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HMNB Clyde
Gare Loch, Argyll and Bute, Scotland
View of HMNB Clyde
Type	Military base
In use	1964 - present
Controlled by	Royal Navy
Garrison	Clyde Flotilla
Commanders	Commodore Chris Hockley

Her Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde (HMS Neptune) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Devonport and HMNB Portsmouth). It is the service's headquarters in Scotland and is best known as the home of the United Kingdom's strategic nuclear deterrent, in the form of nuclear submarines armed with Trident missiles.

HMNB Clyde lies on the eastern shore of Gare Loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, to the north of the Firth of Clyde and 25 mi (40 km) west of the city of Glasgow. The submarine base encompasses a number of separate sites, the primary two being:

• Faslane, 25 miles from Glasgow;
• RNAD Coulport, beside Loch Long, 8 mi (13 km) west of Faslane.

Faslane is also a Defence Equipment and Support site, operated in dual site organisation with Great Harbour, Greenock, by Babcock Marine,^[1] and managed by Serco Denholm.^[2][3][4]

Faslane Naval Base[link]

USS Arleigh Burke departing Clyde

Faslane Naval Base, situated on the Gare Loch, and the RN Armaments Depot Coulport on Loch Long, are the primary components of HM Naval Base Clyde. The naval shore establishment at Faslane is HMS Neptune, Naval personnel appointed to the base who do not belong to a sea-going vessel make up Ship's Company. Both the Gareloch and Loch Long are sea lochs extending northwards from the Firth of Clyde. The base serves as home base to the United Kingdom's fleet of Vanguard-class nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed submarines, as well as conventionally-armed nuclear powered submarines, supported by the Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines.

In command of HMNB Clyde is the Naval Base Commander (Clyde), Commodore C J Hockley who succeeded Commodore Carolyn Stait in Autumn 2007.^[5] The base is home to a number of lodger units including Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland (FOSNNI) (who is also Flag Officer Reserves/FORes), the Northern Diving Group and the Scottish Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency. It is base to 3,000 service personnel, 800 of their families and 4,000 civilian workers, largely from Babcock Marine, forming a major part of the economy of Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire.

Faslane was first constructed and used as a base in World War II. During the 1960s, the United Kingdom began negotiating the Polaris Sales Agreement with the United States regarding the purchase of a Polaris missile system to fire UK-built nuclear weapons from five specially constructed submarines. In the end, only four were constructed; Resolution, Repulse, Renown and Revenge. These four submarines were permanently based at Faslane.

Faslane itself was chosen as the base at the height of the Cold War because of its geographic position, which forms a bastion on the relatively secluded but deep and easily navigable Gare Loch and Firth of Clyde on the west coast of Scotland. This position provides for rapid and stealthy access through the North Channel to the submarine patrolling areas in the North Atlantic, through the GIUK gap to the Norwegian Sea. One boat was always on patrol at any given time. In times of political instability, sometimes two boats would be deployed at sea.

[edit] Vanguard-class SSBNs

In the 1980s, the British Government announced plans to replace the Resolution-class submarines carrying UGM-27 Polaris with the newly developed Trident missile system on the new Vanguard-class submarines, also to be based at Faslane. These submarines were named:

• HMS Vanguard
• HMS Victorious
• HMS Vigilant
• HMS Vengeance

[edit] Astute-class SSNs

HMS Astute arrived at home port, Faslane, for the first time on the 20th November 2009.^[6] Faslane will be home port to the Astute class submarine SSNs for the foreseeable future.^{[citation needed]}

Astute is the lead ship of her class of nuclear-powered fleet submarines. Commissioned in August 2010, ^[7]Astute is one of the most "advanced submarines in the world".^[8]

Other vessels[link]

Also based there are the mine countermeasure vessels of the 1st MCM Squadron. The patrol vessels of the Northern Ireland Squadron were based at Faslane from 1993 until the squadron was decommissioned in July 2005.

With the disbanding of the Cyprus Squadron in 2010, the patrol vessels Pursuer and Dasher are now stationed at HMNB Clyde.

Safety and accidents at Faslane[link]

Exercise Evening Star is the annual test of the emergency response routines to a nuclear weapon accident at Faslane. It is conducted by the Office for Nuclear Regulation. In 2011 the test failed as "a number of command and control aspects of the exercise were not considered to have been adequately demonstrated".^[9]

Anti-nuclear demonstrations[link]

Given the presence of these nuclear capable missiles, Faslane has attracted demonstrations by Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and other Scottish pressure groups, including Trident Ploughshares. A permanent peace camp is outside the base gates, and there are frequent demonstrations at the base gates. The presence of Faslane is also an issue in Scottish politics.

