Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Prince William

Did you know that Prince William was the first British heir to ever be born outside of palace walls?

Yep, that's right. The Prince of Wales, born to King Charles III and Princess Diana in London, is no stranger to breaking royal protocol. Unlike his father, the heir apparent to the British throne attended preschool outside of Buckingham Palace before moving on to Ludgrove School and then Eton College. After graduating at just 18, he took a gap year to explore places like Belize, southern Chile and Kenya, learning to speak Swahili along the way. And in 2001, the prince returned to the U.K. to attend the University of St Andrews, where he studied art history and geography.

It was during his time at St. Andrews when he met his future wife and fellow student, Kate Middleton. Starting out as friends in 2001, the pair quietly started dating a year later and made their romance public in 2004. After dating on-and-off for seven years, the prince and princess got married at Westminster Abbey. And now, they share three children: Prince George, born July 2013, Princess Charlotte, born May 2015, and Prince Louis, born April 2018.

In 2006, William followed the example of his little brother, Prince Harry, by joining the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as a military cadet, going on to complete seven-and-a-half years of military service. But aside from his impressive military career, his royal highness developed a passion for conservation and environmental causes. In fact, in 2020, he launched the Earthshot Prize, which is typically awarded to people for their contributions to environmentalism.

And he currently has patronage with over 30 charities and military organizations, including the British Trust for Ornithology and the Tusk Trust. Oh, and did we mention that the prince has been actively involved in mental health initiatives? (FYI, he helped launch Shout, the UK's first ever 24/7 text messaging service for those who struggle with mental health issues.)

Princess Di would be so proud.