Prince William Turns 41 & Celebrates First Birthday As Prince Of Wales

Jun 21, 2023

Born on June 21, 1982, William, Prince of Wales, is the firstborn son of King Charles III and his then-wife, Princess Diana. Even his birth was an iconic moment. The following morning, his parents debuted the newborn prince to the world on the steps of St. Mary's Hospital, London, for his very first photo op.

As the years went by, the world watched on as Prince William continued to experience new adventures and grow right in front of our eyes. However, there were also heartbreaking moments that he experienced along the way, including the passing of his mother and the passing of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.

After Elizabeth’s death in September 2022, the royal family’s titles were changed, making William and his wife, Kate Middleton, the new Prince and Princess of Wales. They were formally known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Nowadays, William has continued to use his title and platform to make the royal family proud and to be a voice for those in need, encouraging others to help make the world a better place. While he has been a busy man for most of his adult life, William has also made sure to celebrate all the happy occasions with his loved ones.

June 21, 2023, marks William’s 41st birthday. It's uncertain exactly how William will celebrate his birthday, but it's likely he'll spend the day with his beloved family. In honor of William's special day, let's take a look back at key moments in his life, as well as the photo posted to the Royal Family's Instagram account in honor of Willliam's birthday. 

Ever the world traveler, William joined his parents on his first royal tour in 1983 at just 9 months of age, when the then-family-of-three traveled to Australia and New Zealand for a six-week visit. According to Hello Magazine, William took part in the tour at the request of Princess Diana. The decision was controversial at the time, as the first and second in line to the throne were never to travel together. He was humorously nicknamed "wombat" during the tour by excited royal fans from down under.

In January 1987, William kick-started his education at the Wetherby School in West London. His younger brother, Prince Harry, would later also join the school in 1989. William was often photographed with his mother and brother in his childhood and early teenage years, and from the images, it's clear that there was a lot of love between them.

However, tragedy struck in 1997 when Diana died suddenly due to injuries sustained in a car accident in Paris. William was just 15 when his mother passed away. A mere six days following her tragic death, the young prince attended his mother's funeral and walked alongside Prince Philip, Earl Spencer, Harry and Charles as they followed Diana’s coffin at Westminster Abbey.

William graduated from St. Andrews in 2005 with a Scottish Master of Arts degree, majoring in Geography. It was there that he famously met Kate Middleton, who was also a student. The relationship had moved fairly quickly after they began dating, and the two moved in together in a shared apartment while at university.

Their union first became public knowledge in 2004, when someone from the press snapped a photo of them together while they were on a ski trip, which led to widespread knowledge of their once private relationship.

It might seem hard to imagine now, but there was a time when the couple actually separated for a brief period in 2007, as reported by Town & Country. But the couple was meant to be, and it wasn't too long before they got back together. One year after their break up, the duo was spotted on another ski trip, and just two years after that, in November 2010, they announced their engagement. In a bittersweet touch, the engagement ring that William proposed to Kate with was his late mother’s ring.

The couple got married in a show-stopping wedding on April 29, 2011. The event was watched by millions from across the globe. According to Metro, their wedding was live-streamed on YouTube and reached 101 million views.

Since then, the Prince and Princess of Wales have established themselves as two of the most prominent working royals. In the years since their wedding, they've also grown their family to include their three children — Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5. 

On top of that, William has also dedicated much of his life to caring for others and the environment. The Royal Family Twitter page posted, “His Royal Highness now undertakes a number of charitable activities and projects, with a particular focus on the environment, young people & mental health.”

William and the Royal Foundation founded the Earthshot Prize in 2020, which is considered “the most prestigious global prize for the environment in history.” The BBC reported that William has also worked to find solutions to homelessness.

For William’s milestone 40th birthday, he was honored by the Royal Mint with the first coin that featured him alone. Designed and engraved by Thomas T. Docherty, the £5 coin featured William’s portrait on one side while the late Queen Elizabeth II appeared on the other side. Alongside the image of William was his royal cypher, the letter W and the number 40, while the edge was inscribed with "HRH The Duke of Cambridge."

Docherty said, “The design strikes a balance between the fresh energy of His Royal Highness being a young dad with the ceremonial nature of his royal position."

For William’s 40th birthday, Charles shared a touching birthday tribute to William via Instagram. Alongside a slideshow of photos of the two of them over the decades, the post was captioned, "​​Wishing The Duke of Cambridge a very happy 40th birthday! 🎂🎈"

The Royal Family Instagram page also honored William for his last birthday with a carousel of photos and a post that read, “Happy 40th Birthday to The Duke of Cambridge! 🥳 Prince William Arthur Philip Louis is the elder son of The Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales. He was born at 9.03pm on 21 June 1982, at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London. A bulletin, placed on the gates of Buckingham Palace announced that he weighed 7lb 1 1/2 oz.”

This year on June 21, 2023, the Royal Family's Instagram account posted a photo in honor of Prince William's 41st birthday — his first birthday as the Prince of Wales. The caption read: 

"Wishing The Prince of Wales a very happy birthday today! 🎈"

The photo features William with his father King Charles in a touching moment. 

Happy birthday, Prince William! What can you say about the Prince of Wales? Are you happy to see him using his platform for good? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your loved ones and any royal family fans you know!