Elizabeth II 1926-2022 | New Prince of Wales, William is now heir to the throne

(London) For years, he has been preparing: at the age of 40, the very popular William becomes the heir to the throne with now the title of Prince of Wales, a status all the more exposed as his brother Harry has put himself in withdrawal from the monarchy.

Eldest son of Charles and Diana, William, acquired at a very young age the sense of duty that befits a future king.

Over the years, “Wills” won the hearts of Britons, many of whom wanted him to succeed his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II directly, in place of his less-appreciated father.

He will have to wait: now king, Charles III has promised to serve the British all his life. But as an acknowledgment of his eldest’s new status, he used his first address on Friday to award him the title of Prince of Wales, the title of heirs to the throne that Charles had received at age 9.

While waiting for his turn, William, with his wife Kate, who takes over the title Princess of Wales once worn by Diana, is working to lead as normal a life as possible. He takes care of his three young children with whom the couple has just moved to Windsor and its bucolic setting to have “a little more freedom than in central London”, and to bend wisely to the constraints of public life.

A former helicopter-paramedic pilot for two years, he left this job in 2017 to devote himself full-time to his duties within the royal family. A role that has grown in importance as her aging grandmother Elizabeth II eased off while her brother Harry and uncle Andrew distanced themselves from the royal family.

The first moved to California in 2020 with his family, denouncing the harassment of the British media. The second was asked to keep a low profile due to sexual assault charges in the United States, which he ended by paying millions of dollars.

father involved

Born on June 21, 1982, a year after his parents married, William was raised outside the royal cocoon as much as possible, just like his younger brother Harry. Their mother Diana did everything to show them what “real life” was like, taking them to amusement parks or even homeless shelters that “the people’s princess” supported.

William said his mother was singing “out loud” on the track The Best by Tina Turner to lighten the mood when she took him and Harry back to their boarding school.

Her parents’ divorce in 1996, followed by Diana’s death a year later in a car accident in Paris while being chased by paparazzi, put an end to this carefree life. William was then only 15 years old.

After an education at the elite Eton College, William spent a gap year traveling in Africa and Belize. He then joined the benches of the prestigious University of Saint-Andrews in Scotland where he studied art history and then geography.

It was there that he met Kate Middleton, daughter of entrepreneurs.

Their union was celebrated in 2011 during a sumptuous wedding followed by two billion viewers.

The couple, who give the image of a close-knit couple, gave birth to three children: George in 2013, Charlotte in 2015, then Louis in 2018. Breaking with the traditions of royal dads, William boasted of having changed her children’s diapers, and help with their homework.

Cultivating a certain distance with the media, he rarely gives interviews.

His musical tastes range from English pop from Coldplay to Australian hard rock band AC/DC.

A football fan, he supports Aston Villa and chairs the English federation.

William is also committed to causes dear to his heart, such as mental health or the protection of the environment. William thus created the Earthshot prize, which rewards projects offering solutions to the climate crisis.

“With Catherine at her side, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will I am sure continue to inspire and lead our national conversations, helping to put the excluded at the center of the debate,” Charles III said during of his speech on Friday during which he announced their new titles.