A warm smile, an intelligent, albeit increasingly bald, head and a sense of humanity: this is how is how Prince William, the hope of the Windsors, presents himself. And he finds perfect support in family life with his three children and wife Catherine.
Even as a child and teenager, William was aware of his responsibilities as the future king and chairman of the Windsor firm. His mother made sure that he could attend kindergarten and public schools – of course, always accompanied by bodyguards. His father also respected his desire to lead a mostly normal life for as long as possible. William spent his gap year, the time between school and university, in South America and South Africa, away from the pesky paparazzi cameras. “I love the people of Africa, I want to know more about them and be able to talk to them,” says William, and that’s why he even learned Swahili.
A very ordinary student
In one of his rare interviews with the British media in November 2004, Prince William spoke about his life at university in St Andrews, Scotland: arguing with his roommates over household chores, struggling with mountains of laundry and agonising over his dissertation. “I go to the supermarket by myself, buy food from the canteen, rent videos, go to the cinema.” But by that time, he already knew that the armed forces were in his life plans.
In the summer of 2005, he had his university degree in his pocket.
He likes to take risks at work
After a few months off, the second in line to the British throne began an eleven-month training course at Sandhurst Training School in January 2006. The motto is “Everyone here has the same bride, and her name is Enfield”. He is referring to the 5.56mm Enfield SA-80 assault rifle. His experience in military affairs and lessons in domestic and foreign policy form his foundation. In his military career, William has followed the royal tradition that his father and uncles also followed.
William has stayed in the business: home cavalry, pilot training in the Royal Air Force, helicopter training, search and rescue squadron. The athletic young man is now an integral part of the East Anglian Air Ambulance, which he joined in the spring of 2015. Although some would certainly like to see the prince choose a slightly less risky job.
His family is his great support, and his wife is his childhood sweetheart
For example, his wife Catherine, née Kate Middleton, who, with the exception of a short period of separation, has remained by William, Prince of Wales https://znaki.fm/persons/william-of-wales/ side since 2003 until he was ready to marry. In October 2010, the prince proposed to his beautiful girlfriend during a holiday in South Africa, which became public in November. On 29 April 2011, the time had finally come: Prince William married Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey in front of nearly 2,000 invited guests and about two billion viewers watching the spectacle on television. She has been Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge ever since.
His work in the royal family – with his own accent
William quit his airline job when he and Kate had to take on more responsibilities. They are both doing brilliantly (in the public eye), and preferably together. William and his Kate are considered an unshakeable dream couple, but they recently had to overcome a serious crisis in the public eye. In March 2024, shortly after King Charles revealed his cancer diagnosis, it was announced that Catherine had cancer cells in her abdomen. She underwent preventive chemotherapy, during which William supported his wife as best he could. Six months later, she completed treatment and gradually started attending more public events again. “It was horrible. It’s probably been the hardest year of my life. Trying to cope with everything else and keep everything in order has been really hard,” William said on the sidelines of the Earthshot Prize ceremony in South Africa, according to the BBC. Overcoming the illness has had a lasting impact on the family’s lives – but it has also sharpened their focus on what matters most: their shared happiness with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