The Scottish National Party, the Scottish Socialist Party and the Scottish Green Party all oppose the deployment of nuclear weapons, although the Scottish National Party have made assurances that they would retain the base for the servicing of conventionally-armed and -powered naval units. It is not unusual for members of these parties, and indeed some from the Labour Party to be present. Also, some independents, such as George Galloway attend rallies outside Faslane. Such events aim to keep the base closed for as long as possible by preventing its staff from arriving for work, and usually involve large numbers of protesters being arrested for non-violent civil disobedience.

Faslane Peace Camp[link]

Faslane Peace Camp is a permanent camp outside the base. It has been occupied continuously since 1982.

Big blockades[link]

The "big blockade" at Faslane Naval Base is an annual event held since 1999 usually in the 2nd week of February, aiming to close the base for 24 hours (although never successfully). The event attracts thousands of peace activists and has on occasion resulted in more than 350 arrests.

Faslane 365[link]

The Faslane 365 campaign was a one-year protest at the base. It was a civil resistance initiative to apply critical public pressure for the disarmament of Britain's nuclear weapons.^[10]

The campaign was launched in September 2006 with the first protest action commencing on 1 October 2006 carried out by a campaigning group of women associated with protests at Greenham Common. It formally ended with a Big Blockade on 1 October 2007. However, groups are continuing to take direct action at both Faslane and Coulport.

131 blockading groups took part in Faslane 365 and 1150 arrests were made.^[11]

RNAD Coulport[link]

The Royal Naval Armaments Depot (RNAD) at Coulport, Loch Long is the other major part of HMNB Clyde. RNAD Coulport stores conventional armaments for Royal Navy vessels but is best known for its role in the Trident missile system.

Nuclear weapon storage bunkers have been excavated from a ridge. From here British-designed and built nuclear warheads can be fitted to the Trident missiles (built by Lockheed Martin). Whilst the warheads themselves are British-owned and built, the delivery system is not actually owned by the United Kingdom and instead it has ownership rights to some 58 missiles from a "pool" shared with the U.S. Navy. Whole missiles can be lifted out of or into a submarine, however the missiles are normally serviced at the U.S. Navy facility at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in the U.S. state of Georgia.

Initial construction took place between 1963, when Faslane was chosen as the new Polaris base, and 1968, when the first Polaris boat began its patrol. Safety considerations required that the armament maintenance and storage facility have its own berth and be at least 4,400 feet from the main facility, whilst operational considerations dictated that the two facilities should be within an hour's sailing time. Coulport, on the opposite peninsula, met both of these requirements.^[12] Additional construction took place during the 1980s to support the Trident missile programme.

Notes and references[link]

External links[link]

• Floating Trident Submarine Dry Dock at Coulport
• HMNB Clyde web page
• King's Bay Trident Refit Facility
• The Guardian, 27 April 2009, MoD guilty of repeated nuclear safety breaches

Coordinates: 56°3′57.60″N 4°49′1.20″W / 56.066°N 4.817°W / 56.066; -4.817

v t e Bases of the Royal Navy HMNB Clyde HMNB Devonport HMNB Portsmouth RNAS Culdrose RNAS Yeovilton

Prince William
Duke of Cambridge (more)
Prince William in his flight lieutenant's uniform on 12 June 2010
Spouse	Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (m. 2011)
Full name
William Arthur Philip Louis[fn 1]
House	House of Windsor
Father	Charles, Prince of Wales
Mother	Diana, Princess of Wales
Born	(1982-06-21) 21 June 1982 (age 30)
Religion	Church of England

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge KG KT (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the elder son of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales, and third eldest grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.^[2] He is second in the line of succession, behind his father, to the thrones of sixteen independent sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.

He was educated at four schools in the United Kingdom and obtained a degree from the University of St Andrews. He spent parts of a gap year in Chile, Belize, and countries in Africa, most notably Kenya where he has lived and holidayed several times. Prince William has also taken Kiswahili studies at universities in Kenya and Tanzania. He was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Blues and Royals regiment of the Household Cavalry—serving with his brother Prince Harry—and, two years later, earned his wings by completing pilot training at Royal Air Force College Cranwell. In 2009, the Prince transferred to the Royal Air Force, was promoted to flight lieutenant and underwent helicopter flying training in order to become a full time pilot with the Search and Rescue Force. In Autumn 2010, he completed his general and special-to-type helicopter training and went on to RAF Valley on No. 22 Squadron performing co-pilot duties on board a Sea King search and rescue helicopter. Prince William married his longtime girlfriend, Catherine Middleton, on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey.^[3] Hours prior to his wedding, Prince William was created Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus.^[4][5][6]

During February and March 2012, Prince William served a six-week rotation as a search-and-rescue pilot in the British Overseas Territory of the Falkland Islands and returned to the UK on March 21, 2012.^[7]

Early life[link]

