Biography of Prince William
Prince William (William Arthur Philip Louis) is the eldest son of the king of the United Kingdom, Charles III (formerly Prince Charles), and Princess Diana, the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh Philip. Following the death of his grandmother in 2022, he became the primary heir to the British throne and the titles of Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge. He was also bestowed with the title of Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester.
Childhood, Youth, Family
William was born in the summer of 1982 in central London, at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington. He was the first child of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. The baptism ceremony for Prince William was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury himself at Buckingham Palace.
At the age of eight, William was enrolled in Ludgrove School, where he also demonstrated his best qualities. He was top in most subjects, won prizes in swimming competitions, and was the captain of the hockey and rugby teams. All this happened against a backdrop of tense relations between his parents, which caused William great concern.Prince William is very popular among the other children and is known for his kindness, sense of humor, and thoughtfulness.
The Prince of Wales, for his part, would take his sons to the theatre during school holidays. The brothers really enjoyed such pastimes. According to Kitty Dimbleby, the daughter of Prince Charles's official biographer, he too enjoyed spending time with the boys in Diana's absence:Diana often came to Ludgrove to watch football and rugby matches. She sat on the bench and watched William play. I remember once I sat next to her because I had been injured, and Diana was very worried if I was in pain. We didn't make a fuss about her visits. For us boys, she was just William and Harry's nice mom, not a princess.
The divorce of his parents in 1996 hit William hard. He became more introverted and quiet, focusing on his studies at Eton College, where he took a deep interest in the history of art.We all met at Highgrove, and I remember sitting in the car with William and Harry, who were throwing raspberries at their father through the window. There were lots of jokes, and it was a very normal and wonderful family day. Charles seemed so happy because he was with his boys, and they were with him. I remember, it distracted William a lot from what was happening at home. At that time, the newspapers wrote a lot about the problems in Charles and Diana's marriage, and William told me: 'Dad never puts me in an awkward situation, but mom sometimes does'.
Prince William was only fourteen when his beloved mother died in a car accident. Psychoanalysts helped the teenager cope with his grief, but according to those close to him, William suddenly matured and developed a hatred for journalists, whom he blamed for his mother's death. He believed that Diana had given a scandalous interview, in which she talked about her husband's affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, under pressure, or that the journalists had taken advantage of her emotional vulnerability.
The Army and the Prince's Duties
In 2001, the prince became a student at the University of St Andrew's in Scotland. William continued to study art history but switched to geography in his third year as his travels had sparked an interest in this field.After graduating with honors, the prince went to New Zealand as a full representative of Queen Elizabeth II at the celebrations for the sixtieth anniversary of the end of World War II. He fulfilled his further duties as a member of the royal family with honor.
After completing his service, William returned to the traditional duties of the royal family members: he engaged in charity work and public activities. The foundation he established helped the poor, the families of British military veterans. In addition, the prince, being an active advocate for the preservation of Earth's natural resources, participated in various eco-actions. He also visited wounded people in hospitals, distributed food to the homeless, gave lectures to schoolchildren. As the president of the English Football Association, he tried to attract as many children as possible to this sport.Your Royal Highness! We have been anxiously following the search and rescue operation for the Russian sailors from the sunken ship 'Swanland' all day. We know that you were actively involved in the rescue efforts as part of the operational team, and two sailors survived thanks to your selfless efforts in difficult weather conditions. Allow me to express my deep gratitude to you and your colleagues for saving the lives of Russians.
Another undeniable blow for William was the strained relationship with his brother, who, having renounced the throne in 2020, candidly talked about family problems in an interview with American TV host Oprah Winfrey. In particular, Harry accused his older brother and his wife of harassing his own wife - actress Meghan Markle. In line with unwritten royal etiquette, William did not publicly voice his opinion about Prince Harry's words.I believe that the deceitful way in which the interview was obtained significantly influenced what my mother said. The interview was a major contribution to the worsening relationship between my parents and has since caused pain to countless other people. It is incredibly sad to learn that the BBC's failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia, and isolation that I remember from her final years with us.
Personal Life of Prince William
The private lives of Princess Diana's heirs piqued public interest as much as her own during her lifetime. Prince William rarely gave cause for gossip or speculation, although he began dating girls from an early age. One of them was aristocrat Davina Duckworth-Chad, whom William had known since childhood. Their parents even discussed how well their children matched socially, but the young people themselves were only friends.
