William, Prince of Wales

Family and education

William was born in London in 1982, the elder son of Charles and Diana. He attended Eton and later studied geography at the University of St Andrews. His education preceded military service and a growing programme of official duties. The family relationship explains his place in the succession, but the biography also records the separate activities through which his public role developed.

Military training and search-and-rescue flying

He trained at Sandhurst and served with the Household Cavalry before pursuing aviation training. As an RAF search-and-rescue pilot he worked from Anglesey. This was an operational flying role rather than solely an honorary military association. His later royal appointments and regimental relationships should be distinguished from the period in which he was a serving pilot.

Air ambulance and changing responsibilities

William later worked with the East Anglian Air Ambulance before moving into full-time royal duties. The transition involved a change from a defined professional flying role to a wider representative programme. It also illustrates why a royal biography benefits from a chronology: earlier employment should not be presented as a current job simply because the person remains publicly associated with it.

Marriage and titles

He married Catherine Middleton in 2011 and was created Duke of Cambridge. Following Charles’s accession in 2022, he also became Duke of Cornwall and was named Prince of Wales. The titles have different histories and functions. Prince of Wales is the title emphasized here because it identifies his current public position as heir, not because it makes him a separate sovereign.

Charitable projects

His public work includes conservation, homelessness and mental-health initiatives. The Earthshot Prize was launched in 2020 as an environmental programme with a separate institutional structure. Royal patronage and convening can draw attention to an issue, while implementation and measurement depend on the organizations involved. The profile identifies initiatives without assuming that an announcement alone demonstrates an achieved social outcome.

Supporting the sovereign

William undertakes duties in support of the King, including official visits, investitures and national commemorations. These responsibilities do not mean that he has already inherited the crown. His position within the Windsor family and his current place in the succession are therefore stated separately from the sovereign office held by Charles III. That distinction keeps the directory useful for readers comparing different kinds of royal responsibility.

Selected works & milestones