Prince William - Military Career
Prince William currently holds the rank of Second Lieutenant (or Cornet) in the British Army and serves
with the Blues and Royals which is part of The Household Cavalry.
July 2005 As second in line to The Throne, Prince William has also represented The Queen at official military occasions. During his visit to New Zealand, William attended events to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. He laid a wreath at the cenotaph in Auckland on behalf of The Queen, met war veterans and serving soldiers and inspected a guard of honour.
October 2005 The Prince passed his Regular Commissions Board (RCB) to gain entry to Sandhurst. The RCB enables senior Army assessors to find those candidates who are best suited for training. The Board is very demanding, and consists of a number of tests and tasks designed to assess mental, physical and emotional aptitude. Prince William also attends ceremonial occasions such as the Remembrance Service at the Cenotaph in November.
August 2006
The Queen appointed new Royal Commodores of various Royal Navy Commands in recognition of the strong
links between the Royal Navy and the Royal Family. Prince William was appointed Commodore-in-Chief of Scotland
and Commodore-in-Chief of Submarines.
December 2006
The Prince graduated (known as passing out) from The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He took part in the Sovereign's
Parade which was presided over by The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh. The Prince of Wales
and The Duchess of Cornwall also attended. The passing out ceremony takes place after an intensive 44 week training course.
During his time at Sandhurst, The Prince was known as Officer Cadet Wales.
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Prince William - Charities & Patronages
Although Prince William is currently focusing on his military career he wants to show his support for organisations that reflect issues he cares about both in the UK and abroad.
Prince William is Patron or President of seven organisations:
January 2005 Along with his brother, Prince William volunteered at a British Red Cross aid distribution centre and helped to pack emergency supplies for countries that were affected by the tsunami disaster on Boxing Day 2004.
September 2005
Prince William became Patron of Centrepoint, the UK's leading homelessness charity. This was the Prince's first Patronage
and reflects his long-standing interest in homelessness and the people affected by it. His mother Diana, Princess
of Wales was also Patron of the charity.
September 2005 Prince William became President-Designate of The Football Association, the governing body of English football. He took over from his uncle, The Duke of York, as President of The FA in May 2006 on the day of the FA Cup Final held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. He presented the 2006 FA Cup to Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard. Like his brother Prince Harry, Prince William is a keen sportsman. He played for his house football team at Eton and for Sunday league teams during his four years at St Andrews University. He is an Aston Villa supporter.
October 2005 Prince William visited the training ground of Charlton Athletic Football Club to join children participating in a community football programme and to train with the team. During his visit, he expressed his wish to get more children involved with football.
December 2005 The Prince visited the Royal Marsden Hospital when he undertook two days work experience in the Children's Unit. He helped out in a variety of departments, including medical research, catering, and fund-raising, as well as visiting a number of wards, including various children's units.
December 2005 Prince William became Patron of the Tusk Trust, a conservation charity based in the UK which aims to secure a peaceful coexistence for Africa's wildlife and its people. The Prince was impressed by the work of the charity after seeing it first-hand during a visit to Africa.
June 2006 On 1 June 2006, Prince William visited the England squad in Manchester in his capacity as President of The Football Association and on 10th June, he attended England's first World Cup match in Frankfurt, Germany.
July 2006
Prince William has also shown his support for other charitable causes. He joined fellow cadets and officers at Sandhurst in running a mile
to support the charity Sport Relief. As part of a team from Clarence House, Prince William also ran a mile along London's
Embankment, in aid of Sport Relief in 2004.
May 2007 Prince William became President of the Royal Marsden Hospital, a position previously held by his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
May 2007
Prince William became Patron of Mountain Rescue England and Wales and The English Schools' Swimming Association (ESSA).
These patronages reflect William's interest in youth sport and, in his own words, his desire to "highlight and celebrate the vital, selfless
and courageous work of our mountain rescue organisations". Two years previously, Prince William had spent two weeks working with a
mountain rescue team in North Wales.
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Prince William - Interests
Prince William is a very keen sportsman and over the years has participated in a wide range of sporting activities, mainly team sports.
Over the years, Princes William and Harry joined The Prince of Wales on regular skiing holidays to Klosters, Switzerland.
At Ludgrove School he was the rugby and hockey team captain and a stylish swimmer. He was also a useful football and basketball player, good at clay pigeon shooting and represented the school at cross-country running.
April 2004 Prince William represented the Scottish national universities water polo team, whilst at St Andrews University in Fife. He represented the team in the annual Celtic Nations tournament against Wales and Ireland. The Prince was also a keen water polo player during his time at Eton College.
June 2005 Prince William visited New Zealand to show his support for the British Lions and to represent The Queen at a series of engagements commemorating the end of the Second World War.
When possible, Prince William and Prince Harry have played polo in the summer to raise money for charities, including the Tusk Trust,
Centrepoint and Prince Harry's charity Sentebale, which helps orphans in Lesotho. Both Princes play to a one goal handicap.
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