About Me
Prince William of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the elder son of The Prince of Wales and the late Diana, Princess of Wales. He is second in the line of succession to the British throne and thrones of each of the other Commonwealth Realms. As the son of The Prince of Wales and grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince William is a member of the British Royal Family. He has recently graduated as an army officer at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and is due to enter the Blues and Royals regiment of the Household Cavalry of the British Army like his younger brother Prince Harry. His official name as an army officer is Second Lieutenant William Wales. He is 6ft 3in (1.90m) tall.Prince William is currently an officer in the British Army. Although he is concentrating on his military career, Prince William is also Patron of a number of organisations and charities whose work he wants to support. Like his brother Prince Harry, Prince William is a keen sportsman and enjoys a wide variety of activities, mostly team sports.Prince William is the elder son of The Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales. He was born at 9.03pm on 21st June 1982, at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London. A bulletin announced that the Royal baby weighed 7lb 1 1/2oz.On 4th August 1982, Prince William Arthur Philip Louis was christened by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Robert Runcie, in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace.After attending Mrs Mynors School, Prince William became a pupil at Wetherby School in London, from 15th January 1987 until 5th July 1990.From September 1990, The Prince attended Ludgrove School in Berkshire, for five years until 5th July 1995. He then attended Eton College from July 1995 and studied Geography, Biology and History of Art at A Level.After a gap year in which he visited Chile, Belize, worked on British dairy farms and visited countries in Africa, Prince William chose to study at St Andrews University in Fife, Scotland. He graduated with a 2:1 in Geography in 2005.After a period of work experience, Prince William joined the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as an Officer Cadet.He was commissioned as an army officer in front of Her Majesty The Queen at Sandhurst in December 2006 and joined the Household Cavalry (Blues and Royals) as a Second Lieutenant.In 1995 Prince William left Ludgrove and entered exclusive Eton College. He lived with some 50 other students in an ivy-covered dorm called Manor House, where he had a small room to himself above the kitchen. He was the only student with a private bathroom. But he had to follow the same rules as everyone else (no posters allowed on his bedroom walls, for example) and wear the same uniform (striped pants and a tailcoat). On his school track and bathing suits were the initials W.O.W., for William of Wales. He was chosen to be the co-captain of his swim team during his last year at Eton.The other students sometimes teased him about his sex symbol status, whistling at him and calling him Dreamboat Willy, which was said to embarrass him. He was allowed to attend teen discos, where upper-class girls approached him offering to "snog" (kiss). Prince William supposedly refused these offers politely.It was widely reported that Prince William was allowed to attend clubs and discos if he obeyed the following rules set down for him by the queen:No smoking, alcohol, or drugs. No kissing girls in public. Avoid being photographed by the media. Arrive and leave with royal aides. Be accompanied by detectives and a trustworthy friend. Get permission to attend the party, and be home on time.In August of 1996 Prince Charles and Princess Diana were divorced. Prince William's housemaster at Eton, Dr. Andrew Gailey, is said to have helped William deal with the blow. Unfortunately, a worse blow was to follow.On August 31, 1997 Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris. Prince William helped to plan his mother's unusual funeral. It was his idea for Diana's friend Elton John to sing "Candle in the Wind." Prince William walked in the funeral procession with his father, brother, uncle (Charles Spencer), and grandfather (Prince Philip).After Diana's death Prince Charles made an effort to spend more time with his children. Prince William could also turn for support to Prime Minister Tony Blair; family friend Tiggy Legge-Bourke Pettifer, who had her own room in Charles's five-bedroom home, York House; his cousin, Peter Phillips; and other, less famous friends.During his years at Eton, Prince William often visited his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II on the weekends at Windsor Castle, a short walk away. His grandfather, Prince Philip, sometimes took him duck hunting. After William's mother died he spoke frequently with her sisters, Jane and Sarah, but it is reported that he has little contact with the Spencer family these days. Prince William's favorite memento of his mother is her Cartier watch.In 2000, Prince William graduated from Eton and passed three A-level exams, receiving an A in geography, a B in the history of art, and a C in biology. (A-levels are necessary in the British school system before a student can attend a university.) He was accepted by the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Before attending the university he spent a year traveling and pursuing educational projects. His first stop was a jungle in Belize, where he took part in military exercises with the Welsh Guards. Later that year he visited Chile in a visit organized by a group called Raleigh International, which takes young people on three-month expeditions that include environmental and community projects.In a written interview published by PA News a few days before his 18th birthday, William said, "I enjoy water polo, football and rugby -- mostly team sports." He also enjoyed "being with my friends, going to the cinema, and watching football and rugby matches." He preferred action movies, casual clothing, and dance and pop music. He mentioned that he had a pet dog named Widgeon (a female black Labrador, named after a kind of wild duck). He dismissed rumors that he was dating singer Britney Spears as "nonsense" and declined to say whether he had a girlfriend. Admitting that public attention made him uncomfortable, the prince said, "I am grateful to the media for helping to protect my privacy and I hope I can enjoy the same freedom at university."Like most of his family, the prince is very athletic. He rides motorbikes, plays tennis, rows, skis, fishes, and hunts. He probably also plays pool, since Prince Charles is known to have owned a pool table.Prince William is 6'3", taller than his father, who is around 5'10", and Prince Harry, who is 6'2". William is left-handed. In 1996 People Magazine named him "Best Dressed," and why not -- for his 13th birthday, his father gave him a valet! For his 17th birthday, Prince Charles reportedly gave William his first car, a VW Golf.Miscellaneous facts about Prince William which may or may not be true: He is an avid reader, and especially enjoys biographies. His favorite foods are chocolate, poached eggs, fruit salad, pizza, pasta, and venison. He shuns cigarettes and illegal drugs, but he drinks socially. Rumor has it that he once was quite a lady's man, but if so he was very discreet.The prince began his four-year university course in autumn 2001. At first he studied art history, but later he decided to pursue a geography degree instead. He was registered under the name "William of Wales," and kept a deliberately low profile. It was rumored that he was lonely and bored and wanted to change schools, but his father (or royal aides) encouraged him to stick it out. One person who reportedly encouraged him to stay in school was fellow student Kate Middleton, who eventually became known as the prince's steady girlfriend.Prince William graduated from St Andrews in June 2005 with a geography Master of Arts degree. He plans to join his brother at Sandhurst military academy in January 2006 to prepare for a career in the army.William shares his mother's down-to-earth style. He has chosen to postpone using the title HRH (His Royal Highness) and prefers to be called simply William instead of "sir." In an interview to mark his 21st birthday, he explained, "I want people to call me William for now... I don't want all the formalities because they're not needed for the time being."In the same interview, the future King William V denied rumors that he doesn't want to inherit the throne. "It's something I was born into and it's my duty... Those stories about me not wanting to be king are all wrong. It's a very important role and it's one that I don't take lightly. It's all about helping people and dedication and loyalty, which I hope I have -- I know I have." As the title of an early book about the prince proclaimed, he was "Born to Be King."
