The Prince of Wales shares three children with Princess Kate

Prince William through the years

As heir to the British throne and the first-born child of King Charles and his late wife Diana, Princess of Wales, Prince William was destined to be in the public eye from the moment he arrived into the world.

The Prince of Wales, a title he was given in September 2022 by Charles upon the late Queen Elizabeth II’s death, was born on 21 June 1982.

We’ve followed his life from his early years at Kensington Palace, schooling at prestigious Eton College, and finally his years at the University of St Andrews, where he met his future wife Princess Kate.

The couple married in 2011 and now William, 41, is a devoted family man to Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

The future king has been a pillar of support for his wife, Kate, amid her cancer treatment over the past three months, with the couple exchanging loving glances as the Princess made a return to the public eye at Trooping the Colour 2024.

Take a look at William’s best photos so far…

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The Prince and Princess of Wales leave St. Mary's Hospital in London with their newborn son Prince William© Getty

William’s birth in 1982

The future King was born in June 1982 at the exclusive Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London.

It was the same place where he would go on to welcome his own three children: George, Charlotte, and Louis.

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Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales with their baby son, Prince William, at home in Kensington Palace© Getty

Young Prince William at home

Seven-month-old Prince William was wide-eyed and adorable on his father Charles’ lap as the family-of-three had their photo snapped at home in Kensington Palace in February 1983.

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Diana Princess of Wales with Prince Charles and Prince William posing for a photocall on the lawn of Government House in Auckland, New Zealand, on April 23, 1983 during the Royal Tour of New Zealand© Getty

Baby’s first tour

A ten-month-old William joined his parents on his first tour abroad to New Zealand in 1983.

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william and harry in matching gingham © Getty

Young William playing with Prince Harry

William became a big brother to Prince Harry in September 1984. Here the two boys are pictured in their playroom at Kensington Palace in 1985.

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Diana helping William with a puzzle at home© Getty

Puzzles with Princess Diana

Doting mother Princess Diana is pictured helping her little boy put together a set of puzzles while at the family’s Kensington Palace home in 1985.

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Prince William on his first day at nursery school on September 24, 1985© Getty

First day of nursery

A big milestone for William, as he started his first day of nursery at Mrs. Mynor’s Nursery school in Notting Hill, London in September 1985.

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king charles, princess diana, william and harry posing for family photo© Getty

Christmas 1986

The family-of-four – plus one furry friend! Prince Charles and Princess Diana posed for this cosy portrait with the boys in front of the fireplace at Kensington Palace in December 1986.

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Diana, Princess of Wales drops her son Prince William off at Wetherby School in London, 15th January 1987© Getty

Young William’s first day of school

In 1987, William moved to Wetherby School, also in London.

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Diana, Princess of Wales with her sons William and Harry during a holiday with the Spanish royal family at the Marivent Palace in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, August 1987© Getty

Holidaying in Spain

William and his family enjoyed a holiday with the Spanish royals at the Marivent Palace in Majorca, Spain, in the summer of 1987.

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Prince William Attending Christmas Day Service At Sandringham Church In Norfolk© Getty

Christmas at Sandringham

William attends the Christmas Day church service at Sandringham in 1988, a tradition he continues to this day.

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Prince William at the Trooping the Colour ceremony in London, England in 1989© Getty

Trooping the Colour

Another royal tradition William still takes part in to this day, Trooping the Colour! Here he is pictured as a young boy in 1989.

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Prince William, wearing a blue, pink, black and white ski suit, during a ski holiday in Lech, Austria in 1991© Getty

Skiing holiday in Austria

Showing off his skiing skills from a young age, William, pictured in 1991, enjoys a family holiday in Lech, Austria.

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Diana with william and harry on log flume© Shutterstock

Day out at Thorpe Park

Fun times for Diana and her boys at Thorpe Park amusement park in 1993.

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Prince William On His First Day At Eton College© Getty

First day at Eton

How time flies! In 1995, William was preparing for his first day at Eton, a prestigious boarding school with links to the royal family.

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Prince William In Open-necked Shirt At Polvier, By The River Dee, Balmoral Estate© Getty

Just weeks before Diana’s death

A bittersweet photo, snapped near the River Dee on the royals’ Balmoral Estate on 12 August 1997. The photo, which shows a 15-year-old William growing into a happy, dashing young man, was taken just weeks before his mother Diana’s tragic death in a car accident that summer.