Their relationship, initially purely platonic, began to develop once they got to know each other better. Much later, in an interview, William confessed:
Despite their lengthy friendship and subsequent feelings, William was not faithful to his friend. During his student years, he had a passionate affair with Jessica Craig, the daughter of Prince Charles's friend, and then Isabella Calthorpe, a friend of Princess Eugenie, came into his life.As soon as I met Kate, I knew that this was a special relationship for me. I instantly wanted to get to know her better. In the end, we were friends for some time. I believe friendship is a great advantage. It's a kind of foundation on which everything is built. I knew that as the years went by, everything would get better and better. We had difficulties, like in any relationship. But we recovered from that, continued to live. And, you know, when you just start dating and getting to know each other, small strange problems arise - so all that is behind us, and now it's very simple and very cool to be with each other, and, as you can see, I am extremely funny, and she likes that.
He did not get engaged to any of these girls. William kept coming back to Kate, who felt hurt but maintained a warm relationship with the prince. Nevertheless, after graduating from the university, the couple decided to break up, which was immediately trumpeted by all the tabloids.
In 2011, a grand wedding took place that the whole world watched. After the solemn wedding ceremony, Queen Elizabeth II announced that the newlyweds had been granted the title of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
In addition, since Prince Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle, relations between the brothers began to deteriorate. William found it hard to accept his younger brother's choice. Their relationship became particularly strained after Harry and Meghan decided to step down as senior members of the royal family and gave an interview to American TV host Oprah Winfrey. The press only started talking about a thaw between the princes after they both followed their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II's coffin, who passed away in September 2022.
Prince William Now
The start of 2023 has been tense for Prince William and the royal family. The cause of this tension were Prince Harry's memoirs titled "The Spare," which caused an unprecedented resonance both in the United Kingdom and around the world. The younger brother emphasized that the book's release is "dictated by concern for the members of the royal family," and claimed that he has twice as much material, but he did not publish it to avoid putting his father and brother in a difficult position. In response to accusations of undermining the monarchy, the prince said the following:Harry's revelations about the details of conflicts within the royal family, his confessions, and accusations caused a storm of indignation in Britain itself and an incredible number of opinions and reviews worldwide. The heir to the throne, Prince William, and his father, King Charles III, did not make any official comments, but the Daily Beast, citing a source close to William, published a message stating that he felt "completely betrayed" and "hates" his younger brother and his wife. "There will be no way back after this," a friend of the prince told the publication.It's not about trying to destroy the monarchy - it's an attempt to save them from themselves... When you're trying to change the entire institution [of monarchy] and, importantly, the media landscape, it's no trivial task. The scale of this challenge is huge, and I need to be able to protect myself - both mentally and emotionally - during this process.
Interesting Facts
- In 1991, Prince William was injured while playing golf with a school friend. A clumsy swing resulted in a heavy blow to the heir's head, and he was immediately taken to the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading. Upon hearing about the incident, Diana immediately left London, and Prince Charles arrived from Highgrove. The boy was then transferred to Great Ormond Street, where he was examined by a neurosurgeon. William was diagnosed with a depressed fracture and underwent corrective surgery, receiving 24 stitches.
- As a child, Prince William loved when his mother took him and his brother to the Smiths store on Kensington High Street, near the palace. Members of the royal family were not supposed to carry cash, but it was important for Lady Diana that her sons understood the value of money. Their day off began in the store, where young William would dutifully buy school supplies, then the trio would head to the Odeon cinema, and afterwards the boys would sit in McDonald's with happy faces, devouring fast food and playing with plastic toys that came with such delicious food.
- At Eton College, Prince William had his own room with bulletproof glass and a reinforced door. He brought his own blanket and cover from home, his mother hung new curtains, creating a cozy environment for her son. Above his desk, the boy hung pictures of Cindy Crawford and Claudia Schiffer. He met Cindy, blushing with embarrassment, when Lady Diana invited the supermodel for tea at the palace. On his bedside table, William placed a photo of his parents and looked at it every night before bed.
- In his early childhood, William was nicknamed Wombat, as he never parted with his beloved toy of this animal. He always placed the amusing creature next to his pillow where he slept. Later, the prince was given other nicknames such as Big Willy, Pee Willy, Prince of Wails.
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