Prince William is the eldest son of His Royal Highness King Charles III and the late Princess Diana. Since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, William is now heir to the throne to his father and officially has the title of the Prince of Wales. He’s also older brother to Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, and married to Catherine, The Princess of Wales, with whom he shares three children with — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Prince, from how he and Kate met, to the charities he’s patron for and where he’s currently living.
How old is Prince William?
Born at St Mary’s Hospital in London on June 21, 1982, Prince William is currently 41 years old.
How tall is Prince William?
Prince William is actually the tallest member of the royal family and is 6ft 3 (1.91 metres). His brother, Harry, follows closely behind and is 6ft 1.
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s royal romance
Prince William and Kate’s love story is one that blossomed during their university years. However, according to the royal biographer, Kate Nicholls, Kate actually first laid eyes on William while his prep school was playing against hers in a hockey match when she was just nine years old.
The pair officially met as freshers in 2001 at the University of St Andrews — William studying an Honors degree in Geography, while Kate was studying the History of Art. They also had allocated rooms near to each other in St Salvator's Hall of Residence, but it wasn’t until 2002 that Kate caught William’s eye, after sashaying down the catwalk in a charity fashion show.
Their friendship developed soon after, before turning romantic. However, as in every relationship, it wasn't all plain sailing. After the media caught wind of a ski trip in the Swiss Alps together in 2014, Kate was pushed into the spotlight. Their relationship first hit the rocks in 2007 after it was reported that the couple had called time on their relationship.
They soon found their way back to each other though, and in October 2010 William proposed to Kate the foothills of Mount Kenya with his mother’s ring. The couple married at Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011. Members of the Government, Foreign Royal Families, friends and entertainment stars – including Sir Elton John and David Beckham — attended the ceremony.
Kate walked 97 metres, down the Abbey’s Nave to the High Altar, where William was waiting with his best man and brother, Prince Harry. The Princess is regularly picked up by the press for her great fashion taste and her wedding dress, designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen, did not disappoint. The dresses’ train measured almost nine-feet-long (which was actually short compared to Princess Diana’s train which was 25-feet-long) and overall cost an estimated £250,000 to make. Around 17.6 million people tuned in to watch the royal ceremony.
Where does Prince William live?
Originally, Prince William’s primary residence with his family was at Apartment 1A, at Kensington Palace. However, they recently moved to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, Berkshire. It’s thought this is so their children can try and have a more ‘normal’ upbringing and is also closer to where they will be going to school. It’s believed they will still keep their old residence at Kensington Palace and their 10-bedroom Anmer Hall manor in Norfolk.
Prince William’s children
Prince William shares three children with Kate — Prince George of Wales, aged nine, born 22 July 2013, Princess Charlotte of Wales, aged seven, born 2 May 2017 and Prince Louis of Wales, aged four, born 23 April 2018. All three children were born at St Mary’s Hospital in London. George and Charlotte previously attended St Thomas's School in Battersea, however, recently it was announced that all three children would attend Lambrook School in Winkfield Row, Berkshire, as the family make their move from Kensington Palace to Windsor.
Prince William's charity work
Just like his father’s and mother’s charitable spirit, Prince William spends a lot of time undertaking charitable activities and projects. Many of these are spearheaded through Prince William and Kate's own charity, The Royal Foundation.
The environment and helping preserve it for future generations is an area the Prince is particularly passionate about. As well as supporting conservation work, community development and education programmes, in 2020 he launched The Earthshot Prize — designed to incentivise change and help to repair our planet over the next ten years. Each year five winners would be awarded the prize for their environment work and given a grant of £1 million to go towards it.
Another area we’re not surprised is close to Prince William’s heart (having three of his own) is young people, with a particular focus around bullying, homelessness and mental health. In 2017, William, Kate and Harry launched the mental health campaign, ‘Heads Together’, uniting eight mental health charities, to try and encourage more conversation around mental health, as well as provide funds for some new services, such as the ‘Shout’ crisis text line. He is also a patron for the homeless charity, Centrepoint, and has even been caught doing undercover charity work, such as helping to sell 'The Big Issue' on the street side in London.
Having spent seven-and-a-half-years serving in the military full time himself, William also carries out many charitable activities around promoting the welfare of those who are, or have, served their country. He’s also a Patrol of the Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and Honorary Air Commandant of Royal Air Force Coningsby.
What will William be called when King?
As first in line to the throne, you may be wondering what William will be known as when he eventually becomes King. Many Kings and Queens in the past have chosen different names on their accession to the throne, for example, the Queen's father King George was actually named Albert Frederick Arthur George, but one of his middle names, 'George' was chosen as his regal name.
Although William has a lengthy full name and could technically choose from any of his names including William Arthur Philip Louis, it's expected he will be called King William V.
How old was Prince William when Diana died?
The young Prince William was only 15 years old when his mother, Princess Diana tragically died in a car crash August 31, 1997. His younger brother, Prince Harry, was 12 years old. The brothers were staying in Balmoral in Scotland with their family at the time of the crash and were told the devastating news the next morning by their father.
Bryony Firth-Bernard graduated from the University of Gloucestershire with a first in Journalism and went on to work as a reporter at Heart Radio West before becoming the lifestyle intern across Good Housekeeping, Prima and Red magazine. She then worked as a digital writer for Mother&Baby and Yours.co.uk before moving on to work for a fitness brand. Her hobbies include hitting the weights in the gym and going to pole fitness (where she gets countless bruises). On the weekend she loves whipping up new recipes in the kitchen and spending time with her friends and family.