William, Duke of Cambridge

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Prince William (2016)

HRH Prince William Arthur Philip Louis, Duke of Cambridge (born June 21, 1982 in London , short: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge , German: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge ), is Prince and future heir to the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland . He is a grandson of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip and belongs to the House of Windsor as a member of the British Royal Family . He also belongs to the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg family (through his father Prince Charles and grandfather) ; a branch line of the House of Oldenburg . He is married to Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge .

Life

British royal family
Badge of the House of Windsor, svg

HM The Queen
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh


Prince William was the eldest son of Princess Diana ( "Lady Di") and Prince Charles , Prince of Wales at St Mary's Hospital in London district of Paddington born. He is the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain . William has a younger brother, Harry , as well as a stepbrother, Thomas Parker-Bowles, and a stepsister, Laura Parker-Bowles, who are from the first marriage of his stepmother Camilla to Andrew Parker-Bowles. His parents officially separated in 1992. His mother Diana was killed in a car accident in Paris in 1997 .

After his father, Prince Charles, he is second in line to the British throne .

Prince William was baptized on August 4, 1982 in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace by Robert Runcie , Archbishop of Canterbury . His godparents were ex-King Constantine II of Greece , Sir Laurens van der Post , Princess Alexandra , Natalia Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster , Norton Knatchbull, 8th Baron Brabourne , and Lady Susan Hussey . On March 9, 1997, Prince William was confirmed in the St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle . He is thus a member of the Church of England , whose head is the Queen.

education

From 1985 he attended Mrs Mynor's Nursery School . William received his education from 1987 to 1990 at the Wetherby School in London and from 1990 to 1995 at the Ludgrove School in Berkshire . From 1995 to 2000 he attended the elite Eton College . He graduated from school in geography, biology and art history (" A-Level Certificate", roughly comparable to the German Abitur).

In the year after graduating from school, he volunteered for a few months on an aid project in Chile and on a farm in England. In September 2001 William began a four year study of art history at St Andrews University in Scotland . After two years he switched to geography in 2003 , which he successfully completed in June 2005 with a Scottish Master of Arts . His thesis was on the coral reefs of Rodrigues in the Indian Ocean . In autumn 2005 he completed several internships.

military service

On January 8, 2006, he was accepted as an officer cadet in the Sandhurst Military Academy , where his younger brother Harry had been trained since May 2005. In the army he goes under the name William Wales . On December 15, 2006, Prince William left the Sandhurst Academy after successful training. The final parade took place in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II. In this parade, he was appointed lieutenant appointed (Second Lieutenant).

As Second Lieutenant William Wales he served from January 2007 to January 2008 in the Guard Cavalry Regiment " Blues and Royals ". From January to April 2008 he completed a four-month pilot training course with the Royal Air Force . On 17 January 2008 he made his first solo flight and 11 April 2008 William was that at this time the rank of Flying Officer (equivalent to a lieutenant ), had from his father the badge of the Royal Air Force, the so-called wings (English for grand piano). In April 2008, the prince was criticized for several training flights in a military helicopter, as these flights mostly had a private destination, such as the country home of his partner Kate Middleton or the bachelorette party of his cousin, Peter Phillips. In summer 2008, he gained experience on the frigate of the Royal Navy HMS Iron Duke in the Caribbean .

In 2009 and 2010 William completed a 20-month training course as a helicopter pilot at the Defense Helicopter Flying School of the Royal Air Force in Shawbury, West England. There he had the rank of flight lieutenant ( captain ). This training was followed by a service with a " Search and Rescue " unit at the RAF Base Valley on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, which lasted from 2010 to September 2013. Among other things, he was there in November 2011 as copilot of a rescue helicopter involved in the recovery of shipwrecked people from the sinking of the freighter Swanland . At the beginning of 2012 he had a six-week assignment in the Falkland Islands .

On February 10, 2011, Prince William was appointed Colonel-in-Chief ( Colonel of Honor ) of the Irish Guards .

