William, Prince of Wales
Who was William, Prince of Wales?
Heir apparent to the British throne and eldest son of King Charles III. He served as a helicopter pilot with the Royal Air Force and later worked as an air ambulance pilot while carrying out royal duties.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on William, Prince of Wales (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
William Arthur Philip Louis, Prince of Wales, was born on 21 June 1982 at St Mary's Hospital in London. He is the eldest son of Charles, then Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales. When he was born, his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, was on the throne, making him second in line for succession. He attended Wetherby School in London, Ludgrove School in Berkshire, and finished his secondary education at Eton College. He then went on to earn a Master of Arts degree in geography at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, where he met Catherine Middleton. They married in April 2011 at Westminster Abbey and have three children: Prince George, born in 2013; Princess Charlotte, born in 2015; and Prince Louis, born in 2018.
After graduating from St Andrews, William completed military training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and became a Second Lieutenant in 2006. He served with the Blues and Royals of the Household Cavalry before shifting to an aviation career. He trained at the Defence Helicopter Flying School, graduated from the Royal Air Force College Cranwell in 2008, and joined the RAF Search and Rescue Force in early 2009. He worked as a search and rescue pilot with No. 22 Squadron RAF, based at RAF Valley in Anglesey, Wales. From July 2015, he spent two years as a co-pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance, handling medical emergencies across East Anglia, until he stepped down to focus more on his royal duties.
William performs official engagements and responsibilities both domestically and internationally on behalf of the monarch. He is a patron of various charities, including the Tusk Trust, Centrepoint, The Passage, Wales Air Ambulance, and London's Air Ambulance Charity. His charitable work, mostly through the Royal Foundation that he started with Catherine, addresses mental health awareness, conservation, homelessness, and emergency service workers' welfare. In 2020, he introduced the Earthshot Prize, aiming to support innovative solutions to major environmental issues by awarding five annual prizes up to 2030.
Before his wedding in April 2011, William was given the titles Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, and Baron Carrickfergus. After Queen Elizabeth II passed away on 8 September 2022 and his father became King Charles III, William automatically took on the titles of Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay. The next day, 9 September 2022, his father named him Prince of Wales, making him the heir to the British throne. He has been awarded multiple honors, including being made a Knight of the Garter in 2008, joining the Order of the Thistle, and being promoted to Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour in 2025. He was also named a Royal Fellow of the Royal Society in 2009.
Before Fame
William grew up constantly in the public eye, with his childhood heavily influenced by media attention on the British royal family during the 1980s and 1990s. He first attended Wetherby School in London, then went on to Ludgrove School in Berkshire, and later Eton College in Windsor, one of Britain's most well-known independent schools. The divorce of his parents in 1996 and his mother Diana's death in a Paris car crash in August 1997 were significant and highly publicized events during his adolescence.
His years at the University of St Andrews from 2001 to 2005 offered him a level of normalcy he hadn't experienced before, allowing him to explore interests in geography, conservation, and outdoor activities. During this time, he built personal relationships and formed values that would later shape his public role. His later military training and work as a pilot set him apart from previous heirs to the throne, giving him a professional identity based on hands-on service before taking on all royal responsibilities.
Key Achievements
- Completed operational service as a Royal Air Force search and rescue pilot with No. 22 Squadron, flying missions from RAF Valley in Anglesey.
- Served as a full-time co-pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance from 2015 to 2017, conducting over 150 emergency medical missions.
- Founded the Earthshot Prize in 2020, an international environmental awards programme distributing significant funding annually to innovators addressing ecological challenges.
- Appointed Knight of the Garter in 2008 and elevated to Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour in 2025, among other major honours.
- Established the Royal Foundation with Catherine, Princess of Wales, directing philanthropic efforts toward mental health, conservation, homelessness, and emergency services.
Did You Know?
- 01.William is the first British heir apparent to hold a university degree, having earned a Master of Arts in geography from the University of St Andrews in 2005.
- 02.During his time with the East Anglian Air Ambulance between 2015 and 2017, he flew over 150 missions responding to real medical emergencies alongside paramedic crews.
- 03.He launched the Earthshot Prize in 2020, modelled in part on the ambition of the 1960s Apollo programme, with the goal of funding at least 50 solutions to environmental problems by 2030.
- 04.William was appointed a Knight of the Garter in 2008 at the age of 25, one of the younger recipients of the oldest and most senior order of chivalry in England.
- 05.He played polo at a competitive level from his teenage years, a sport he shares with his father King Charles III and which he has used as a vehicle for charitable fundraising.
Family & Personal Life
Awards & Honors
| Award | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Knight of the Garter | 2008 | — |
| Order of the Thistle | — | — |
| Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal | — | — |
| Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal | — | — |
| Royal Fellow of the Royal Society | 2009 | — |
| Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal | — | — |
| Tuvalu Order of Merit | — | — |
| Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour | 2025 | — |