Prince William, the future king of England, has been in the spotlight since he was just a little boy. The media has chronicled seemingly every minute detail of his existence, because the public demands it. It’s hard not be curious about someone who will one day sit on one of the most important thrones in the world, even if that throne is a largely symbolic one. The Prince of Wales has spent all of his life as a beloved world figure, and as he gets closer to the kingship — especially now that his father has been crowned King Charles III — we all want to know as much as possible about who Prince William is — and his undoubtedly unique experience in the world.
Perhaps, somewhat surprisingly, there are some things even the most dedicated followers and fans of the British royal family might not know about the ever-charming Prince William. The prince’s life after his mother, Princess Diana, died, and before he met his wife, Kate Middleton, was much more low-key than it is now, and one could argue that those were actually his most formative years. Those were the years he was busy stockpiling the knowledge and experiences that will ensure that when the time comes he is a well-rounded, informed, and compassionate king.
There’s so, so much for us to learn!
From birth to present, there are lots of interesting and even lesser-known facts about Prince William that not all of us are privy to. Keep reading to find out 20 fast facts about the Prince of Wales that are sure to impress anyone whose even remotely interested in the royal family — and the future king of the United Kingdom himself.
Future King First
Prince William was the first future king of England to be born in a hospital. Seems strange to us now, when hospital births are the norm, but even though at the time of William’s father Prince Charles’ birth, women were giving birth in hospitals, the royal family saw no reason to do so — and Prince Charles was born in Buckingham Palace. Princess Diana shook things up, though, when she decided to birth her first child in the Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital in London. Princess Diana also had Prince Harry at the hospital. All three of Prince William’s own children were born in the Lindo Wing.
Not the Only First
Before Prince William was born, royal children did not go on official tours with their parents. When William was 9 months old, Princess Diana insisted on bringing him along on her and Prince Charles’ official tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1983. Both William and Kate, and Harry and Meghan have since done the same with their own children as infants.
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
School Was a First, Too
As the oldest child of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Prince William was also the first member of the royal family to go to regular school instead of being homeschooled by a tutor. William began his education at Mrs. Mynor’s Nursery School at the age of 3, and completed the rest of his formal education outside of the home. He and Kate Middleton have also chosen to send their children to regular schools with other children.
Master of Arts
Prince William has a master of arts, which makes him the member of the royal family with the most formal education. He attended St. Andrews University in Scotland where he earned a master of arts in geography. It’s worth noting that a Scottish master’s degree is the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree in the US. Still, most members of the royal family never graduated university at all.
The Bearded Prince
It was for such a brief time that anyone could’ve missed it, but back in 2008 Prince William, sported a full beard for a while. (He gave up the look when he began training as a pilot in the Royal Air Force.) We have to say, he looked just as good with a beard as his brother, Prince Harry, does now. Still, as he gets closer to becoming king, we doubt he’ll grow it back.
That Breakup, Tho
Most people know that William and Kate dated for years and broke up for a few months before getting engaged. Marrying a future king is a huge deal, and it’s probably a good thing Kate took some time to make sure she could handle the life of a royal. But many people don’t know that Prince William was apparently quite happy to take a break from his future wife. During that time, he was allegedly spotted jumping on a table at a nightclub and shouting, “I’m free!”
Heading Up BAFTA
The Prince of Wales loves movies and television so much that he’s been the president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts since 2010. It’s something of a royal family tradition to hold this role. (William’s grandfather, Prince Phillip, was BAFTA’s first president.) William and Kate attend the BAFTA awards together every year.
'Billy the Fish'
Prince William served as a pilot in the Royal Air Force for several years, beginning in 2008. While in the service, his fellow airmen nicknamed him “Billy the Fish,” which was apparently a joke derived from his real name: William of Wales. That’s actually pretty clever and must have given everyone a good chuckle when they first came up with it.
