Prince William Biography: The Heir to the British Throne

November 9, 2026

Daniel Reed

Prince William biography: William Arthur Philip Louis, Prince of Wales, is the heir apparent to the British throne and the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London on 21 June 1982, he served seven and a half years in the armed forces as a search-and-rescue pilot, and now leads the Earthshot Prize and the Homewards homelessness programme.

Quick facts

Full name: William Arthur Philip Louis
Born: 21 June 1982, St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London
Nationality: British
Occupation: Prince of Wales; heir apparent to the British throne
Known for: Founding the Earthshot Prize; the Homewards homelessness programme; seven years of military service as a search-and-rescue pilot
Spouse: Catherine, Princess of Wales (married 29 April 2011)
Children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis

Early life and background

William Arthur Philip Louis was born at 9:03 pm on 21 June 1982 at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London — the first direct heir to the British throne to be born in a hospital. His name was announced by Buckingham Palace a week later, on 28 June. He is the elder son of the then Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, and the older brother of Prince Harry.

William was educated at Wetherby School in London and Ludgrove School in Berkshire, before going on to Eton College in 1995, where he studied geography, biology and history of art at A-level. After a gap year spent partly in Belize and Chile, he enrolled at the University of St Andrews in 2001, switching from art history to geography and graduating in 2005. It was at St Andrews, in St Salvator’s Hall, that he met Catherine Middleton.

Military service

William entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in January 2006 and was commissioned in December that year as a second lieutenant in the Blues and Royals of the Household Cavalry. He graduated from RAF College Cranwell in April 2008 and transferred to the Royal Air Force in January 2009, training as a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot. He qualified in September 2010 and served with the RAF Search and Rescue Force based in Anglesey, Wales.

In total, William completed seven and a half years of full-time operational military service, leaving the armed forces in 2013. He then returned to flying as a civilian, working as a full-time pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance from July 2015 to July 2017.

Marriage and children

William’s engagement to Catherine Middleton was announced on 16 November 2010, and the couple married at Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011. On his wedding day he was created Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus. The couple have three children, all born at St Mary’s Hospital in London: Prince George, born 22 July 2013 and second in line to the throne; Princess Charlotte, born 2 May 2015; and Prince Louis, born 23 April 2018.

Becoming Prince of Wales

On 8 September 2022, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the accession of King Charles III, William automatically became Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland. The following day, in his first address as sovereign, the King created him Prince of Wales, with Catherine becoming Princess of Wales. Letters patent formally granting the title were issued on 13 February 2023. The couple made their first visit to Wales as Prince and Princess of Wales on 27 September 2022, to Anglesey and Swansea. Unlike his father in 1969, William has had no investiture ceremony at Caernarfon.

The Earthshot Prize and charitable work

William’s most prominent initiative is the Earthshot Prize, founded with The Royal Foundation in 2020. The ten-year, £50 million programme awards five £1 million prizes each year across five categories — protecting nature, cleaning the air, reviving oceans, building a waste-free world and fixing the climate. Ceremonies have been held in London (2021), Boston (2022), Singapore (2023), Cape Town (2024) and Rio de Janeiro (November 2025), with the sixth awards night scheduled for Mumbai on 17 November 2026. Fifteen finalists for 2026 were announced on 21 September, chosen from around 7,000 nominations across 169 countries.

He founded United for Wildlife in 2014 to combat the illegal wildlife trade, and launched the Heads Together mental-health campaign with Catherine and Harry in 2016. In June 2023 he launched Homewards, a five-year programme working in six locations across the UK — Aberdeen; Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole; Lambeth; Newport; Northern Ireland; and Sheffield — to show that homelessness can be prevented and ended. The programme marked its third anniversary in June 2026, with partners including IKEA, Lloyds Banking Group and Pret A Manger. William was president of the Football Association from May 2006, becoming its patron in July 2024, and has been patron of the Welsh Rugby Union since 2016.

2026: Remembrance Sunday and the road to Mumbai

On Remembrance Sunday, 8 November 2026, William stood at the centre of the national ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, laying a wreath immediately after his father, King Charles III, and saluting in the uniform of a Lieutenant Colonel of the Household Cavalry. Queen Camilla and Catherine, Princess of Wales, watched from the balcony of the Foreign Office. His younger brother Prince Harry attended a separate, smaller service in Brackley, Northamptonshire, the same day; no reason was given for the separate appearances.

The same fortnight captures William’s twin roles: heir and environmental campaigner. In the weeks before Remembrance Sunday he visited IKEA in Belfast with Catherine to meet young people employed through Homewards, played cricket outside Buckingham Palace with Joe Root, Sourav Ganguly and Brian Lara as an Earthshot countdown event, and launched a children’s version of the Earthshot Prize. He is scheduled to travel to Mumbai for the Earthshot Awards Night on 17 November 2026.

Personal life

William lives with Catherine and their three children at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor. He keeps his family life largely private, though the children appear regularly at public events. Away from royal duties he is a keen sportsman and a lifelong Aston Villa fan who attends matches with Prince George.

Net worth snapshot

Prince William’s personal net worth is estimated at around $140 million as of 2026, according to Celebrity Net Worth — the only published estimate that separates his personal wealth from the Duchy of Cornwall, the £1.2 billion estate he controls as Duke but does not own. His annual income from the Duchy was £21.6 million in 2025–26. Read the full breakdown in Prince William’s net worth.

Frequently asked questions

How old is Prince William?

Prince William was born on 21 June 1982 at St Mary’s Hospital in London, making him 44 years old in November 2026.

When did Prince William become Prince of Wales?

Prince William was created Prince of Wales by King Charles III on 9 September 2022, the day after Queen Elizabeth II died. He automatically became Duke of Cornwall on 8 September 2022, and letters patent formally granting the Prince of Wales title were issued on 13 February 2023.

What is the Earthshot Prize?

The Earthshot Prize is an environmental awards programme founded by Prince William in 2020. It awards five £1 million prizes each year to solutions in five categories: protecting nature, cleaning the air, reviving oceans, building a waste-free world and fixing the climate. The 2026 awards night takes place in Mumbai on 17 November 2026.

What is Prince William’s net worth?

Prince William’s personal net worth is estimated at around $140 million as of 2026, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The Duchy of Cornwall, worth £1.2 billion, is held in trust for the heir to the throne and is not his personal property; he receives only its annual surplus, £21.6 million in 2025–26.