The Royal Family of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms
HM The Queen HRH The Duke of Edinburgh HRH The Prince of Wales HRH The Duchess of Cornwall HRH The Duke of Cambridge HRH The Duchess of Cambridge HRH Prince Harry of Wales HRH The Duke of York HRH Princess Beatrice of York HRH Princess Eugenie of York HRH The Earl of Wessex HRH The Countess of Wessex Viscount Severn Lady Louise Windsor HRH The Princess Royal HRH The Duke of Gloucester HRH The Duchess of Gloucester HRH The Duke of Kent HRH The Duchess of Kent HRH Prince Michael of Kent HRH Princess Michael of Kent HRH Princess Alexandra Sarah, Duchess of York
v t e

Prince William was born at St Mary's Hospital, London on 21 June 1982. He was baptised in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace on 4 August 1982 (the 82nd birthday of his paternal great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother) by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie. William's godparents are the former King Constantine II of Greece (his paternal cousin); Princess Alexandra, The Hon Mrs Angus Ogilvy (his paternal cousin); the Duchess of Westminster; the Lady Susan Hussey; Lord Romsey (his paternal cousin); and Sir Laurens van der Post.^[8] He was named after Prince William of Gloucester, his father's 7-years older cousin and personal hero, who died in 1972 in an aeroplane crash.^[9]

As a male-line grandchild of the Sovereign and son of the Prince of Wales, William was styled 'His Royal Highness' 'Prince William of Wales', though he was affectionately called 'Wombat' by his parents^[10] or 'Wills' (the latter a name coined by the press by which he is still known by the general public).^[11] It was reported that, at age seven, the Prince said to his mother that he desired to be a police officer when he was older, so that he might be able to protect her; a statement to which his brother responded: "Oh, no you can't. You've got to be King."^[12] William's first public appearance was on 1 March 1991 (Saint David's Day), during an official visit of his parents to Cardiff, Wales. After arriving by aeroplane, the Prince was taken to Llandaff Cathedral, where he signed the visitors' book, thereby demonstrating that he was left-handed. On 3 June 1991, William was admitted to Royal Berkshire Hospital after having been accidentally hit on the side of the forehead by a fellow student wielding a golf club. The Prince did not lose consciousness, but did suffer a depressed fracture of the skull and was operated on at the Great Ormond Street Hospital, resulting in a permanent scar.^[13] He dubbed this scar a "Harry Potter scar". He was reported to have said, "I call it (the scar) that because it glows sometimes and some people notice it-other times they don't notice it at all.^[14]

William's mother desired her two sons should have wider experiences than are usual for royal children. Diana took William and his brother to Walt Disney World and McDonald's; in addition they visited AIDS clinics and shelters for the homeless. She also bought them things typical teenagers used, such as video games.^[15] Diana, Princess of Wales, who was by then divorced from the Prince of Wales, died in a car accident in 1997. William, along with his brother and father, was staying at Balmoral Castle at the time, and the Prince of Wales waited until early the following morning to tell his sons about their mother's death.^[16] At his mother's funeral, William accompanied his father, brother, paternal grandfather, and maternal uncle in walking behind the funeral cortège from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey.

Education[link]

William was educated at independent schools, starting at Jane Mynors' nursery school and the pre-preparatory Wetherby School, both in London.^[17] Following this, he attended Ludgrove School near Wokingham, Berkshire, and was privately tutored during summers by Rory Stewart.^[18] At Ludgrove he also participated in football—along with swimming, basketball, clay pigeon shooting, and cross-country running. William sat for the entrance exam to Eton College and was admitted. There he studied geography, biology and history of art at A-Level, obtaining an A in geography, a C in biology and a B in history of art.^[19][20] At Eton he continued to play football, captaining his house team, and took up water polo.^[21] The decision to place William in Eton went against the family tradition of sending royal children to Gordonstoun (William's grandfather, father, two uncles, and two cousins all attended); it did, however, make the Prince follow in the Spencer family footsteps, as both Diana's father and brother had attended Eton.^[15] It was also agreed between the Royal Family and the tabloid press that William would be allowed to study free of paparazzi intrusion in exchange for regular updates of the Prince's life. Then chairman of the Press Complaints Commission, John Wakeham, said of the arrangement: "Prince William is not an institution; nor a soap star; nor a football hero. He is a boy: in the next few years, perhaps the most important and sometimes painful part of his life, he will grow up and become a man."^[15]

After completing his studies at Eton, the Prince took a gap year, during which he took part in British Army training exercises in Belize,^[22] worked within English dairy farms, visited Africa,^[23] and for ten weeks taught children in southern Chile. As part of the Raleigh International programme in the town of Tortel, the Prince lived with other young teachers, sharing in the common household chores, including cleaning the toilet, and also volunteered as the guest radio jockey for the local radio station.^[22]

By 2001, William was back in the United Kingdom and had enrolled, under the name William Wales,^[24][25] at the University of St Andrews. News of this caused a temporary increase in the number of applications to St Andrews, mostly from young women who wanted an opportunity to meet the Prince.^[26] The extra attention did not deter him, though, and he embarked on a degree course in art history, later changing his main subject to geography, and going on to earn a Scottish Master of Arts degree with upper second class honours in geography—the best degree of any heir to the throne of Britain and the Commonwealth realms. While at university, Prince William also represented the Scottish national universities water polo team at the Celtic Nations tournament in 2004.^[21] He was known as “Steve” by other students to avoid any journalists overhearing and realising his identity.^[11]

The Prince returned to St Andrews during February 2011 as Patron of the university's 600th Anniversary Appeal.^[27]

Royal duties and career[link]

William began to accompany his parents on official visits at an early age; his first overseas royal tour was with his parents to Australia and New Zealand in 1983,^[28] a decision made by the Princess of Wales that was considered to be unconventional; not only was William so young, but both the first and second in line for the throne would be travelling together.^[15] However, he accompanied either both parents or his father on subsequent tours, and, upon graduation from university, began to undertake duties of his own, as well as obtaining experience in the private workforce when he worked with land management at Chatsworth House and interned at HSBC.^[15]

Military career[link]

Prince William (second from left) in uniform, with the Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping the Colour, 2007

Having decided to follow a military career, in October 2005 William attended the four day Regular Commissions Board at Westbury in Wiltshire where he underwent selection to judge his suitability to become an Army officer. Having passed selection, William went up to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in January 2006.^[29] Successfully completing the course, William graduated from Sandhurst on 15 December 2006, the graduation parade being attended by the Queen and the Prince of Wales, along with other members of the Royal Family, and William officially received his commission as a lieutenant at midnight. With his rank obtained, the Prince, under the name of William Wales, followed his younger brother^[30] into the Blues and Royals as a troop commander in an armoured reconnaissance unit, after which he spent four months in training for the post at Bovington Camp, Dorset.

Once officially enrolled and commissioned in the Armed Forces, William expressed a desire to participate in active service; in this there was a recent precedent of the service of his great-great-uncle Edward VIII who, as Prince of Wales, served in France during the First World War; his great-grandfather George VI who also served during World War I (with the Navy at the Battle of Jutland and in France with the Air Force); and his paternal grandfather Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who served with distinction during World War II. More recently, his uncle Prince Andrew, Duke of York served in the Falklands war.

Though Major-General Sebastian Roberts, general officer commanding the Household Division, had said William being deployed was possible, the Prince's position as second in line to the throne, and the convention of ministers advising against the person in that position being put into dangerous situations, cast doubts on William's ability to see combat. These doubts increased after Prince Harry's deployment was cancelled in 2007, due to "specific threats". William, instead, went on to training in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, obtaining his commission as a sub-lieutenant in the former and flying officer in the latter (both broadly equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the Army). With this complete, the Prince undertook an attachment with the Air Force, undergoing an intensive four-month training course at RAF Cranwell.^[31][32] Upon completing the course on 11 April 2008, he was presented with his RAF wings by his father,^[33] who had himself received his wings after training at the same college.^[34] It was later revealed that it had been during this secondment that Prince William had helped to man a C-17 Globemaster to Afghanistan, during which he assisted in the repatriation of the body of Trooper Robert Pearson.^[35] The Prince had been affectionately known by his fellow airmen, and his callsign was designated, as Billy the Fish, a pun on his title.^[36]

William then moved to train with the Navy for two months, from June to August 2008, during which time he spent three weeks at the Britannia Royal Naval College, training on units of the surface fleet, and submarines, as well as with the Fleet Air Arm and Royal Marines, before deploying for a further five weeks on HMS Iron Duke in the Caribbean.^[37] It was during this tour that the Prince took part in a secret underwater mission,^[38] as well as helping to identify and capture a small vessel that had been transporting an approximate £40 million worth of cocaine,^[39][40] and taking part in other raids.^[41]

Owing to William's future role, a long term career in the military was considered out of the question; due to his position, his desire to see active service was always unlikely to be granted. William originally joined the military on a short-service commission lasting three years. However, it was announced in September 2008 that the Prince would be extending his time in the forces, first by taking on another secondment in the autumn of 2008 (including working at the MOD and non-operational flying with the Army Air Corps).^[42] Then it was announced that he would transfer from the Army to the RAF in order to train as a full time search and rescue helicopter pilot;^[43] this role enables him to take an active role as a member of the armed forces without him being deployed on combat operations.

In January 2009, William transferred his commission to the RAF and was promoted to Flight Lieutenant. He trained to become a helicopter pilot with the RAF's Search and Rescue Force. In January 2010, he graduated from the Defence Helicopter Flying School at RAF Shawbury, where he had been under the instruction of Squadron Leader Craig Finch.^[44] On 26 January 2010 he transferred to the Search and Rescue Training Unit at RAF Valley on Anglesey to receive training on the Sea King search and rescue helicopter and graduated from this course 17 September 2010.^[45]

It was announced on 15 April 2010 that William will remain at RAF Valley for his operational tour, being assigned to No. 22 Squadron and initially performing co-pilot duties.^[46] It is expected that William's operational tour will last 30 to 36 months.^[47]

William participated in his first rescue mission (as co-pilot of an RAF Sea King Helicopter) and responded on Saturday, 2 October 2010, to an emergency call from the Liverpool Coastguard. The prince, who was excited to finally take part in an active mission, and the other three members of the crew flew from their base at RAF Valley in Anglesey, North Wales, to an offshore gas rig in Morecambe Bay, northwest England. William and three other crew members picked up a man who had suffered an apparent heart attack on the rig and airlifted him to a local hospital.^[48]

William deployed to the Falkland Islands for a six week tour with No. 1564 Flight, beginning in February and ending in March 2012.^[49][50] The deployment of the Duke to the Falklands close to the 30th anniversary of the beginning of the conflict (2 April 1982) was condemned by Argentina as a "provocative act",^[51][52] despite the fact that the RAF regularly deploys flight crews on six week tours to the Falklands.^[53]

In November 2011, Prince William participated in a search and rescue mission involving a sinking cargo ship in the Irish Sea. William, the co-pilot, helped rescue two sailors, who were then transported to a hospital in Bangor.^[54]

In February 2012, the Duke indicated that, rather than leave the service at the end of his commission in 2013, as had been expected, he would instead remain with the RAF for a further three year commission up to at least 2016, which is when the RAF Search and Rescue Force is due to be disbanded and replaced by a private contractor.^[55]

Royal duties[link]

At the age of 21, Prince William was appointed as a Counsellor of State, and began his royal duties by first serving in that capacity when the Queen was abroad to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2003, in Nigeria. For his 21st birthday, William also accompanied his father on a royal tour of Wales, where they visited the Anglesey Food Fair and opened a centre for the homeless in Newport.^[56] By July 2005, he was on his first solo overseas tour, travelling to New Zealand, on behalf of his grandmother in her role as Queen of New Zealand, to participate in World War II commemorations. For the 30th anniversary of his father's charity, The Prince's Trust, William and his brother were interviewed together for the first time by Ant & Dec.^[56] In July 2007, Prince William accompanied his grandmother's cousin The Duke of Kent, who is President of the UK Scout Association, in opening the 21st World Scout Jamboree, celebrating the centennial of the founding of the Scout Movement.

William during the opening ceremony of the 21st World Scout Jamboree

It was said in Tina Brown's 2007 biography of Diana, Princess of Wales, that Prince William had, like his father, expressed a desire to become Governor-General of Australia,^[57] though fulfilment of the idea was considered doubtful by then-Prime Minister of Australia John Howard, who said: "We have for a long time embraced the idea that the person who occupies that post should be in every way an Australian citizen."^[58]

In 2009, a private office was set up for William by his grandmother, with Sir David Manning being appointed as his adviser.^[59] Speculation in late 2009 that William would be taking over increasing numbers of the Queen's ceremonial and state duties has been denied by the Palace.^[60]

Manning personally accompanied him in January 2010 as he toured Auckland and Wellington on behalf of the Queen; William opened the new building of the Supreme Court of New Zealand and was welcomed by a Māori chief.^[61]

In March 2011, William visited Christchurch, New Zealand, after the recent earthquake,^[62] and there addressed the memorial service at Hagley Park, on behalf of his grandmother.^[63][64] Upon leaving New Zealand, William travelled to Australia, where he made a visit to areas badly affected by flooding in the states of Queensland and Victoria.^[65][66] After twice accompanying his parents to Canada, the Prince, with his wife, toured the country and visited the United States in June and July 2011, attending Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill.^[67][68] On 2 November, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited the UNICEF Supply Division Centre for supplying food to malnourished African children in Copenhagen, Denmark.^[69][70]

Personal interests[link]

Prince William playing polo in 2007

Following his parents' examples, William took interest in various causes from a relatively early age. The late Princess of Wales' work with HIV/AIDS aid and prevention, and the Prince of Wales' work with the natural environment and the inner-city disadvantaged, directed William into those areas. He also showed a desire to focus on the needy in Africa, sometimes working with his brother's charity, Sentebale.

Humanitarian and environmental causes[link]

William became aware of HIV/AIDS in the mid 1990s, when his mother began to take her two sons to visit shelters and clinics for those suffering from the disease. In January 2005, Prince William and his brother volunteered at a British Red Cross aid distribution centre to pack emergency supplies for countries that were affected by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.^[71] Later, in September, William granted his patronage to Centrepoint, a charity that assists the homeless.^[72][73] During the period when his mother had been patron of Centrepoint, he had accompanied her on visits to its headquarters and projects.

