HRH Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, turned 40 on 21st June 2022. Being second in line to the British throne has meant that William has lived his entire life in front of the public. However, there are still many things that you may not know about our future king.
Here, we will be looking at six facts about Prince William…
He was the first future heir to the throne to be born in a hospital.
Prince William’s mother, Princess Diana, was notorious for breaking royal traditions, and even changed how royal women gave birth forever. On 21st June 1982, Diana gave birth to Prince William at the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital, making him the first future heir to the throne to be born in a hospital. This started a new tradition, with Prince William’s wife Kate Middleton following suit and giving birth to their three children at the same hospital.
He has something in common with Harry Potter.
In 1991, Prince William had a golfing accident which resulted in him being left with a scar on his forehead. A school friend accidentally hit him on the forehead with a golf club during a game, and this scar is still visible today, with William often referring to it as his ‘Harry Potter Scar’. He reportedly said: “I call it that because it glows sometimes and some people notice it—other times they don’t notice it at all”.
He made a promise to his mother, Princess Diana.
When Diana’s divorce from Prince Charles was finalised in 1996, the princess was stripped of her ‘Her Royal Highness’ title. Prince William consoled his mother and vowed to her that he would restore her royal title when he became king; a vow he made when he was just 14 years old: “Don’t worry Mummy, I will give it back to you one day when I am king.”
He traded with his brother for Diana’s engagement ring.
In 1997, shortly after Diana’s death, Paul Burrell took both her children to her apartment at Kensington Palace so they could choose special items that belonged to their mother as a way of remembering her. Harry chose Diana’s engagement ring and William chose her gold Cartier watch. In 2010, Prince William was planning on proposing to Kate Middleton, and so swapped keepsakes with Harry in order to gift his future wife with the same engagement ring that his mother had.
He had a widely-broadcast wedding ceremony.
Prince William married Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey on 29th April 2011. Their wedding ceremony was watched by nearly 1.5 billion people worldwide; that’s more than a sixth of the world’s population! Kate’s wedding bouquet was a mixture of Lily of the Valley, Hyacinth, Myrtle and Sweet William; a testament to her love for the future king.
He followed in his mother’s footsteps and broke his own royal traditions.
Before Prince George, his first child, was born in 2013, Prince William was preparing for fatherhood by reading an army-styled handbook for new parents called ‘Commando Dad’. After George was born, William broke the royal tradition and drove his new family home from the hospital himself.
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