Prince William Biography

He is the elder son of Prince Charles and the late Diana, Princess of Wales. His brother, third in line to the throne, is Prince Harry.

William was the first royal prince to attend an ordinary primary school, rather than being educated at home. In other respects William's childhood was anything but typical. Wherever Prince William goes, bodyguards (and photographers) are not far behind.

At the age of eight, William was sent to Ludgrove, a boarding school, where he shared a room with four other boys in his five years there. During that time his parents separated, forcing William and Harry to divide their time between Charles and Diana when they were not in school.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were both reportedly warm parents, but William was especially close to his mother. Diana broke royal protocol, by hugging the boys in public and taking them to amusement parks and McDonald's fast food restaurants.

Wiliam received his secondary education at the exclusive Eton College, where he was generally treated as a normal pupil.

His world was shattered on 31st August, 1997 when Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris. Despite his intense grief, William helped to make the arrangements for his mother's unusual funeral. It was his idea for Elton John to sing 'Candle in the Wind'. Prince William walked in the funeral procession with his father, brother and grandfather.

In 2000, Prince William graduated from Eton and passed three A-level exams and spent a year travelling and pursuing educational projects, before embarking on a History of Art degree at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

After changing his main subject to Geography, William graduated in 2005 with a Master of Arts degree with upper-second class honours, the highest academic achievement of any heir to the British throne.

The following year, William joined his brother at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst to train as an Army Officer. He passed out in December 2006, following his brother into the Blues and Royals regiment as a troop leader.

It was reported in October 2007 that William’s former Platoon Commander, Major Alexis Roberts, had been killed while on active duty in Afghanistan. The Prince was said to be deeply saddened by the news.

2006 was an important year for the young royal, as the Queen appointed William to two patronages of the Royal Navy. He became Commodore-in-Chief for Scotland and Commodore-in-Chief for submarines. He also started to carry out more public engagements in parallel with his military career.

William’s personal life has been the subject of intense media scrutiny. In 2005, the media began following his long-term relationship with then girlfriend Kate Middleton, formerly one of his university flatmates, whom he began dating in 2003.

Interest in the couple reached new heights in January 2007, amid mounting speculation they were about to get engaged, when a paparazzi scrum formed outside Miss Middleton's home on her 25th birthday.

Days later the Press Complaints Commission circulated a letter from her solicitors, saying Miss Middleton was being harassed and a formal complaint would be made if paparazzi pictures continued to be used.