Wills was born on June 21, 1982, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, West London, weighing 7 lbs, 5 oz.—an average birth weight for a healthy baby. I remember well how enthralled the world was when his first baby pictures appeared in the press. He was a perfect, chubby-faced infant we could not help but love.
At the age of three, Wills entered nursery school at Mrs. Mynors School in London, where he performed in two nursery school plays and sang a musical solo. A year later, he formally began his primary education at the progressive Wetherby School, also in West London. There, he excelled in English, spelling, swimming, and singing. Outside of school, his childhood hobbies included tennis, soccer, hockey, rafting, rowing, and shooting.
For middle school, Wills trotted off to Ludgrove School, a boarding school in Berskshire, near Windsor. While there, he received his famous “Harry Potter scar.” He and a friend were playing on a putting green, when the friend inadvertently hit Wills in the head with a golf club, causing a skull fracture. William was rushed by ambulance to London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children and operated on. Of course, the resultant scar was likened to Harry Potter’s famous wound!
William’s high-school years were, naturally, spent at Eton College—the inevitable choice for the rich, famous, and powerful. There, he served as secretary of the Agricultural Society (how wonderfully nerdy is that?), captain of the swim team, House Captain of Games, House Captain, and during his senior year, as one of 21 Eton prefects. He also acted in a Shakespearian play, The Tempest. It was a small role, but the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh attended. It was during his years at Eton—when Wills was 15—that his mother’s tragic car accident happened, in which she died. The world mourned her passing and her motherless boys. We shall never forget the sad, sober faces of William and his brother, Harry, walking behind their mother’s cortege at her funeral at Westminster Abby.
For university, William applied to and got accepted by the University of St. Andrews, in Scotland, where, after four years, he received a Masters of Arts (Honours) in Art History. He also met his future wife there, the lovely and talented Catherine Middleton. (Excellent choice, Wills! Job well done!) It did take him an abundance of time to pop the big question—earning Kate the nickname “Katie Waity” in some tabloids. But the day finally came…and the prince informed the Queen and Prince of Wales of his impending engagement only two hours before the news was released to the media. (Quite daring by Royal Family standards, really.)
William and Kate’s marriage took place last year, at Westminster Abby, in a ceremony watched by 24.5 Brits and two billion viewers worldwide. Wills then joined the RAF, where he is now a captain of a Search and Rescue force. Shortly after joining, news broke about his saving the life of a man with cardiac symptoms who was stuck on the side of a mountain—and William was hailed for heroic actions. His term of service is now nearly up, and there is much speculation as to whether he’ll sign up for another tour or, perhaps, settle down and have a Royal Baby. Anglophiles wait with bated breath for that one!
Now, on Wills’ 30th birthday, the big news is that he is of age to receive his £10 million inheritance from his deceased mother’s estate. Rumors persist that William and Kate will use the money to buy a country home to raise a family in. (While I certainly can’t substantiate such rumors, they don’t sound far-fetched, do they?)
Whatever the young Royal Couple decide to do, I wish them the best! Hope you have a wonderful day, dear prince! Happy birthday!
To view a Photo Gallery with 82 pictures of William, click HERE
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| <---- I’ve read that William and Kate hold I Like the Way You Move by Body Rockers as one of their favorite songs. The video here is quite steamy! Perhaps Royal Baby won’t be far off! |
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