Civilian Job
Prince William retired from the Royal Air Force in 2013, but apparently, he hadn’t had enough of flying. Less than a year later, Will began training to become an air ambulance pilot. He worked as an air ambulance pilot for two years, making him the first would-be king to hold a civilian job. William donated his salary from those two years to charity.
Surf's Up
Prince William might just be a bit of a thrill seeker. We doubt he has much time for it now that he’s a husband and father of three, but it looks like William is a big fan of surfing. He enjoyed the sport quite often while he was studying at St. Andrews University, and was even spotted surfing with friends during his bachelor party in 2011.
Sunbathing Suit
William usually steers clear of any type of scandal, but back in 2012, he filed a complaint against a photographer who took pictures of Kate while she was sunbathing topless. Several publications — including the French magazine Closer — published the photos. Years later, a French court finally ruled in William and Kate’s favor.
'Homeland' at Home
Prince William and Kate Middleton gave their fans some insight into their home life back in 2017 when they appeared on BBC Radio One. They chatted about all sorts of stuff — from parenting to their favorite foods (curry) — and one thing that might come as a surprise is that in their spare time, they enjoy cuddling up and watching the American television drama, Homeland.
'Harry Potter Scar'
Though it’s definitely not noticeable from afar, Prince William has admitted that he has a scar on his forehead, just like fellow (fictional) Brit Harry Potter. The scar is from a golfing incident when he was a child, during which he got hit in the head with a golf club. Will said in an interview that he sometimes calls it his “Harry Potter scar,” because it appears to glow on occasion.
'Gary, Gary!'
When Prince William was a little boy — just like any other child — he had several names for his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth. Most of them were standards, like “Gran Gran” and “Lizzie” (because of course, her name was Elizabeth), but apparently, he had trouble pronouncing “Granny” … and it came out as “Gary.” The Queen went with it, and little William continued to call her “Gary” until he was developmentally able to say “Granny.”
Mmm … Cake
It’s been reported that William’s favorite cake is chocolate biscuit cake. It’s a cake that is prepared by layering tea biscuits with eggs, chocolate, and cream — and then it’s refrigerated instead of baked. William loves the cake so much that it was actually what was served as his groom’s cake when he married Kate Middleton in 2011.
For the Love of Soccer
Princes William and Harry grew up involved in sports. They play everything from polo to rugby, but they’re also big fans of soccer (which they call football, of course). Prince William is a supporter of the Aston Villa Football Club, and one of his official patronages (meaning he donates to them) is the Football Association, which is the governing body of the sport in England.
Reliving Tragedy
While Prince William was markedly more composed than his younger brother, Harry, after the death of their mother, Princess Diana, he has since admitted to being deeply affected by the loss. He told GQ magazine that whenever he is confronted with parent and child loss, it takes him back to the emotions he felt when he lost his own mother. This was particularly difficult for him when he was an air ambulance pilot.
Don't Bring the Heat
Prince William has admitted that he likes the flavor of spicy foods — like curry, one of Britain’s national dishes — but that he can’t handle a lot of heat. While being interviewed about an official trip to Pakistan, he told E! News that he was looking forward to the flavors of the country’s food, but not too much heat.
“Me and heat, not so good,” he said.
Eyes on Cindy
Ever wonder who the future king’s teenage crush was? That’s right, it was a classic: Cindy Crawford. We bet most men his age would agree that the original supermodel was totally crushworthy and kind of still is. To be honest, Kate Middleton has a lot of similar features, starting with the long, lush dark hair — so it’s not all that surprising.
Lefty
That’s right, Prince William is a lefty. It’s even been reported that his son, Prince George, is also left-handed, so it looks like the UK will inevitably have a left-handed king one day. Only about 10% of the world’s population is left-handed, and left-handed people tend to be more imaginative and creative — which isn’t necessarily the impression we get of William, but perhaps more of his left-handed traits will become apparent once he has a bit more say over things.