William also worked in the children's unit at The Royal Marsden Hospital for two days of work experience in 2005, as well as helping out in the medical research, catering, and fund raising departments.^[72] The same year, he spent two weeks in North Wales with a mountain rescue team.^[71] In May 2007, William became patron of both organisations (his mother had also previously been patron of the Royal Marsden Hospital) and he became attracted to Mountain Rescue England and Wales in order to, in his words, "highlight and celebrate the vital, selfless and courageous work of our mountain rescue organisations".^[72]

The Prince also became a patron of the Tusk Trust in December 2005,^[72] a charity that works towards conserving wildlife and initiating community development, including providing education, across Africa.^[74] William became associated with the organisation after he witnessed its work first hand when he was in Africa. Saying "rural African initiatives that foster education, responsibility and participation in the local community light the way to conservation",^[75] he carried out his first official duty with the trust in launching a 5,000-mile (8,000 km) bike ride across the African continent in 2007. In 2010, the Prince became a patron of 100 Women in Hedge Funds Philanthropic Initiatives^[76]

In March 2011, William and Catherine have set up a gift fund held by The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry to allow well-wishers who want to give them a wedding gift to donate money to charities they care about instead.^[77] The gift fund supported 26 charities of the couple’s choice, incorporating the armed forces, children, the elderly, art, sport and conservation. These causes are close to their hearts and reflect the experiences, passions and values of their lives so far.^{[78][79][80][81][82]}

Sports[link]

William plays polo for charitable causes and is a fan of football, supporting Aston Villa F.C.^[72] In May 2006, he became President of England's Football Association and vice royal patron of the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) in February 2007 (supporting the Queen as patron of the WRU).^[72] The same year, the WRU's decision to name a new cup for test matches between Wales and South Africa the Prince William Cup caused controversy, with some believing it would have been more fitting to name the trophy after Ray Gravell.^[83][84][85]

In 2006, the Prince, along with other Sandhurst officers, took part in running one mile to support the charity Sport Relief, as he had done in 2004 with a team from Clarence House. In May 2007, William became patron of the English Schools' Swimming Association.^[72]

William is a noted follower of various packs of foxhounds throughout England and Wales, including the Duke of Beaufort's Hunt, with his father and brother since he was a very young child.

The Prince and his brother are both enthusiastic motorcyclists, with the Prince owning a Ducati 1198 S Corse.^[86]

Relationship with Catherine Middleton[link]

The newly married Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the balcony of Buckingham Palace

During his years at university, William participated in university life; of himself he said: "I'm not a party animal, despite what some people might think."^[15] Like his father before him, William's private life became the subject of tabloid speculation, especially around his relationship with Catherine Middleton, who had been one of William's university flatmates and whom William began dating in 2003. Middleton attended the Prince's passing-out parade at Sandhurst, marking the first high-profile event that she attended as William's guest. The relationship between Prince William and Middleton was followed so closely that bookmakers took bets on the possibility of a Royal Wedding and the retail chain Woolworths produced memorabilia bearing the likenesses of the couple.^[87]

Media attention became so intense that William had to make a specific request to the paparazzi that they keep their distance from Middleton and himself. In March 2007, Middleton complained of media harassment by the Daily Mirror.^[87] It was reported in April 2007 that the couple had split,^[87][88] though in June, Middleton attended a party at Lulworth Army Barracks as the guest of Prince William,^[89] and in July the Concert for Diana, which had been organised by Princes William and Harry.^[90] In August, she accompanied William on holiday in the island of Des Roches in the Seychelles, and in October she joined Prince Charles and Prince Harry for a shooting party at Balmoral. In June 2008, along with the Royal Family, Middleton attended William's investiture into the Order of the Garter.

Middleton was formally introduced to public life by William on 24 February 2011 when she and William attended a lifeboat naming ceremony in Trearddur, North Wales.^[91]

Engagement and wedding[link]

On 16 November 2010 it was announced by Clarence House that William and Kate were to marry. The engagement ring given to Middleton was the 18 carat sapphire engagement ring of Diana, Princess of Wales. Clarence House, the official residence of Charles and his sons William and Harry, announced on the same day that the couple became engaged in Kenya in October, as Prince William confirmed in a widely circulated television interview beamed from London.^[92]

The wedding took place on 29 April 2011 in Westminster Abbey, London.^[3] The day was made a bank holiday in the UK.^[93] Estimates of the global audience for the wedding range from 300 million to two billion people, whilst 24.5 million watched the event live in the United Kingdom.^[94][95]

