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Entertainment Hollywood

Prince William at 40: A milestone birthday in a life under scrutiny

As William celebrates his birthday on June 21, his role is central to British monarchy



A handout picture released by Kensington Palace on June 18, 2022 shows Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, (C) posing for a photograph with his children, Britain's Prince Louis of Cambridge (top), Britain's Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (L) and Britain's Prince George of Cambridge (R), taken in Jordan in Autumn, 2021, released to mark Father's Day 2022.
Image Credit: Kensington Palace

The world watched as Prince William grew from a towheaded schoolboy to a dashing air-sea rescue pilot to a balding father of three.

But as he turns 40 on Tuesday, William is making the biggest change yet: assuming an increasingly central role in the royal family as he prepares for his eventual accession to the throne.

FILE -Britain's Prince William sits by the The Imperial State Crown in the House of Lords Chamber, during the State Opening of Parliament, in the Houses of Parliament, in London, Tuesday, May 10, 2022. The world watched as Prince William grew from a towheaded schoolboy to a dashing air-sea rescue pilot to a father of three. But as he turns 40 on Tuesday, June21, 2022, William is making the biggest change yet: assuming an increasingly central role in the royal family as he prepares for his eventual accession to the throne. (Ben Stansall/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Image Credit: AP

That was clear two weeks ago when William took centre stage at the extravaganza concert marking Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne, lauding his grandmother as an environmental trailblazer as he delivered a call to action on climate change.

FILE - Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is escorted by Prince William, during a visit to RAF Valley, Anglesey, Wales, where he is stationed as a search and rescue helicopter pilot, Friday April 1, 2011. The world watched as Prince William grew from a towheaded schoolboy to a dashing air-sea rescue pilot to a father of three. But as he turns 40 on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, William is making the biggest change yet: assuming an increasingly central role in the royal family as he prepares for his eventual accession to the throne. (Christopher Furlong, Pool Photo via AP, File)
Image Credit: AP
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“Tonight has been full of such optimism and joy — and there is hope,” he said, as images of wildlife, oceans and jungles were projected on the walls of Buckingham Palace behind him. “Together, if we harness the very best of humankind, and restore our planet, we will protect it for our children, for our grandchildren and for future generations to come.”

FILE - Prince William salutes veterans on Horse Guards Parade during the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph, in Whitehall, London, Sunday Nov. 14, 2021. The world watched as Prince William grew from a towheaded schoolboy to a dashing air-sea rescue pilot to a father of three. But as he turns 40 on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, William is making the biggest change yet: assuming an increasingly central role in the royal family as he prepares for his eventual accession to the throne. (Daniel Leal-Olivas/Pool via AP, FIle)
Image Credit: AP

Get ready to see more of this.

Slowed by age and health problems, the 96-year-old queen is gradually handing over more responsibilities to her son and heir, Prince Charles. That in turn gives William, his eldest son, a more important role to play and more opportunities to put the stamp on a new generation of the monarchy.

FILE - Britain's Queen Elizabeth II; her eldest son, Prince Charles left; and his eldest son, Prince William, pose for a photograph at Clarence House in London., June 2, 2003 The world watched as Prince William grew from a towheaded schoolboy to a dashing air-sea rescue pilot to a father of three. But as he turns 40 on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, William is making the biggest change yet: assuming an increasingly central role in the royal family as he prepares for his eventual accession to the throne. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, Pool, File)
Image Credit: AP
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“William has been very keen to kind of show how he will treat things differently,” said royal expert Pauline Maclaran, author of ‘Royal Fever: The British Monarchy in Consumer Culture.’

“And so we see that more and more, where the future of the line is being emphasised, with Charles being put more in a kind of holding position for William. We’re always reminded that William is after Charles,” she added.

FILE - Britain's Prince William, the 6-month old son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, with his mother during a photo call at Kensington Palace in London, England on Dec. 22, 1982. The world watched as Prince William grew from a towheaded schoolboy to a dashing air-sea rescue pilot to a father of three. But as he turns 40 on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, William is making the biggest change yet: assuming an increasingly central role in the royal family as he prepares for his eventual accession to the throne. (AP Photo/David Caulkin, File)
Image Credit: AP

William’s position as the eventual heir to throne was, of course, sealed at his birth on June 21, 1982, the first son of Charles and the late Princess Diana. That put him in the public eye from the second that Charles and Diana presented him to the TV cameras outside the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital in London.

FILE - Prince William kicks a rugby ball during a training session with some members of the British and Irish Lions players in Wellington, New Zealand, Friday, July 1, 2005. The world watched as Prince William grew from a towheaded schoolboy to a dashing air-sea rescue pilot to a father of three. But as he turns 40 on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, William is making the biggest change yet: assuming an increasingly central role in the royal family as he prepares for his eventual accession to the throne. (AP Photo/Mark Baker, File)
Image Credit: AP
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The world has watched William from his school days in London to his courtship of Kate Middleton at St. Andrews University in Scotland and their spectacular marriage at Westminster Abbey.

FILE - Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge stand outside of Westminster Abbey after their Royal Wedding in London Friday, April, 29, 2011. The world watched as Prince William grew from a towheaded schoolboy to a dashing air-sea rescue pilot to a father of three. But as he turns 40 on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, William is making the biggest change yet: assuming an increasingly central role in the royal family as he prepares for his eventual accession to the throne. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)
Image Credit: AP

He paraded before the cameras once again when he graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, then went on to active duty in the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force. Finally, he became a civilian air ambulance pilot before moving into full-time royal duties five years ago.

FILE - Britain's Prince William carries out maintainance work in the village of Tortel, Southern Chile during his Raleigh International expedition in this recent but undated photo made available Monday Dec. 11, 2000. The world watched as Prince William grew from a towheaded schoolboy to a dashing air-sea rescue pilot to a father of three. But as he turns 40 on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, William is making the biggest change yet: assuming an increasingly central role in the royal family as he prepares for his eventual accession to the throne. (Toby Melville/Pool Photo via AP, FIle)
Image Credit: AP

His charities and causes — from mental health to the environment — have given hints of what sort of monarch he might one day be.

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But events just before and during the celebrations of the queen’s platinum jubilee started to give a clearer indication of William’s vision of the future.

FILE - Britain's Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton pose for the media at St. James's Palace in London, Tuesday Nov. 16, 2010, after they announced their engagement. The world watched as Prince William grew from a towheaded schoolboy to a dashing air-sea rescue pilot to a father of three. But as he turns 40 on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, William is making the biggest change yet: assuming an increasingly central role in the royal family as he prepares for his eventual accession to the throne. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)
Image Credit: AP

William and Kate represented the queen last March when they made an eight-day tour of Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas, three of the 14 independent countries where the British monarch still serves as head of state.

They were met with brass bands and gala dinners, but also demonstrations by protesters demanding reparations for Britain’s role in the enslavement of millions of Africans. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness told the royals his country intended to become a republic, severing ties to the monarchy.

After the trip, the young royals were criticised for perpetuating images of Britain’s colonial rule.

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(FILES) In this file photo taken on May 20, 2019 Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (R) shows Britain's Queen Elizabeth II (L) and Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, around the 'Back to Nature Garden' garden, that she designed along with Andree Davies and Adam White, during their visit to the 2019 RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London. - Prince William's 40th birthday this week marks a significant milestone for the future king, who is rapidly stamping his authority on the British royal family by plotting a course between tradition and modernity. (Photo by Geoff Pugh / POOL / AFP)
Image Credit: AFP

But rather than falling back on the House of Windsor’s traditional response of “never complain, never explain,” William took the unusual step of issuing a statement reflecting on all that had happened.

“I know that this tour has brought into even sharper focus questions about the past and the future,” William said. “In Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas, that future is for the people to decide upon.”

“Catherine and I are committed to service,” he continued. “For us, that’s not telling people what to do. It is about serving and supporting them in whatever way they think best.”

FILE - Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte, Prince George, and Prince William watch from the balcony of Buckingham Place after the Trooping the Color ceremony in London, Thursday, June 2, 2022. The world watched as Prince William grew from a towheaded schoolboy to a dashing air-sea rescue pilot to a father of three. But as he turns 40 on Tuesday, June21, 2022, William is making the biggest change yet: assuming an increasingly central role in the royal family as he prepares for his eventual accession to the throne. (Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Image Credit: AP
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That willingness to be approachable is critical for the House of Windsor as it seeks to remain relevant to younger people and cement its role in British society, Maclaran said.

“It’s important that William shows there are going to be changes to the monarchy,” she said. “Otherwise, you know, I suspect it really can’t survive.”

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