William turns 41 on his first birthday as Prince of Wales
The future king was born at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, at 9.03pm on June 21 1982
The Prince of Wales will turn 41 on Wednesday, days after committing to building social housing on the Duchy of Cornwall’s land.
William will be celebrating his first birthday since his father, the King, appointed him to the title following the Queen’s death last year.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, William revealed his plans for social housing on the 130,000-acre estate he now controls.
The prince also said he wants to make it his mission to end homelessness in the UK.
The Prince of Wales attends the opening of Centrepoint’s Reuben House in south London
He told the paper he will launch a “really big project” to take on the issue.
However, the details of the five-year project are being kept secret until the end of the month.
William has previous experience tackling homelessness. He is the patron of Centrepoint, a charity which helps homeless young people.
Last week, he officially opened Reuben House, a block of 33 studio properties in south London where rents are set at a third of a resident’s income, on behalf of the charity.
Ahead of his 40th birthday last year, he pledged to continue “shining” a light on the “solvable issue” of homelessness – and to introduce his children to charities supporting rough sleepers.
William and Kate on their wedding day, April 29 2011
Diana, Princess of Wales, took William to a homeless shelter when he was 11 to broaden the future king’s horizons.
At the weekend, William was pictured smiling with his three children in a photograph released by Kensington Palace to mark Father’s Day.
It shows Princess Charlotte and Prince George on either side of their father, smiling up at him, with the youngest sibling, Prince Louis, hugging William’s shoulders from behind.
Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales was born second in line to the throne at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, at 9.03pm on June 21 1982.
The Prince and Princess of Wales amuse baby Prince William in the grounds of Government House in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1983
He weighed 7lb 1 1/2oz and was the first-born son of the Prince and the Princess of Wales.
At just nine months old, he accompanied his parents on a six-week official visit to Australia and New Zealand, which was a break from royal tradition.
His mother Diana, who separated from Charles in 1992, died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.
William was just 15 and his brother Harry 12, and the boys walked behind the princess’s coffin during a funeral procession through London.
William met Kate Middleton at St Andrews University in Fife, Scotland, and the pair married in 2011 after dating for more than eight years.
William after his St Andrews graduation ceremony in 2005
He was made the Duke of Cambridge by his grandmother, the Queen, on the morning of his wedding.
The couple’s first child, George – also a future king – was born in 2013, followed by Charlotte in 2015 and Louis in 2018.
After the death of the Queen last September, William and Kate became the new Prince and Princess of Wales, with the King announcing their titles in his historic address to the nation.
The title Prince of Wales has long been used for heirs to the throne as William is now, but it is not an automatic right, and is the choice of the sovereign to award it.
The Press Association
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