MAIN People in the News Prince William

In the news for a possible rekindled romance with girlfriend Kate Middleton, and for a controversial secret trip to Afghanistan, Prince William of Wales is the son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana.

As the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, William is second in line of succession to the British throne ahead of his brother, Harry, who is third in line.

Wedding rumors that the heir to the British throne was about to propose marriage to girlfriend Kate Middleton, a London commoner, fizzled early in 2007 with the news of a sudden breakup.

Wedding Bets Off, then On

Kate Middleton, (nicknamed "Her Shyness"), and Prince William met while studying at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. The romance flowered when they later shared a house together.

Middleton had already met William's grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, and in the past year has frequently appeared on the arm of her boyfriend at official royal ceremonies.

Despite their split in April, reports in June had the couple seeing each other yet again, as Middleton was said to be secretly visiting William at the Dorset army barracks where he is stationed. Most recently, news that Middleton had left her job in the fashion industry in November 2007 served to only reignite the rumors of an impending marriage.

A Concert for Diana

Earlier, Middleton appeared at the memorial concert for William's mother, Princess Diana, to mark what would have been her 46th birthday on July 1, 2007. Proceeds from the event will be donated Princess Diana's favorite charities.

In the U.S., complete coverage was aired on NBC accompanied by exclusive interviews with Prince William and Prince Harry.

Related News, Bios & Pictures | Quotes

William has been in the media spotlight since his birth on June 21, 1982.

Early on, he made history when he became the first royal prince to attend an ordinary primary school at the insistence of his mother, Princess Diana. (Reportedly, Diana's famous disdain for official royal protocol has also been inherited by both William and his brother, Harry.)

By age eight, Prince William was sent to Ludgrove School in Berkshire, later attending the prestigious Eton College near Windsor Castle, one of his grandmother's official residences.

It was during his time that William lost his mother to a tragic car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997 - plunging almost the whole of Great Britain into mourning.

It was Prince William who, it was said, made arrangements for Elton John to sing "Candle in the Wind" at his Princess Diana's funera. He later walked with his father, brother and grandfather in the London funeral procession.

In 2000, Prince William graduated from Eton and passed three A-level exams, afterwhich he chose to take a gap year to travel and participate in army training in Belize.

Photos of the royal prince - performing manual labor and cleaning toilets - were broadcast around the globe that same year when William offered his services as a volunteer in a remote region of Chile.

In 2001, the prince embarked on his final course of education at the University of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland where he studied art history and majored in geography. He ultimately took his master's degree with second-level honors in 2005. The colorful, traditional graduation ceremony was attended by his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II and his father, Prince Charles.

Kate Middleton graduated in the same ceremony.

In 2006, William went on to also graduate military training at Sandhurst, the prestigious military academy south of London, from which his younger brother, Harry, graduated as a 2nd lieutenant.

Related Biographies:

The Prince of Wales - Prince William

Prince William of Wales - Wikipedia

Prince William Photo Gallery

Hello! Profiles - Prince William

PrinceWilliamStamps.com

Quotes:

• The fortunate thing is I have had such a normal childhood in certain extents and it would very hard to see that slip away.

• The last thing I want to do is be mollycoddled or wrapped up in cotton wool because if I was to join the army, I'd want to go where my men went and I'd want to do what they did.

• It's got to be the best birthday present she ever had.
On the planned concert to mark the 10th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana.