Prince William was born on June 21, 1982, at St Mary’s Hospital, to Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, and his full name is William Arthur Philip Louis. While each name pays tribute to key figures in the Royal Family and British history, many believe the name ‘William’ was chosen as a poignant tribute to Prince William of Gloucester – first cousin to Queen Elizabeth II.
Unlike many royals of his time, Prince William broke the mould. He was highly educated, attending Eton College, Cambridge University, and Stanford University in California he and chose a career in diplomacy. Prince William was a qualified pilot and deeply passionate about flying, sailing, and outdoor exploration, a modern royal before his time – but he died tragically young in a plane crash.
On December 18, 1941, Prince William Henry Andrew Frederick was born in Barnet, Hertfordshire to Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Alice, Duchess of Gloucester.
William was the elder brother of Prince Richard, the current Duke of Gloucester, and acted as a page boy at the wedding of his cousin, Princess Elizabeth to Philip Mountbatten on November 20, 1947.
In 1965, the royal started working for the Commonwealth Office. He worked in Lagos as the third secretary at the British High Commission. In 1968, the Prince was transferred to Tokyo, Japan, as the second secretary in the British Embassy.
When his father, the Duke of Gloucester, began suffering numerous strokes, he had to return to the UK to manage his father’s estate and take on duties as a full-time working royal.
In 1972, Prince William, who was a qualified pilot and owned several aircraft himself, was competing in the Goodyear International Air Trophy. But shortly after take-off, he lost control of the plane at a low altitude causing the wing to hit a tree and burst into flames.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles at the time were especially affected as William had been a close and well-loved family member.
At the time of his death, he was only 30 years old and ninth-in-line to the throne. His tragic death made him the first grandchild of King George V and Queen Mary to die. He is buried at the Royal Burial Ground in Windsor.
A decade later, when Charles and Diana welcomed their first son, it’s widely believed that they named him William as a tribute to Prince William of Gloucester. Although Buckingham Palace has never officially confirmed the connection, royal biographers and insiders strongly support this idea.
Naming his son after him was not only a deeply personal gesture but a symbolic one and a way to honor the past while shaping a new future for the monarchy.