40 photos of William in celebration of his milestone 40th birthday

By The Press Association Jun 20, 2022

Second in line to the throne, the Duke of Cambridge is celebrating his 40th birthday on June 21.

Forty photos charting the Duke of Cambridge’s life have been compiled to celebrate his 40th birthday.

William, who reaches the milestone on Tuesday, is pictured through the years from his debut as a newborn baby in his mother’s arms and as a toddler trying to walk, to his role as a family man and future king.

The Prince and Princess of Wales amuse baby Prince William in the grounds of Government House in Auckland, New Zealand in 1983

William with his family on the Palace balcony during the Platinum Jubilee

The images, from the PA news agency’s photo archive, show the second in line to the throne on family holidays with the Prince and Princess of Wales and playing bicycle polo with Prince Harry.

He is pictured studying at university, in his military uniform at Sandhurst and as an air ambulance helicopter pilot.

The Waleses prepare for a cycling trip in Tresco during their holiday in the Scilly Isles in 1989

William after his St Andrew's graduation ceremony in 2005

Among the images is one of William on his first official royal tour when he joined his parents on a six-week trip to Australia and New Zealand when he was just nine months old in 1983.

In 2006, he is captured smirking as his grandmother the Queen makes a remark while inspecting him and his fellow cadets during a passing out parade at Sandhurst.

The Queen inspects the graduates, including Prince William, in the Sovereign's Parade at Sandhurst in 2006

The Duke of Cambridge starting his job with the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA

Times of joy show William announcing his engagement to his former university flatmate Kate Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge.

The newlywed pair took to the Palace balcony on their wedding day in 2011, and introduced their first born, Prince George, to the world outside the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital in London in 2013.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge leave the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in London, with their newborn son, Prince George in 2013

But William has also experienced great sadness, with the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in a car crash in 1997.

The duke and his younger brother the Duke of Sussex, who have a long-reported rift, came together briefly last year to unveil the statue they commissioned in her honour.

The Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex unveiling a statue they commissioned of their mother in 2021

Other photos from over the years show William in a camouflaged military helmet tackling an assault course during a Sport Relief mile run in 2006, trying out a motorbike at the Isle of Man TT in 2018 and on tour with Kate to Pakistan in 2019.