32 Facts About Prince William, Duke of Cambridge

Prince William as Colonel of the Irish Guards during Trooping the Colour in June 2013.
Image Credit: Carfax2 via Wikimedia Commons cc

     Today, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge celebrates his 32nd birthday, and this 32 facts about the future King of the United Kingdom and the overseas Commonwealth realms. 


1. HRH The Duke of Cambridge was born as William Arthur Philip Louis on June 21, 1982 at St. Mary's Hospital in London, England, United Kingdom.

2. He is the eldest son of Charles, Prince of Wales and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, as well as the third grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

3. He was christened on August 4, 1982 - the 82nd birthday of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother - as Prince William of Wales in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie.

4. William was the first child to be born to a Prince and Princess of Wales since Prince John was born to the future George V and Queen Mary in 1905. 

5. He has a younger brother, Prince Harry of Wales.

6. William traveled for his first overseas tour at the age of eight months when he joined is parents for a visit to Australia and New Zealand.

7. Prince William attended Ludgrove School near Wokingham, Berkshire for his primary education.

8. For his secondary education, he went against the royal tradition of going to Gordonstoun School in Moray, Scotland, and instead attended Eton College in Windsor, England, and obtained an A-grade in geography, a C-grade in biology, and a B-grade in history of art for his A-Levels.

9. Whilst at Eton, William played football - becoming captain of his house team - and took up water polo. 

10. On August 31, 1997, the 15 year old Prince lost his mother Diana to a tragic car accident in Paris. On the day of her funeral, he walked behind her funeral cortege to Westminster Abbey, alongside Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, and his uncle, Charles Spencer, Earl Spencer.

11. Following Eton, the Prince took a gap year, during which he took part in British Army training exercises in Belize, worked in dairy farms in the UK, and visited Africa. He also spent ten weeks in the Raleigh International program as a teacher in the south Chilean town of Tortel, where he shared a household with other teachers and volunteered as a radio jockey for a local radio station. 

12. He enrolled at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland in 2001 under the name William Wales, where he met Catherine Middleton.

13. At St. Andrews, William studied geography, and earned a Scottish Master of Arts degree with upper second class honors. He also represented the Scottish national universities water polo team at the Celtic Nations tournament in 2004. 

14. Upon graduation from St. Andrews in 2005, Prince William attended the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, and "passed out" in December 2006 as a lieutenant.

15. William served as a member of the British Armed Forces for seven-and-half years and finished his service as a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force, Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, and Captain in the British Army.

Coat of Arms of the Duke of Cambridge.
Image Source: Sodacan via Wikimedia Commons cc

16. From April 2010 through September 2013, William served as an RAF search-and-rescue helicopter pilot based in Anglesey, Wales, making him the first member of the Royal Family to live in Wales since Henry VII of England.

17. Prince William and Kate Middleton had been an a relationship for seven years, and he proposed to her in October 2010 while they were on holiday in Kenya. He used the engagement ring that his father had given to his mother nearly 30 years previously. 

18. On April 29, 2011, William married Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey in a ceremony that was watched by over 2 billion people around the world.

19. On the day of his wedding, Prince William was made Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, and Baron Carrickfergus. 

20. In July 2011, William and Kate made their first royal overseas visit as a married couple when they toured Canada and California in the United States. 

21. Along with Prince Harry and Kate, William was an official ambassador for Team GB leading up to and during the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics. 

22. As part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, he traveled with Kate to represent the Queen in the Commonwealth countries of Singapore, Malaysia, Tuvalu, and the Solomon Islands in September 2012. 

23. On July 22, 2013, the Duke of Cambridge became a father upon the birth of Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge, who is third in line to the thrones of the Commonwealth realms. 

24. William's interests include sports, conservation, the armed forces, as well as the empowerment of young people, and his charitable works reflect this.

25. Among his patronages include the Tusk Trust, a wildlife conservation and community development charity working in Africa, and Centrepoint - a homeless charity once supported by his mother.

26. Prince William is an avid polo player, and usually plays to raise funds for charitable causes.

27. He is President of the Football Association in England, President of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), and Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union.

28. The Duke of Cambridge is a member of the two highest orders of British chivalry - the Order of the Garter in England and the Order of the Thistle in Scotland, with William becoming the Garter's 1,000th member in June 2008.

29. Prince William is a Counsellor of State - along with Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, and Prince Andrew. Counsellor's of State may temporarily carry out some of the official duties of the Queen in her absence when she is out of the United Kingdom or is temporarily ill. 

30. In the United Kingdom, William currently holds numerous honorary military titles and appointments, including Commodore-in-Chief of Her Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB), Clyde and Colonel of the Irish Guards (whose red tunic he wore at his wedding in 2011). In Canada, he is an honorary Canadian Ranger.

31. The Duke of Cambridge is second in line to the throne, following his father, Prince Charles.

32. At present, William's full title and style is His Royal Highness Prince William Arthur Philip Louis, Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, Baron Carrickfergus, Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, Personal Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty The Queen


     Here's to wishing the Duke of Cambridge a Happy 32nd Birthday! May there be many more yet to come.