Happy birthday, Prince William! As Prince William celebrates his 35th birthday, we look back on his posh life as a young royal and future king. From the most photographed baby in the world to a doting dad himself, William has much to celebrate.
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A (future) king is born
Image Credit: Anwar Hussein/Getty Images Prince William makes his public debut at just 1 day old on the steps of the Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital in London with his clearly besotted parents, Princess Diana and Prince Charles.
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Prince William’s christening
Image Credit: Anwar Hussein/WireImage/Getty At just 6 weeks old, Prince William was christened at Buckingham Palace wearing a gown originally created for Queen Victoria’s oldest daughter in 1841. He was one of 62 royal babies to wear it until 2004, when Queen Elizabeth commissioned a replica to be worn by future royals.
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A Prince’s first Christmas
Image Credit: Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Prince Charles and Princess Diana invited a photographer into Kensington Palace days before William’s first Christmas to shoot rare images of the royals at home.
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William’s first royal trip
Image Credit: Anwar Hussein/Getty Images Breaking royal tradition, Princess Diana insisted William accompany her and Charles on an official trip to Australia and New Zealand in the spring of 1983.
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William the big brother
Image Credit: Anwar Hussein/Getty Images William steals the spotlight at the christening of his baby brother, Prince Harry, in December 1984.
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William & Harry at home
Image Credit: Tim Graham/Getty Images Ever the supportive brother, William gives Harry a shoulder to lean on — literally. The pair is pictured with their dad, Prince Charles, in the nursery at Kensington Palace in October 1985.
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William’s normal childhood
Image Credit: Tim Graham/Getty Images In the summer of 1986, William and Harry play-train for their future military careers wearing the uniform of the 1st Battalion of the Parachute Regiment of which Prince Charles is the colonel-in-chief.
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Prince William’s first day of school
Image Credit: Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty Images Prince William enjoys his first day of school, including a snappy uniform and a fun craft, in January 1987.
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Prince William’s first official engagement
Image Credit: Anwar Hussein/Getty Images William signs the guest book on St. David’s Day in 1991 during his very first official royal engagement, revealing that he’s a leftie.
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Prince William heads to Eton
Image Credit: Anwar Hussein/Getty Images Although William’s grandfather, father, two uncles, and two cousins all attended Gordonstoun, Charles and Diana instead choose to send him to Eton in 1995. The press agrees to leave William alone during his years at Eton in exchange for regular updates from the royals — particularly important because his parents’ marriage was imploding at the same time.
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Tragedy strikes
Image Credit: Jeff Overs/BBC News & Current Affairs via Getty Images William’s life is forever changed when his mother, Diana, is killed in a car accident in Paris in August 1997. The sight of a completely devastated William and Harry at Diana’s funeral sent the world into even deeper mourning.
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Prince William’s gap year
Image Credit: Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty Images After graduating from Eton, Prince William takes a gap year during which he took part in an army training exercise in Belize, worked on a British dairy farm, visited Africa and volunteered in Chile.
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Prince William’s first day of university
Image Credit: UK Press/Getty Images William arrives on campus for his first day at St. Andrew’s University where he would soon meet his future wife, Catherine Middleton, in September 2001
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Will & Kate graduate!
Image Credit: Middleton Family/Clarence House via GettyImages William and his then-girlfriend Kate Middleton celebrate their graduation from St. Andrew’s University in 2005.
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Lieutenant Wales
Image Credit: Tim Graham/Getty Images William gets a case of the giggles when his granny the queen passes by during the Sovereign’s Parade at Sandhurst in 2006 when he was commissioned as a second lieutenant.
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Prince William to the rescue!
Image Credit: Prince William & Prince Harry with the RAF In 2009, William decides to pursue a career in the Royal Air Force as a rescue helicopter pilot.
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Prince William puts a ring on it
Image Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images After a seven-year courtship, Will and Kate (finally) announce their engagement in 2010. He presented his bride-to-be with his mother’s sapphire ring during a vacation in Kenya.
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A royal wedding
Image Credit: George Pimentel/WireImage Officially off the market, William plants one on his new bride, the newly-minted Duchess of Cambridge, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after their 2011 wedding at Westminster Abbey.
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The prince becomes a dad
Image Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge welcome their first child into the world, born at the same hospital William himself was. Prince George of Cambridge is third in line to the British throne.
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A perfect princess
Image Credit: Paul Treadway / Barcroft Media via Getty Images William and Catherine welcome their second child, this time a precious princess they name Charlotte.
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William’s family, full circle
Image Credit: WENN Now a happily married father of two, William enjoys Trooping the Colour on the balcony of Buckingham Palace like he has every year since he was born, now with his own children.
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