A few hours before the wedding, it was announced that William had become Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus,^[4][5][6] as is customary for princes on the occasion of their weddings.^[96] However, such title did not become official until 26 May 2011 when Letters Patent to that effect were signed and recorded in the Crown Office on the Roll of the Peerage.^[97]

Titles, styles, honours and arms[link]

Titles and styles[link]

• 21 June 1982 – 29 April 2011: His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales
• 29 April 2011 – present: His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge
  • in Scotland: 29 April 2011 – present: His Royal Highness Prince William, Earl of Strathearn^[98]

The Prince's style and title in full is His Royal Highness Prince William Arthur Philip Louis, Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, Baron Carrickfergus, Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter,^[99] Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle.^[98] As a British prince, William does not use a surname for everyday purposes. For formal and ceremonial purposes, the children of Princes of Wales, like the children of Royal Dukes, use the title of Prince or Princess before their Christian name and their father's territorial designation after it. So Prince William was "Prince William of Wales". Such area-based surnames are discarded by women when they marry and by men if they are given a peerage of their own,^[100] such as when Prince William was given his dukedom.

For the male-line grandchildren of Elizabeth II, however, there is currently some uncertainty over the correct form of family surname to use, or whether there even is a surname. The Queen has stipulated all her male-line descendants who do not bear the titular dignity of prince shall use Mountbatten-Windsor as their family surname (although Letters Patent exist stipulating the name Windsor, but with the same caveat). According to their flight suits as seen in television interviews (before Prince William's creation as Duke of Cambridge), Princes William and Harry use Wales as their surname for military purposes.

On the morning of his wedding, the Queen conferred the titles Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, Baron Carrickfergus upon William.^[4]

William succeeded Lord Attenborough in 2010 as the fifth President of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.^[101]

Military ranks[link]

• January 2006 – 16 December 2006: Officer Cadet
• 16 December 2006 – 16 December 2006: Cornet (Second Lieutenant), The Blues and Royals (short service commission)^[102]
• 16 December 2006 – 1 January 2009 : Lieutenant, The Blues and Royals^[102]
• 1 January 2008 – 1 January 2009: Flying Officer, Royal Air Force^[103]
• 1 January 2008 – 1 January 2009 : Sub-Lieutenant, Royal Navy^[104]
• Since 1 January 2009: Lieutenant, Royal Navy^[105]
• Since 1 January 2009: Captain, The Blues and Royals (and transferred to a full regular commission)^[106]
• Since 1 January 2009: Flight Lieutenant, Royal Air Force^[107]

Honours[link]

Accompanied by his father, Prince William processes to St. George's Chapel to be installed as a Knight of the Garter.

See also List of honours of the British Royal Family by country

Appointments

• Since 23 April 2008: Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter (KG)^[108]
• Since 6 July 2009: Member of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple
• Since 6 July 2009: Bencher of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple
• Since 23 June 2010: Royal Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)^[109]
• Since 25 May 2012: Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle (KT)^[110]

Prince William, upon his appointment to the order, became the 1,000th member of the register of the Order of the Garter;^[111] he was officially invested by the Queen into the order on 16 June 2008, at a service at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.^[112] The last time a monarch had appointed a grandchild into the Order of the Garter was in 1894, when Queen Victoria invested Prince Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Medals

• 6 February 2002: Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
• 6 February 2012: Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal

Foreign honours

• 6 July 2008: Joint Service Achievement Medal^[113]

Honorary military appointments[link]

Canada

• 10 November 2009: Canadian Ranger^[114]

United Kingdom

• Since 8 August 2006: Commodore-in-Chief of HMNB Clyde
• Since 8 August 2006: Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Navy Submarine Service
• Since 8 August 2006: Commodore-in-Chief of Scotland^[115]
• Since 3 October 2008: Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Coningsby^[116]
• Since 10 February 2011: Colonel of the Irish Guards^[117]

Honorific eponyms[link]

Awards

•  Ontario: Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Award, University of Waterloo, Waterloo^[118][119]

Arms[link]

Arms of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge Notes On his 18th birthday, Prince William was granted his own personalised coat of arms; these consist of the escutcheon of the arms of the sovereign in right of the United Kingdom with a label for difference. 200px Adopted 21 June 2000 Helm Upon a coronet of the children of the Heir Apparent, the royal helm Or Escutcheon Quarterly 1st and 4th Gules, three lions passant guardant in pale or (England) Or, a lion rampant within a double tressure flory counterflory gules (Scotland) Azure, a harp or stringed argent (Ireland). Orders The Order of the Garter ribbon. HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE (Shame be to him who thinks evil of it) Other elements The whole distinguished by a label of three points argent, the central point charged with an escallop gules. Banner The Duke of Cambridge's personal Royal Standard is that of the sovereign in right of the United Kingdom, labelled for difference as in his arms. As Earl of Strathearn, the personal standard in Scotland follows the pattern of the UK Royal Standard used in Scotland, labelled for difference. Symbolism As the eldest son of the Prince of Wales, Prince William's coat of arms has a label of three points.[120] The escallop (seashell) alludes to his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, whose Spencer coat of arms includes three escallops argent.

