40 Facts about the Duke of Cambridge

~ Saad719

Happy Birthday to Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, who turns 40 today! The 2nd-in-line to the British Throne set to be the future King, assistant editor Gabriel Aquino, has highlighted 40 Facts about the Duke of Cambridge on his 40th Birthday!

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1. Prince William’s full name is William Arthur Philip Louis.

2. His parents are Charles, Prince of Wales and the late Diana, Princess of Wales. His father is the heir to Queen Elizabeth II.

3. William was born as 2nd in the line of succession to the throne of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth Realms.

4. His title at birth was His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales.

5. He was born on 21 June 1982, just after 9 pm, at St Mary’s Hospital, in London.

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6. His christening took place at Buckingham Palace with the then Archbishop of Canterbury.

7. His godparents are King Constantine II of Greece; Princess Alexandra, the Hon. Lady Ogilvy; Natalia, Duchess of Westminster; Lady Susan Hussey, a Lady-in-Waiting to The Queen; the current Lord Mountbatten and Sir Laurens van der Post.

8. At nine months old, Prince William joined his parents on their official visit to Australia and New Zealand.

9. William became an older brother in 1984 following the birth of Prince Harry.

10. He lived with his parents, who shared their time between their two residences: Kensington Palace in London, and Highgrove House, Gloucestershire. The Family spent many Holidays with the Spanish Royal Family

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11. William first attended Mrs Mynors Nursery School in London, before moving on to Wetherby School in 1987.

12. Three years later he was enrolled at Ludgrove School, before starting at Eton College, in 1995.

13. During his time at Eton, Prince William was made a House Captain of Games, House Captain and Prefect. He left Eton in 2000 with A-Levels in Geography, Biology and History of Art.

14. His parents marriage was not a happy one, and they separated in late 1992. They got divorced in 1996.

15. Unfortunately, a huge tragedy happened in 1997. Diana, Princess of Wales died from injuries sustained during a car accident. William and his brother were at Balmoral Castle with their father and paternal grandparents. His father broke the news to William and Harry when they woke up.

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16. Prince William and Prince Harry went on procession from Kensington Palace to Westmister Abbey on the day of their mother’s funeral. Prince Philip, Prince Charles and the Earl Spencer, Diana’s brother, joined them.

17. After completing his education at Eton College, William took a gap year between 2000 and 2001. He travelled around Africa, South America and the Caribbean.

18. In September 2001, William began a four-year Master of Arts degree course in History of Art at St. Andrews University in Scotland. After two years, Prince William decided to major in Geography rather than History of Art.

19. As happened during his time at Eton, Buckingham Palace and the media reached an agreement to allow William to live a private life, away from the public eye.

20. Prince William wrote his dissertation on the coral reefs of Rodrigues in the Indian Ocean.

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21. In 2001, Prince William met one Miss Catherine Middleton, a fellow University of St Andrews student. They began dating two years later.

22. William graduated in June 2005 with a 2:1 Master of Arts (Honours) in Geography after four years of study. The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall attended his graduation.

23. William chose to follow a military career following university. He undertook a 44 week training course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

24. Being second in line to the throne meant the government ministers recommended against placing William in situations where he might be at risk.

25. The Prince was commissioned as an Army Officer in 2006, joining the Household Cavalry with the rank of a Second Lieutenant.

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26. After that, William joined the Royal Air Force, undertaking a course at RAF Cranwell.

27. He received his RAF wings from his father, the Prince of Wales.

28. After the RAF, William was seconded again to the Royal Navy. He undertook accelerated Naval Officer training at the Britannia Royal Naval College.

29. Prince William chose to transfer his commission from the Army to the Royal Air Force in 2009, receiving a promotion to become Flight Lieutenant.

30. William became a helicopter pilot, eventually moving to Anglesey, Wales to work with the Search and Rescue Training Unite at RAF Valley.

31. During his time with the RAF, William was deployed to the Falkland Islands in 2012. The Argentine government criticized his presence.

32. The Prince worked as an Air Ambulance Pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance between 2015 and 2017, when it was announced that he would be a full time working member of the Royal Family.

33. Nearly 6 months after the engagement announcement, Prince William married Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011.

34. The Queen created him Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus on his wedding day. He became known as His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge after that.

35. The Duke and Duchess have three children together:  Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

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36. The family splits their time between Kensington Palace, where their office is located, and Anmer Hall, in The Queen’s private estate of Sandringham, Norfolk. It was recently announced that the couple will move near Windsor Castle.

37. Prince William became a Counsellor of State at the age of 21, under the terms of the Regency Acts 1937 to 1953. The Duke of Cambridge first attended the State Opening of Parliament in that capacity, when The Queen could not attend in 2022.

38. The Duke of Cambridge was sworn in as a member of Her Majesty’s Most Honourable Privy Council in 2016.

39. William became the 1000th member of the Order of the Garter in 2008.

40. William’s first official tour overseas alone was to New Zealand in 2005; and the first joint overseas tour of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge was to Canada and the United States in July 2011.

This article has been written by assistant editor Gabriel Aquino! 

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One thought on “40 Facts about the Duke of Cambridge”

  1. My heartiest congratulations to the Duke of Cambridge on his birthday. I wish him joy and may he celebrate many more!

    Reply

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