In September 2013, Prince William decided, a few weeks after the birth of his son, to end his military career and from then on to devote himself primarily to charitable tasks.

marriage and family

William and Catherine on their wedding day on April 29, 2011

Since the end of 2002, Prince William had a relationship with the entrepreneur's daughter Catherine "Kate" Middleton , with an interruption in 2007 . On November 16, 2010, it was announced that the couple had got engaged on a trip to Kenya in October this year . The wedding took place on April 29, 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London. The Kensington Palace was for a conversion to a new home of the couple.

On December 3, 2012, it was confirmed that the couple was expecting their first child. On December 31, 2012, Queen Elisabeth issued a letters patent so that all of William and Kate's children would receive the title Prince / essin and the salutation “Royal Highness”. Previously, this was reserved for the monarch's children and grandchildren. The son was born in London on July 22, 2013 and is called George Alexander Louis . He is third in line to the throne. On September 8, 2014, it was announced that the couple was expecting a second child. A daughter was born on May 2, 2015; she bears the name Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge . She is fourth in line to the throne. On September 4, 2017, it was announced that Kate is pregnant again. On April 23, 2018, Louis Arthur Charles was born in London , who occupies fifth place in the line of succession. Behind the three children, their uncle Prince Harry is sixth in the line of succession to the British throne.

Tasks and interests

Official duties

Royal standard
Coat of
arms of William, Duke of Cambridge

The prince is always present at community appearances by the royal family, such as Trooping the Color . In 2005 he made a state visit to New Zealand on behalf of the Queen . In 2008 he visited British troops in Afghanistan .

He is the patron or chairman of nine non-profit organizations: Centrepoint (helping the young homeless), The Tusk Trust (helping Africa), The Football Association , The Welsh Rugby Union , The Royal Marsden Hospital , Mountain Rescue , English School's Swimming Association , The Lord Mayor's Appeal, and City Salute Appeal (support for injured soldiers). In December 2009, Prince William spent a night in central London to get a better understanding of how a homeless person lives.

On June 30, 2011, the royal prince and his wife arrived in Canada for their first official trip abroad since their wedding . In the capital Ottawa , the ducal couple celebrated Canada's national holiday on July 1, on behalf of William's grandmother in their capacity as Queen of Canada . Several dozen opponents of the monarchy protested against the visitors from Great Britain in Montreal . As French Canadians, you feel oppressed and demanded the proclamation of a Republic of Canada . On the third day of the Cambridge’s first official overseas visit, separatists protested against the “royal parasites” in French-speaking Québec . During their two-day visit to Québec, the couple felt the widespread rejection of the British crown there. About 200 protesters gathered outside the city hall, where the couple attended an official ceremony. The anti-royalists chanted, among other things, "William, get away" and "Down with the monarchy". The nine-day visit to Canada was immediately followed by a three-day stay in Los Angeles , where a gala for British film and television stars in Hollywood was on the program.

On August 23, 2016, on the 70th anniversary of the founding of North Rhine-Westphalia , Prince William took part in the state celebrations in Düsseldorf as the highest representative of the United Kingdom . From July 19 to 21, 2017, the prince and his family visited Germany for the first time, although the children did not take part in the official program. William and his wife visited Berlin , Heidelberg and Hamburg . They met with Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier , among others . Experts assessed the visit as part of a “ Brexit diplomacy” in order to strengthen ties to Europe despite the exit from the EU. The British Ambassador Sir Sebastian Wood said it was "[...] the beginning of a long relationship between this new generation of the royal family and Germany" and that there will be many such visits in the future.

Sponsorships

Prince William has three godchildren: Konstantinos-Alexios of Greece and Denmark (born in 1998 as the son of Crown Prince Paul of Greece and Marie-Chantal Miller ), Tom Pettifer (born in 2002 as the son of Charles Pettifer and Alexandra (called Tiggy) Legge-Bourke, the prince's former nanny) and Grace van Cutsem (born 2007 to Hugh van Cutsem and Rose Astor).

Interests

Prince William at a polo game in Sandhurst (2007)

The prince engages in several sports: he swims, rides, plays tennis , rugby , hockey , soccer , basketball , golf and takes part in polo tournaments. In his school days he was in the swimming team , in the choir and in a theater group. During his studies he was a member of the water polo team at Scottish universities and took part in competitions. Every year he goes skiing with his father, brother and wife in Klosters-Serneus ( Canton of Graubünden ), Switzerland .

title

As the son of the Prince of Wales, he has been his Royal Highness ("His Royal Highness") and Prince ("Prince") since birth .

