Prince William's life in pictures from newborn prince to doting dad to king-in-waiting

The heir to the throne was born at the Lido Wing of St Mary’s Hospital at 9:03pm, an event which, like any new father, had a profound effect on King Charles.

Writing a letter to his second cousin the Countess of Mountbatten of Burma, the then-Prince of Wales said: “The arrival of our small son has been an astonishing experience and one that has meant more to me than I ever could have imagined.

“I am so thankful I was beside Diana’s bedside the whole time because I felt as though I’d shared deeply in the process of birth and as a result was rewarded by seeing a small creature who belonged to us even though he seemed to belong to everyone else as well.”

Here, Express.co.uk takes a look at the future king’s life over the past four decades.

The Prince of Wales spent his early life at Kensington Palace. At eight years old, he began studying at Wetherby School in London and he was then sent to Ludgrove, a boarding school just under 30 miles from the capital.

As a teenager, William experienced two seismic events no child wants to experience. His parents went through a high-profile separation and consequent divorce which was finalised when he was just 14.

A year later, in the summer of 1997, he lost his mother in a tragic car crash.

He and Prince Harry famously walked behind Diana’s coffin as it made its way to Westminster Abbey, something royal commentator Christopher Andersen told the Royally Us podcast in November Charles regrets to this day. He added: “I think it haunts him, as it haunts them.”

As an adult, William has spoken about the difficulty of grappling with grief at such a young age.

On the BBC programme A Royal Team Talk: Tackling Mental Health, aired in 2019, he said: “I think when you are bereaved at a very young age, anytime really, but particularly at a young age — I can resonate closely to that — you feel pain like no other pain.

“And you know that in your life it’s going to be very difficult to come across something that is going to be an even worse pain than that.”

After Ludgrove, the Prince of Wales was sent to Eton College where the likes of the Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne were amongst his contemporaries.

In 2000 he left the prestigious school with 12 GCSEs and three A-Levels: an A in Geography, a B in Art and a C in Biology.

But before going to university where he met his future wife, he took a gap year where he went to Belize, Africa and Chile volunteering.

In fact, he narrowly missed out on meeting Kate Middleton then as she travelled to Chile just weeks after him.

In 2001, the Prince began studying at the University of St Andrews where he was largely left alone by the media so that he could live life like a “normal” student.

While there he met and began dating Kate — in fact, the pair lived in the same house where he attempted to impress her by making “amazing fancy dinners”.

He later graduated from St Andrews with a 2:1 in Geography, having switched courses from Art History.

After graduating, William had internships in land management and banking before embarking on a solo overseas tour to New Zealand.

Just months after leaving university, William was admitted to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst where he became a lieutenant and troop commander with the Blues and Royals.

He served more than seven years in the military before moving on to become training at the Royal Air Force College. After qualifying, he became a full-time pilot with the Search and Rescue Force which he did until 2013.

As a pilot, he carried out more than 150 missions and completed more than 1,300 flying hours.

He and Kate began dating in 2003 and although they broke up briefly, they reconciled. Three years later, during a trip with friends to Kenya, William got down on one knee and gave Kate the sapphire and diamond engagement ring once worn by his mother.

In an ITV interview with Tom Bradby, after the engagement was announced, William explained why it had taken so long to pop the question. He said: “We’ve talked about this happening for a while so Kate wasn’t in the dark over it all. We’ve been planning it for a year if not longer, it was just finding the right time. As most couples say, it’s all about timing.

“I had my military career and I really wanted to concentrate on my flying, and I couldn’t have done this if I was still doing my training. So I’ve got that out of the way, and Kate’s in a good place in terms of work and where she wants to be, and we just both decided that now would be a really good time.”

On April 29, 2011, William and Kate tied the knot at Westminster Abbey before almost 2,000 guests. That same year, the couple took on their first royal tour, visiting Canada.

Just two years after tying the knot, the couple embarked on starting their family, welcoming their first child Prince George on July 22, 2013. The future King was, like his father, born on the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital.

Two years after George, Princess Charlotte followed, making her debut on the same steps as her brother and father on May 2, 2015.

That same year, William accepted a job with the East Anglian Air Ambulance as a private pilot. The role was paid but he donated his salary to charity.

In 2017, he gave up his pilot role and began devoting his full time to his royal duties. A year later, William and Kate welcomed their youngest child Prince Louis.

In the BBC documentary Football, Prince William and Our Mental Health in 2020, he told how having children was a “life-changing moment” which saw emotions come back in “leaps and bounds” as he was reminded about the death of his mother.

Talking with former professional footballer Marvin Sordell, who grew up without a father around, William said: “Having children is the biggest life-changing moment, it really is.

“And I agree with you, I think when you’ve been through something traumatic in life — and that is like you say your dad not being around, my mother dying when I was younger — your emotions come back in leaps and bounds because it’s a very different phase of life.

“And there’s no one there to, kind of, help you, and I definitely found it very, at times, overwhelming.”

He said of parenthood: “It’s one of the most amazing moments of life but it’s also one of the scariest.”

Upon the death of the Queen last year, William was made the Prince of Wales, taking on a title his father held for more than five decades.

As future King, he has played a prominent role over the past few months, particularly at significant royal events of late.

At Trooping the Colour earlier this month, he and his father both rode horses and at the Coronation in May, he pledged his loyalty, faith and truth to his father and King.

Just this week, he gave his first interview as Prince of Wales in the Sunday Times, where he has vowed to end homeless in Britain, a touching continuation of Diana’s legacy.