Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the elder son of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales, and third eldest grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh He is second in the line of succession, behind his father, to the thrones of sixteen independent sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. Consequently, he is also second in line, again behind his father, to the position of Head of the Commonwealth (figurehead of the 54-member Commonwealth of Nations) and, in England only, Supreme Governor of the Church of England.He was educated at four schools in the United Kingdom and obtained a degree from the University of St Andrews. He spent parts of a gap year in Chile, Belize, and countries in Africa. He was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Blues and Royals regiment of the Household Cavalry—serving with his brother Prince Harryand, two years later, earned his wings by completing pilot training at Royal Air Force College Cranwell. In 2009, the Prince transferred to the Royal Air Force, was promoted to flight lieutenant and underwent helicopter flying training in order to become a full time pilot with the Search and Rescue Force. In Autumn 2010, he completed his general and special-to-type helicopter training and he is now at RAF Valley on No. 22 Squadron performing co-pilot duties on board a Sea King search and rescue helicopter. Prince William married his long-term girlfriend, the former Catherine Middleton, on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey Hours prior to his wedding, Prince William was created Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus* 1 Early life * 2 Education * 3 Royal duties and career o 3.1 Military career o 3.2 Royal duties * 4 Personal interests o 4.1 Humanitarian and environmental causes o 4.2 Sports * 5 Relationship with Catherine Middleton o 5.1 Engagement and wedding * 6 Titles, styles, honours and arms o 6.1 Titles and styles + 6.1.1 Military ranks o 6.2 Honours + 6.2.1 Honorary military appointments o 6.3 Arms * 7 Ancestry * 8 See also * 9 Notes * 10 References * 11 External linksHM The QueenHRH The Duke of Edinburgh * HRH The Prince of Wales HRH The Duchess of Cornwall o HRH The Duke of Cambridge HRH The Duchess of Cambridge o HRH Prince Harry of Wales * HRH The Duke of York o HRH Princess Beatrice of York o HRH Princess Eugenie of York * HRH The Earl of Wessex HRH The Countess of Wessex o Viscount Severn o Lady Louise Windsor * HRH The Princess Royal * HRH The Duke of Gloucester HRH The Duchess of Gloucester * HRH The Duke of Kent HRH The Duchess of Kent * HRH Prince Michael of Kent HRH Princess Michael of Kent * HRH Princess Alexandrav · d · ePrince William was born at St Mary's Hospital, London on 21 June 1982. He was baptised in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace on 4 August 1982 (the 82nd birthday of his paternal great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother) by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie. William's godparents are: former King Constantine II of Greece (his paternal cousin); Princess Alexandra, The Hon Mrs Angus Ogilvy (his paternal cousin); the Duchess of Westminster; the Lady Susan Hussey; Lord Romsey (his paternal cousin); and Sir Laurens van der PostAs a male-line grandchild of the sovereign and son of the Prince of Wales, William was styled 'His Royal Highness' 'Prince William of Wales', though he was affectionately called 'Wombat' by his parents or 'Wills' (the latter a name coined by the press by which he is still known by the general public) It was reported that, at age seven, the Prince said to his mother that he desired to be a police officer when he was older, so that he might be able to protect her; a statement to which his brother responded: "Oh, no you can't. You've got to be King. William's first public appearance was on 1 March 1991 (Saint David's Day), during an official visit of his parents to Cardiff, Wales. After arriving by aeroplane, the Prince was taken to Llandaff Cathedral, where he signed the visitors' book, thereby demonstrating that he was left-handed. On 3 June 1991, William was admitted to Royal Berkshire Hospital after having been hit on the side of the forehead by a fellow student wielding a golf club. The Prince did not lose consciousness, but did suffer a depressed fracture of the skull and was operated on at the Great Ormond Street Hospital, resulting in a permanent scarWilliam's mother desired her two sons should have wider experiences than are usual for royal children. Diana took William and his brother to Walt Disney World and McDonald's; in addition they visited AIDS clinics and shelters for the homeless. She also bought them things typical teenagers used, such as video games.Diana, Princess of Wales, who was by then divorced from the Prince of Wales, died in a car accident in 1997. William, along with his brother and father, was staying at Balmoral Castle at the time, and the Prince of Wales waited until early the following morning to tell his sons about their mother's death At his mother's funeral, William accompanied his father, brother, paternal grandfather, and maternal uncle in walking behind the funeral cortège from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey.Prince WilliamPrince WilliamPrince WilliamPrince WilliamPrince WilliamPrince WilliamPrince WilliamPrince WilliamPrince WilliamPrince WilliamPrince WilliamPrince WilliamPrince WilliamPrince WilliamPrince WilliamPrince WilliamPrince WilliamPrince WilliamPrince WilliamPrince William
