Prince William Fast Facts
CNN Editorial Research
Here’s a look at the life of Prince William, heir apparent to the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain.
Personal
Birth date: June 21, 1982
Birth place: London, England
Birth name: William Arthur Philip Louis
Father: Charles III, King of the United Kingdom
Mother: Diana, Princess of Wales
Marriage: Catherine Elizabeth Middleton (April 29, 2011-present)
Children: George Alexander Louis, Charlotte Elizabeth Diana and Louis Arthur Charles
Education: University of St. Andrews, in Scotland, 2001-2005, MA, Geography; Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, 2006
Military: British Army, Captain-Household Cavalry; Royal Air Force, Lieutenant, 2006-2013
Other Facts
Has achieved the highest educational degree, Masters of Arts, of any member of the royal family.
During his military career, participated in more than 150 helicopter search and rescue operations.
Timeline
2000-2001 – Prince William spends his “gap year” in Belize, working on a farm in the United Kingdom, helping in community projects with other young people in a remote area of Chile, and visiting countries in Africa.
June 2005 – Graduates with honors from St. Andrews University in Scotland with a degree in geography.
September 2005 – Becomes the patron of Centrepoint, the UK’s largest youth charity for the homeless.
December 2005 – Becomes the patron of the Tusk Trust, a UK-based African conservation charity.
December 12, 2006 – Prince William and Prince Harry announce their plans for a concert and memorial service to mark the 10th anniversary of their mother’s death. The Concert for Diana is held on July 1, 2007, and features Elton John and Duran Duran. The memorial service takes place on August 31.
December 15, 2006 – Graduates as an Army officer from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and joins the Household Cavalry (Blues and Royals) as a Second Lieutenant.
June 21, 2007 – Prince William turns 25 and gains access to almost £250,000 ($500,000) a year of his mother’s fortune. He also no longer must have the Queen’s consent to get married.
April 11, 2008 – Prince William receives Royal Air Force pilot’s wings.
April 27, 2008 – Prince William secretly travels to Afghanistan aboard a C-17 transport plane and receives a briefing on military operations. Reportedly, he pilots the plane during part of the flight and escorts the body of Queens Royal Lancer, Trooper Robert Pearson to his family.
June 2-September 8, 2008 – Prince William serves a two-month attachment with the Royal Navy in the Caribbean. William is known as Sub Lieutenant Wales on the ship, whose mission is counter-narcotics and hurricane relief.
June 16, 2008 – Is invested as a ‘Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.’ He becomes the youngest knight and 1,000th member in the world’s oldest order of chivalry, started in 1348.
February 2010 – Prince William becomes the new president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
November 16, 2010 – Prince Charles announces the engagement of Prince William to his longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton.
April 29, 2011 – The Queen confers a Dukedom on Prince William of Wales. His titles will be Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus.
April 29, 2011 – Marries Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey.
June 30-July 8, 2011 – First official trip to a foreign country for the royal couple, to Canada.
July 8-10, 2011 – The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit Los Angeles for a three-day visit. During the trip, the Duke plays and wins a polo match and the couple visits Hollywood and Skid Row.
June 7, 2012 – William qualifies as an operational captain with the Royal Air Force Search and Rescue Force. He is now able to command search and rescue operations by helicopter.
September 17, 2012 – Along with his wife, William files a criminal complaint in France against the photographer who took pictures of Catherine privately sunbathing topless. They are seeking damages and to prevent further publication of the photos. The French magazine, Closer, Italian magazine, Chi, and the Irish Daily Star have each published some of the topless photos.
July 22, 2013 – Catherine gives birth to the couple’s first child, a son weighing 8 lbs., 6 oz. The baby is named Prince George Alexander Louis.
September 12, 2013 – Kensington Palace officials announce that William has left the British military. He will now focus on charity work and his royal duties.
August 7, 2014 – It is announced that William will start training in September to become an air ambulance pilot, a year after leaving the Royal Air Force, where he flew search and rescue helicopters. His first air ambulance shift will be in spring 2015. It’s the first time a royal who’s in direct line to the throne has taken a civilian job. The East Anglian Air Ambulance is operated by a private company, Bond Air Services, but the Duke will donate his salary to charity.
May 2, 2015 – Catherine gives birth to the couple’s second child, a daughter weighing 8 lbs, 3 oz. She is named Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.
May 16, 2016 – Along with Catherine and Prince Harry, launches the Heads Together campaign, which aims to end the stigma around mental health.
July 27, 2017 – William completes his final shift as an air ambulance helicopter pilot.
September 5, 2017 – A French court rules that the topless sunbathing pictures of the Duchess were an invasion of privacy, awarding her and William 100,000 euros (about $119,000) in damages.
April 23, 2018 – Catherine gives birth to the couple’s third child, a son weighing 8 lbs., 7 oz. The baby is named Louis Arthur Charles.
December 31, 2019 – Launches the Earthshot Prize. A multi-million pound award aimed at dispelling pessimism over the climate crisis and replacing it with action to repair the planet.
June 6, 2020 – Reveals he has secretly been volunteering with Shout to assist people struggling with mental health issues during the coronavirus lockdown.
November 1, 2020 – The BBC reports, citing palace sources, that William tested positive for coronavirus earlier in the year. It is unknown when exactly he became infected.
May 20, 2021 – William lambasts the BBC for contributing “significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation” felt by his late mother, Princess Diana, in the years before her death. The comments come after the BBC offered an unconditional apology over the controversial 1995 interview by BBC journalist Martin Bashir with Diana, in which she detailed the breakdown of her relationship with Prince Charles. An inquiry has found that he used “deceitful” methods to secure the landmark interview.
September 8, 2022 – Queen Elizabeth II dies, and Charles ascends to the throne.
September 10, 2022 – King Charles III announces William will be given the title Prince of Wales.
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