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Prince William, Prince Harry, and then Prince Charles at Princess Diana's funeral service on 6 September 1997 © Princess Diana Archive

His mother’s funeral

A devastating day for William, he is pictured on the day of his mother’s funeral service in September 1997, alongside Harry, Charles, and his uncle Charles Spencer.

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Prince William making a paella. Cooking is one of the course options at Eton© Getty

Cooking at school

In June 2000, William showed he was picking up more than academic skills during his boarding school days at Eton. Here, the young royal wears an apron and looks fully focused as he whips up a paella in the kitchen.

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Prince William During His Raleigh International Expedition In Southern Chile, Relaxing In The Team's Accommodation In The Village Of Tortel.© Getty

Gap year in Chile

In 2000, Prince William was setting set hearts aflutter as a major teen idol!

Here, the second-in-line relaxes with a book during his Raleigh International Expedition in southern Chile. He’s pictured in the team’s accommodation in the village of Tortel.

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Prince William, Dressed Casually Jeans And A Blue Jumper, Arriving For His First Day At St Andrews University In Scotland. © Getty

First day of university

After graduating from Eton, Prince William was ready to head off to university! Here he is in September 2001, on his first day at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.

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Prince William runs on the beach at university© Getty

Fun at university

William had the best time at university, after he changed from history of art to geography in his first year. It was where he was able to act like any other regular student and where he met his future wife Kate.

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Prince William attends his graduation ceremony at the University of St. Andrews on June 23, 2005© Getty

Graduation day

The future King graduated in June 2005.

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Prince William takes part in the Sovereign's Parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on December 15, 2006. © Getty

Embarking on a military career

After university, William decided to embark on a military career. Lieutenant Wales, as he was known, was admitted to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in January 2006.

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Prince William begins an intensive RAF course to learn how to fly on January 7, 2007 in Cranwell, England © Getty

Flying officer

Prince William began an intensive RAF course to learn how to fly in January 2007. Here he is pictured undertaking pre-training tests with the RAF in November 2007.

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Prince William and Kate Middleton pose for photographers during a photocall to mark their engagement© Getty

Engaged to be married

The moment everyone had been waiting for! Prince William proposed to his girlfriend Kate Middleton in October 2010 on a romantic trip to Kenya, and the engagement was announced the month after.

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Prince William and his new bride Kate Middleton walk down the aisle at the close of their wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey© Getty

Wedding bells

A spectacular wedding at Westminster Abbey! William and Kate tied the knot in April 2011 in front of 1,900 guests.

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George's birth created much excitement© Getty

Birth of first child

A day he’ll never forget, William became a father for the first time on 22 July 2013 with the birth of Prince George.

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Princess Kate and Prince William with a baby Princess Charlotte© Chris Jackson

Arrival of his daughter

And he became a dad girl in May 2015, with the arrival of his second child and daughter, Princess Charlotte.

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William and Kate leave with their newborn baby boy Prince Louis in April 2018© Getty

Third time’s a charm

Little Prince Louis was born, again at the Lindo Wing, in April 2018.

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Prince William, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex leave after escorting the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II to Westminster Hall from Buckingham Palace for her lying in state, on September 14, 2022 in London, United Kingdom© Getty

The Queen’s funeral

A day that will go down in history, Queen Elizabeth II passed away on 8 September 2022. Prince William, along with his wife Kate, his brother Harry, and his sister-in-law Meghan, is pictured a few days later.

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William will choose to be known as King William V, Roya Nikkhah has shared© Getty

King Charles’ coronation

In May 2023, King Charles’ official coronation took place, with William playing a starring role.

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Prince William and the Princess of Wales on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla© Getty

A King-in-waiting

Alongside his wife Kate, William is the picture of a King-in-waiting at his father’s coronation.

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Prince William and Kate Middleton looking at each other - they're joined by Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte© Chris Jackson

Trooping the Colour 2024

The Prince and Princess of Wales exchanged smiles and looks of love as they watched the flypast from the Buckingham Palace balcony with George, Charlotte and Louis. It marked Kate’s first public appearance amid her cancer treatment.