Personal standard for Canada[link]

The Canadian royal standard of the Duke of Cambridge

The Duke of Cambridge also holds a personal royal standard for Canada, consisting of the shield of the Canadian Royal Arms defaced with both a blue roundel surrounded by a wreath of gold maple leaves and shells, within which is a depiction William's cypher (a W surmounted by a coronet), and a white label of three points, charged with a red shell.^[121]

Ancestry[link]

William is a male line descendant of Elimar I, Count of Oldenburg, and as such a member of the House of Oldenburg, one of Europe's oldest royal houses, and more specifically the cadet branch known as the House of Glücksburg, founded by his paternal ancestor Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. William belongs to the Royal Family of Windsor. His male line ancestors include five kings—Christian I of Denmark, Frederick I of Denmark, Christian III of Denmark, Christian IX of Denmark and George I of Greece—and also 11 counts of Oldenburg, two dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg, five dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck and one duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.^[122]

William is also a descendant of William the Conqueror, who was crowned the first Norman King of England in 1066.^[123]

Among his other recent, cognatic ancestors on his father's side are notably members of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the House of Battenberg, the main line of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt, the House of Hesse-Kassel and the House of Hohenzollern.^[122] Among his distant cognatic ancestors are also Henry IV and James II and VII. Should he become king, William would be the first monarch since Queen Anne to be descended from Charles I, and the first to descend from Charles II, as his mother was descended from two of Charles's II illegitimate sons, Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton, and Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond. Through his father's royal family, William is of German,^[122] English and Scottish descent, and through his mother's family, the noble Spencer family, the Earl Spencer and the Baron Fermoy families, William is of English descent and of remote Irish, Scottish and British-American descent.^[124]

He is also descended from many of the pre-Union monarchs of Scotland and the pre-Conquest monarchs of England, and many notable foreign monarchs including, Peter I of Russia ("Peter the Great"), Catherine II of Russia ("Catherine the Great"), Nicholas I of Russia, Afonso I of Portugal, Andrew II of Hungary, Ferdinand II of Aragon, and Isabella I of Castile. From the House of Stuart, by side of his mother, Prince William is a descendant of the House of Bourbon from the line Henry IV of France and of the House of Medici from the line of Marie de' Medici. He is also a descendant of powerful Italian noble families such as that of the House of Sforza who ruled as the Dukes of Milan from the line of the legendary Caterina Sforza, Countess of Forlì.

See also[link]

• Royal William, a German red rose named after Prince William shortly after his birth

Notes[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge

• Royal.gov.uk – Prince William
• Prince of Wales.gov.uk – Prince William
• Prince William graduates from RMAS
• Prince William talks with NBC's Matt Lauer
• Prince William, Duke of Cambridge at the Internet Movie Database

v t e Prince William, Duke of Cambridge Titles Duke of Cambridge Earl of Strathearn Baron Carrickfergus Family Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (wife) Charles, Prince of Wales (father) Diana, Princess of Wales (mother) Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (stepmother) Prince Harry of Wales (brother) Michael Middleton (father-in-law) Carole Middleton (mother-in-law) Pippa Middleton (sister-in-law) James Middleton (brother-in-law) Events Concert for Diana Wedding guests bridal gown 2011 Canadian Tour Miscellaneous Rosa 'Royal William' William & Kate William & Catherine: A Royal Romance Engagement announcement dress of Kate Middleton

v t e Charles, Prince of Wales Titles Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester Duke of Cornwall Duke of Rothesay Earl of Carrick Baron of Renfrew Lord of the Isles Prince and Great Steward of Scotland more Family Diana, Princess of Wales (first wife) Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (elder son) Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (daughter-in-law) Prince Harry of Wales (younger son) Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (second wife) Elizabeth II (mother) Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (father) Anne, Princess Royal (sister) Prince Andrew, Duke of York (brother) Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (brother) Events Investiture of the Prince of Wales First wedding (guest list) Divorce Second wedding Charities The Prince's Charities/The Prince's Carities Canada Mutton Renaissance Campaign Miscellaneous Duchy Originals from Waitrose Poundbury

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v t e Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall Titles Princess of Wales and Countess of Chester Duchess of Cornwall Duchess of Rothesay Countess of Carrick Baroness of Renfrew Lady of the Isles Princess of Scotland Family Andrew Parker Bowles (first husband) Tom Parker Bowles (son) Laura Lopes (daughter) Charles, Prince of Wales (second husband) Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (elder stepson) Prince Harry of Wales (younger stepson) Bruce Shand (father) Rosalind Shand (mother) Annabel Elliot (sister) Mark Shand (brother) Events Second wedding