40 Facts About Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge, who Turns 40 Today

Happy birthday Your Royal Highness! Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, turns 40 today, June 21, 2022. He has been second-in-line in direct succession to the throne since birth.

He is the eldest son of Charles, the Prince of Wales, and Diana, the Princess of Wales, and was born on June 21, 1982, at the Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital, in the section of Paddington. London, UK.

The Prince and Princess of Wales with baby William

Forty Facts About Prince William:

1. He is the first future British king to be born in the hospital
2. For several days after his birth, he was called Baby Wales. His parents could not agree on what to call him. According to Royal historian, Robert Lacey, Diana wanted William but Prince Charles preferred Arthur. Princess Diana prevailed because William has been on the list of regnal names of male monarchs of the British throne.
3. His real name is William Arthur Philip Louis. His first name was a tribute to William, the Conqueror, Arthur for the legendary British king, Philip, as a tribute to his grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, and Louis, a tribute to Lord Mountbatten, the maternal uncle of Prince Philip.  Lord Mountbatten was assassinated by an IRA bomb in 1979 aboard his fishing vessel.
4. His name was officially announced on June 28, 1982. He was baptized on the 82nd birthday of The Queen Mother, August 4, 1982.
5. His godparents were: Constantine II, ex-King of Greece and Prince Charles's closest cousin, the Duchess of Westminster (a distant cousin of Princess Diana and the Queen), Princess Alexandra (the Queen's cousin), Lord Romsey (son of Lord Mountbatten), Lady Susan Hussey (lady-in-waiting to the Queen), and Sir Lauren van der Post (a South African poet who was his father's friend).
6. He was the first royal baby to be brought to a royal tour when in 1983, he accompanied his parents to Australia and New Zealand.
7. One of his childhood nicknames was "Wombat", a name given by Princess Diana after their Australian tour. Prince William revealed it during his interview on BBC. "I can't get rid of it now, it began when I was two, I've been rightfully told because I can't remember back that far, but when we went to Australia with our parents, the wombat, you know, that's the local animal, so I just basically called that, not because I look like a wombat, or maybe I do." He laughed.
8. His nickname in the Royal Family is "Wills", but his college classmates would call him Steve, to protect him from media intrusion.
9. He attended the boarding schools: Ludgrove and Eton College, both in Berkshire.
10. He took a gap year after high school and traveled to Belize, South Africa, and Chile to do volunteer work.
11. He attended the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, one of the oldest universities in the United Kingdom. And studied Art History.
12. Two years later, he switched to Geography and graduated with an undergraduate Master of Arts in 2005 with upper second class honors.
13. Following his college graduation, he took up short courses in land management and agricultural management to prepare himself to manage the Duchy of Cornwall when he becomes the Prince of Wales.
14. He joined his brother, Prince Harry (who bypassed a university degree to directly enroll in the military school), at Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst.
15. As a future king, he trained in all branches of the military. But he took a career later in the Royal Air Force as a search-and-rescue operation pilot.
16. His first godchild was Prince Constantine Alexios of Greece and Denmark in 1998, the eldest grandson of his godfather and uncle, Constantine II of Greece.
17. He is an accomplished polo player but also an avid fan of football.
18. In June 2008, he became the 1000th Knight of the Order of the Garter.
19. He lost his mother to a car accident in Paris, France, when he was 15 years old.
20. Following his mother's death, he kept her gold Cartier watch which Diana wore almost every day in her life. Harry kept the engagement ring. But when William planned to propose to Kate Middleton in 2010, Harry gave it to him to include the memory of their mother on the special occasion.
21. He and Kate Middleton broke up twice. First in 2004, and second in 2007. According to William's friends, Kate had the patience to follow William to work on the reconciliation.
22. When he was still a teenager, he was spotted in Mcdonald's, making him the first British heir to be seen publicly dining in a fast-food restaurant.
23. He got married on April 29, 2011, to Kate Middleton, who he met in college.
24. He is the first future British monarch to marry a non-aristocratic commoner.
25. His mother, Diana, an aristocrat, was a descendant of King Charles II.
26. He has granted three peerage titles upon marriage in 2011: Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, and Baron Carrickfergus. 
27. When he is in Scotland, he is known as Earl of Strathearn. 
28. He does not wear a wedding ring. For a simple reason that William does not like jewelry. It was first confirmed (that the Duke of Cambridge would not wear a wedding ring) by St. James's Palace, then the official residence of Prince Charles, in 2011.
29. Before the birth of Prince George, it was reported that he took basic training on how to become a father: Commando Dad, Basic Training, an army-style handbook.
30. Like his grandmother, the Queen, he loves Chocolate Biscuit Cake. He even requested this cake to be served at his wedding reception in 2011.
31. During his childhood, two of his favorite dishes were Banana cake and Cottage Pie as revealed by the Queen's former chef, Darren McGrady.
32. Prince William once revealed he struggled with spicy foods. He preferred bland food.
33. His ranks in the three branches of the British military: Major in the Army, Lieutenant Commander in the Navy, and Squadron Leader in the Air Force.
34. He has a scar on the forehead because in 1991 he was accidentally hit by a classmate with a golf club.
35. He is left-handed but learned to play polo on the right hand.
36. His first huge crush was the American supermodel, Cindy Crawford. Princess Diana invited Crawford to Kensington Palace to meet William when he was still a teenager. Prince William commented on the meeting later in his adult life, "I went bright red and did not know quite what to say, sort of fumbled and I think pretty much fell down the stairs on the way up"
37. When he was still a child, he famously said he wanted to become a policeman to protect his mother. He would comfort Princess Diana by giving her chocolates each time he sees her crying in her room. 
38. It was his grandfather, Prince Philip's influence that convinced him to walk behind the casket of his mother during the funeral in September 1997.
39. He is the current president of BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) British equivalent of the Oscar Awards in Hollywood.
40. When he ascends the British throne someday, he will be taking the regnal name, William V. The last British king of that name was William IV, the uncle of Queen Victoria, and the last Hanoverian king in the United Kingdom.

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The Duke of Cambridge of a young prince

Prince William, nine months old, in Australia

with his parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales

Prince William while at the University of St. Andrews

Prince William (center) with his family and godparents

Seated from left: Prince Harry, Princess Diana, Prince Charles, the Queen

Standing from left: Constantine II (ex-king of Greece), Lady Susan Hussey, Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Westminster, and Lord Romsey

The Prince and Princess of Wales at William's confirmation day

Prince William (center) accompanied by his family, from left: Princess Diana, Prince Harry, and Prince Charles. At the back: school headmaster. First day of school at Eton College. September 1995