Prince William, Duke of Cambridge Celebrates 30th Birthday

The boy who is destined to become King was born at 9.03am on June 21, 1982 at St Mary’s Hospital in London to the Prince and Princess of Wales. At birth, he weighted 7lbs 5oz. Prince William Arthur Philip Louis was Christened on August 4, 1982 by the Archbishop of Canterbury, with King Constantine of Greece, Princess Alexandra, the Honourable Mrs Ogilvy, the Duchess of Westminster, Lady Susan Hussey, Lord Romsey (now 8th Baron Brabourne) and Sir Laurens van der Post as his godparents.

Although his parents tried to bring some normality and privacy into his life, from the moment of his birth, William was centre of attention with him – and his entire family – always followed by camera lenses. That resulted in a tragedy when Diana, Princess of Wales died in a tragic car accident in Paris, as her car speeded away from the chasing press; the Prince was only 15 at the time. After the incident, the press agreed to respect the privacy of the young Princes William and Harry, and they were largely left alone.

Prince William decided to continue his education at the University of St Andrews; he went on to earn a Master of Arts degree with upper second class honours in geography – the best result obtained by any heir to the British Throne in history. It was also there he met one Kate Middleton. The couple started dating in 2003 and seven years later, in 2010, announced their engagement. Prince William presented Catherine with the diamond and sapphire engagement ring that had once belonged to his mother – a way, as William said during the engagement interview, to ensure the late Princess shared “the excitement”.

On the morning of his wedding day, Prince William was created the Duke of Cambridge by the Queen. The newly created Duke married Catherine Middleton in front of over 1,900 guests in a lavish ceremony broadcast around the world to the audience of over 2 billion people. The young couple have since been in the centre of attention; the Duchess of Cambridge, in particular, has become a global icon in her own right.

As most members of his family before him, the Prince joined British Armed Forces and graduated from Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 2006; his graduation ceremony was attended by most members of his family, including the Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and his future wife – Kate Middleton. Prince William always expressed his desire to serve his country on the frontline, as his brother had done; unfortunately, his position meant the security risk to him and to those serving with him would be too great to allow that.

In January 2009, William transferred his commission to the RAF and was promoted to Flight Lieutenant. He trained to become a helicopter pilot with the Royal Air Force’s Search and Rescue Force. The Duke’s commission will end in 2013; however, the Prince has indicated that, rather than leave at the end of it, he would prefer to remain with the RAF until at least 2016, when the Search and Rescue Force is expected to be disbanded. In June 2012, Prince William gained a qualification of captain in charge of a Sea King; he had previously served as a co-pilot.

Unlike his 21st birthday celebrations (an African-themed party with a large number of guests), the Duke of Cambridge decided to celebrate his 30th birthday in a low-key and private fashion.

Among the gifts Prince William reportedly received is a portrait of his wife (commissioned by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cambridge); Catherine also treated him to a “sea doughnut” ride which left the Prince soaked to bones but in excellent mood. The Queen, meanwhile, plans to give the young couple a cottage at her Sandringham Estate; although it is not, at this point, clear which cottage it will be, the York Cottage is an early favourite. On the day of his 30th birthday, the Duke of Cambridge also inherited £10 million – his share of the fortune left to him by his mother, the late Diana, Princess of Wales.

To read more about the Prince’s 30th Birthday, visit this thread – William at 30.

Happy Birthday and Many Returns to the Prince.

Filed under The United Kingdom
Tagged Biography, Birthday, The Duke of Cambridge.