prince, William does not use a surname for everyday purposes. For formal and ceremonial purposes, children of the Prince of Wales use the title "prince" or "princess" before their forename and follow it with their father's territorial designation. Thus, before his marriage, Prince William was styled "Prince William of Wales". Such territorial designations are discarded by women when they marry and by men if they are given a peerage of their own,[239] such as when Prince William was given his dukedom.

Although the name of the Royal House is Windsor, the surname Mountbatten-Windsor belongs to all the children and male-line descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, and is used, if needed, by those who do not have the style of Royal Highness and the title Prince or Princess;[240] when a female descendant marries, she traditionally takes her husband's surname from that point onward, and their children take their father's. Both Princes William and Harry used Wales as their surname for military purposes; this continues to be the case for William since his creation as Duke of Cambridge.[241]

 United Kingdom

Accompanied by his father, Prince William proceeds to St George's Chapel, Windsor to be installed as a Knight of the Garter.

Prince William is the 1,000th member of the register of the Order of the Garter,[253] and was officially invested by the Queen on 16 June 2008 at a service at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.[254] The last time a monarch appointed a grandchild into the Order of the Garter was in 1894, when Queen Victoria invested Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

• 23 April 2008: Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter (KG)[255]
• 25 May 2012: Extra Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle (KT)[256][257][258]

• 6 February 2002: Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
• 6 February 2012: Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal

• 1 October 2016: Tuvalu Order of Merit[259]

• Since 6 July 2009: Honorary Bencher of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple.[260]
• Since 23 June 2010: Royal Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)[261]
• 17 March 2013: Personal Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty The Queen (ADC)[238]
• 9 June 2016: Member of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council (PC)[262]
• Since 1 March 2017: Royal Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (HonFRSE)[263]
• Since 17 January 2018: Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine (FRSM)[264]
• 25 January 2020: Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland[265]

Canada

• 10 November 2009: Canadian Ranger[266]

United Kingdom

• Since 8 August 2006: Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Navy Submarine Service
• Since 8 August 2006: Commodore-in-Chief of Scotland[267]
• Since 3 October 2008: Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Coningsby[268]
• Since 10 February 2011: Colonel of the Irish Guards[269][270]

• Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Award, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario[271][272]
• Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Parks Canada Youth Ambassadors Program[273]
• Duke of Cambridge Public School, Bowmanville, Ontario[274]

Coat of arms of the Duke of Cambridge

Notes Prince William was granted a personal coat of arms on his 18th birthday. It is based on the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom, with a white (or silver) label with three points, the centre point bearing a red clam shell (an "escallop"), to distinguish it from the arms of other members of the Royal Family. The escallop is drawn from the Spencer coat of arms, a reference to his mother, who was the daughter of the Earl Spencer.[275] Adopted 21 June 2000 Helm Upon a coronet of the children of the Heir Apparent, the royal helm Or Escutcheon Quarterly: 1st and 4th, Gules, three lions passant guardant in pale Or (England); 2nd, Or, a lion rampant within a double tressure flory counterflory Gules (Scotland); 3rd, Azure, a harp Or stringed Argent (Ireland). Supporters Dexter a lion rampant guardant Or imperially crowned proper, sinister a unicorn Argent, armed, crined and unguled Or, gorged with a coronet Or composed of crosses patée and fleurs de lis a chain affixed thereto passing between the forelegs and reflexed over the back also Or. Orders The Order of the Garter ribbon. HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE (Shame be to him who thinks evil of it) Other elements The whole distinguished by a label of three points Argent, the central point charged with an escallop Gules. Banner The Royal Standard of the United Kingdom labelled for difference as in his arms. (Alternative in Scotland) Symbolism As the eldest son of the Prince of Wales, Prince William's coat of arms has a label of three points.[276] The escallop (seashell) alludes to his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, whose Spencer coat of arms includes three escallops Argent.

In September 2013, the Queen granted to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge a conjugal coat of arms consisting of their individual arms displayed side-by-side beneath a helm and coronet denoting the Duke's status as grandson of the Sovereign.[277]

Flag of the Duke of Cambridge for personal use in Canada

In 2011, the Canadian Heraldic Authority introduced a personal heraldic flag for the Duke of Cambridge's use in Canada. It is the Royal Arms of Canada in banner form defaced with a blue roundel surrounded with a wreath of gold maple leaves and shells within which is a depiction of a "W" surmounted by a coronet. Above the roundel is a white label of three points, charged with a red shell.[278][279][280]

• Campbell, Alastair (29 May 2017). "Prince William on Diana, Princess of Wales". GQ (British ed.). Archived from the original on 6 June 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
• Hedges, Mark (21 November 2018). "The Duke of Cambridge on the countryside, wildlife and passing on his father's inspiring example to George, Charlotte and Louis". Country Life.