On the occasion of his wedding, he was awarded the hereditary peer titles Duke of Cambridge , Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus with a certificate dated May 26, 2011 . With Cambridge in England , Strathearn in Scotland and Carrickfergus in Northern Ireland, the three titles refer to locations in the three parts of the United Kingdom.

His full title ("style") has since been His Royal Highness Prince William Arthur Philip Louis, Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus, KG, KT, PC, ADC (P) .

Orders, decorations and other awards

On May 5, 2008 he was accepted as a Royal Knight Companion in the English Order of the Garter (KG), making him the 1000th member of this order.

On June 25, 2012 he was accepted as a Royal Knight Companion in the Scottish Thistle Order (KT).

On March 17, 2013, he was also appointed Personal Aide de Camp to Her Majesty (ADC (P)) and a member of the Privy Council (PC) on June 9, 2016 .

country Abbreviation medal Year of award Fig.
EnglandEngland England KG Royal Knight Companion of the Garter 2008 Order of the Garter UK ribbon.png Garter diamonds.jpg
ScotlandScotland Scotland KT Royal Knight Companion of the Thistle 2012 Order of the Thistle UK ribbon.png Ster van de Orde van de Distel.svg
United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal 2002 QEII Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon.png
United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal 2012 QEII Diamond Jubilee Medal ribbon.png

ancestors

Pedigree of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
Great-great-grandparents

King George I (Greece)
(1845–1913)
⚭ 1867
Olga Romanowa
(1851–1926)

Louis Mountbatten,
1st Marquess of Milford Haven
(1854–1921)
⚭ 1884
Princess Viktoria of Hessen-Darmstadt (1863–1950)

British Tudor crown
King  George V
(1865–1936)
⚭ 1893
Maria von Teck
(1867–1953)

Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
(1855–1944)
⚭ 1887
Cecilia Nina Cavendish-Bentinck (1862–1938)

Charles Spencer,
6th  Earl Spencer (1857–1922)
⚭ 1887
The Honorable Margaret Baring

James Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn (1869–1953)
⚭ 1894
Lady Rosalind Bingham (1869–1958)

James Roche, 3rd Baron Fermoy
(1852–1920)
⚭ 1880
Frances Work
(1857–1947)

William Smith Gill (1865–1957)
⚭ 1898
Ruth Littlejohn (1879–1964)

Great grandparents

Prince
Andreas of Greece (1882–1944)
⚭ 1903
Princess Alice von Battenberg (1885–1969)

British Tudor crown
King George VI. (1895–1952)
⚭ 1923
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1900–2002)

Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer (1892–1975)
⚭ 1919
Lady Cynthia Hamilton (1897–1972)

Maurice Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy (1885–1955)
⚭ 1931
Ruth Gill (1908–1993)

Grandparents

Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark (* 1921)
⚭ 1947 Queen Elizabeth II (* 1926)
British St. Edwards Crown

John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer (1924–1992)
⚭ 1954–1969
The Honorable Frances Roche (1936–2004)

parents

Crown of the Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales (* 1948)
⚭ 1981–1996
Lady Diana Spencer (1961–1997)

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (* 1982)

Movie

literature

  • Randi Reisfeld: Prince William - His life as England's beacon of hope . Bastei Lübbe 1997 (= Bastei Lübbe paperback 12736), ISBN 3-404-12736-6
  • Ludwig Schubert a. Rolf Seelmann-Eggebert: Europe's royal children . vgs 1999.

