Prince William is named after one of his father, King Charles’s, “lifetime role models”, it has been claimed.
The heir to the throne will be named King William V when he ascends, however, his name is not inspired by the four previous King William’s before him, but rather by a lesser-known prince whom Charles admired “profoundly”, according to a royal writer.
William’s name is said to be “a tribute to a swashbuckling royal cousin – friend, role model and hero to King Charles who was killed in a tragic plane crash in 1972”, according to the Daily Mail.
Prince William of Gloucester was an older cousin of the then Prince Charles, who died aged 30, unmarried and without children.
The current monarch is said to have been very fond of him profoundly, thus naming his first son after him in 1982.
The two William’s are said to have much in common, from the good looks to the Eton education as well as interest in sports and flying.
Prince William of Gloucester was a grandson of King George V and paternal cousin of Queen Elizabeth II.
At birth he was fourth in line to the throne, however, at the time of his death he was ninth.
The Gloucester reportedly had an active life flying aircraft, trekking through the Sahara and hot air ballooning.
But the royal also reportedly suffered from porphyria, probably hereditary, which is conjectured to be the illness that caused George III to “go mad”.
Even though he was a licenced pilot, William crashed his Piper Cherokee in front of 30,000 during an air race in August 1972 and died.
William was named after a non-royal uncle, Scottish World War I hero Billy Scott, according to Wilson.
He was an older brother to William’s mother, Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester – and mother of Prince William.