Web links

Commons : Prince William, Duke of Cambridge  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. William and Kate , ARD, broadcast on April 24, 2011, 7:15 p.m.
  2. William Wales MA collects his degree
  3. Lifted off: Prince William becomes a fighter pilot. In: Spiegel Online . January 4, 2008, accessed December 31, 2016 .
  4. Prince William flies solo during his RAF attachment ( Memento from February 20, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ^ Prince William is presented with his wings by his father The Prince of Wales. In: princeofwales.gov.uk. Archived from the original on April 15, 2008 ; accessed on December 31, 2016 (English).
  6. Pilot Prince William: Royale sightseeing flights over the family seat. In: Spiegel Online . April 23, 2008, accessed December 31, 2016 .
  7. Pilot Prince William: Cuddles for the Luftikus. In: Spiegel Online . July 10, 2008, accessed December 31, 2016 .
  8. a b www.raf.mod.uk
  9. DPA-InfolineRS: Monarchy: Prince William of the Falkland Islands back. In: Focus Online . March 21, 2012, accessed December 31, 2016 .
  10. Prince William appointed as Colonel of the Irish Guards , February 10, 2011 ( February 13, 2011 memento in the Internet Archive )
  11. Prince William breaks up as a soldier , tz.de, September 12, 2013, accessed on March 25, 2014.
  12. Royal wedding: Prince William to marry Kate Middleton. In: bbc.co.uk. November 16, 2010, accessed December 31, 2016 .
  13. ^ Royal wedding: Prince William and Kate Middleton get married in 2011. In: Spiegel Online . November 16, 2010, accessed December 31, 2016 .
  14. Gesa Mayr : Offspring for William and Kate: Come on, baby. In: Spiegel Online . July 3, 2013, accessed December 31, 2016 .
  15. kurier.at
  16. ^ Queen Elizabeth II Decrees that all of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Children Will Be Princes and Princesses royalhistorian.com, January 9, 2013
  17. ^ Paul Owen: Royal baby: Duchess of Cambridge gives birth to a boy - as it happened. In: theguardian.com. July 22, 2013, accessed December 31, 2016 .
  18. tz.de : Duchess Kate is pregnant! , accessed September 9, 2014.
  19. twitter.com : Twitter message from Kensington Palace about the birth , accessed on May 2, 2015.
  20. Kensington Palace on Twitter . In: Twitter . ( twitter.com [accessed April 23, 2018]).
  21. Secret troop visit: Prince William flies to Afghanistan. In: Spiegel Online . April 30, 2008, accessed December 31, 2016 .
  22. ^ Prince William sleeps out on London's streets to raise awareness. Centrepoint news. In: centrepoint.org. December 2009, archived from the original on March 14, 2010 ; accessed on December 2, 2015 .
  23. ^ First official trip abroad: Prince William and Kate visit Canada . ( Memento of July 2, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) In: RP-online . June 30, 2011, accessed July 5, 2011. The Duke's speech in Ottawa on the national holiday can be seen on YouTube : Duke Cambridge addresses Ottawa crowd in French . Retrieved July 5, 2011.
  24. William and Kate booed by separatists in Quebec. In: derstandard.at . July 3, 2011, accessed December 31, 2016 .
  25. Québecians booing prince couple . In: ntv.de . 4th July 2011.
  26. ^ William and Catherine arrive in Los Angeles for a three-day visit . In: The Daily Telegraph online . July 9, 2011, accessed July 28, 2011.
  27. Prince William visited Germany on August 23, 2016 , website from August 24, 2016 in the portal gov.uk
  28. ^ Monarchy in Germany . In: Spiegel Online . July 19, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  29. William and Kate roll pretzels in Heidelberg . ( Memento of July 20, 2017 Internet Archive ) In: zeit.de . July 20, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  30. William and Kate cheered on the last day of their visit to Germany in Hamburg . In: The world online . July 21, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  31. ^ The Brexit diplomats . In: Spiegel Online . July 19, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  32. An update on Maid of Honor and Bridesmaids, Best Man and Page Boys. The service. In: The Royal Wedding - Prince William & Catherine Middleton - Friday 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey. The Correspondence Department, February 14, 2011, archived from the original on July 26, 2012 ; accessed on December 2, 2015 .
  33. ^ The London Gazette : 59798, 10297 , June 1, 2011.
  34. The Duke of Cambridge at royal.uk
  35. ^ The London Gazette : 59798, 10297 , June 29, 2012.
  36. Duke of Cambridge becomes Aide-de-Camp to the Queen. at telegraph.co.uk, March 17, 2013.
  37. ^ Camilla and William Join The Privy Council. at theroyalforums.com, June 11, 2016.
predecessor   successor
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales British Succession
No. 2
Prince George
New title created Duke of Cambridge
since 2011
current title holder