The file
William, Prince of Wales
Photo: European Union, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons
person

William, Prince of Wales

Prince of Wales and heir to the British throne; Duke of Cornwall.

Entries
14
On the record
0
Stories
1
Latest entry
Sep 13, 2026

The record

Compiled by the MrScandal desk from the documents below · Desk editor Kristaps Siliņš · Nov 8, 2026

William, Prince of Wales, is the elder son of Charles III and heir to the throne. Before his royal role became full-time he served as an Army officer and an RAF search and rescue pilot, and later flew for a civilian air ambulance charity for more than two years.

His titles came in two steps. He was created Duke of Cambridge on his wedding day in 2011, and his father created him Prince of Wales the day after Elizabeth II died, when he also succeeded as Duke of Cornwall.

His charitable record includes United for Wildlife, founded with The Royal Foundation in 2014, the Heads Together and Homewards programmes, nearly 30 patronages and the Earthshot Prize, which he founded in 2020 and leads as president. Patronages passed to him by Elizabeth II in 2016 include the Welsh Rugby Union and the Royal African Society.

Roles and honours on the record

  • 2006-2013 Army officer (Blues and Royals), then RAF search and rescue pilot source
  • 2015-2017 Pilot, East Anglian Air Ambulance source
  • 2020-present Founder and President, The Earthshot Prize source
  • 2022-present Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall source

Every entry, newest first

Last entry Sep 13, 2026
  1. Reported

    BBC reported he stopped personally benefiting from £1.5m annual Dartmoor Prison rent; Princetown fund of at least £250,000 launched. Duchy of Cornwall paid Prince William £22.9M, Telegraph says

  2. Reported

    BBC reported royal accounts show he paid £7.76m tax for 2024-25 and £8.34m for 2023-24. Duchy of Cornwall paid Prince William £22.9M, Telegraph says

Stories in this file

Stone towers of a royal castle with a flag flying: ON RECORDRoyals · 6d ago

💰 Duchy of Cornwall paid Prince William £22.9M, Telegraph says

He paid £7.76M tax for 2024-25. BBC notes no breakdown of the calculation; his private secretary says the costs are independently audited. 🗣️

The record, entry by entry

  1. 1982-06-21 Official Born at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, and christened at Buckingham Palace on 4 August 1982. Royal Household, biography of The Prince of Wales
  2. 2005-06 Official Graduated from the University of St Andrews with a 2:1 MA in Geography, having started in 2001 on History of Art before switching subjects. Royal Household, biography of The Prince of Wales
  3. 2006-12 Official Commissioned as an Army officer in the Household Cavalry, Blues and Royals, after Sandhurst. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 2007. Royal Household, biography of The Prince of Wales
  4. 2008-04-23 Official Appointed a Royal Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter on St George's Day; the Order of the Thistle followed in 2012. Royal Household, biography of The Prince of Wales
  5. 2010-09 Official Joined C Flight, 22 Squadron at RAF Valley as a search and rescue pilot after training that began in early 2009, and served there for three years. Royal Household, biography of The Prince of Wales
  6. 2011-04-29 Official Married Catherine Middleton and was created Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus on the same day. Royal Household, biography of The Prince of Wales
  7. 2014 Official Founded United for Wildlife with The Royal Foundation, followed by the Heads Together mental health campaign in 2017. Royal Household, biography of The Prince of Wales
  8. 2015-03 Official Began flying as a pilot for East Anglian Air Ambulance, a civilian role he held until July 2017. Royal Household, biography of The Prince of Wales
  9. 2020 Official Launched the Earthshot Prize, which names five winners a year from 15 finalists and awards each winner one million pounds. Ceremonies followed in London in 2021, Boston in 2022 and Singapore in 2023. The Earthshot Prize, official site
  10. 2022-09-09 Official In his first address as King, Charles III announced that William succeeded him as Duke of Cornwall and that he was creating him Prince of Wales. Royal Household, The King's Address to the Nation and the Commonwealth
  11. 2023-06 Official Launched Homewards as a five-year programme, one of a run of initiatives the Royal Household lists after Heads Together, #HeadsUp and Blue Light Together. Royal Household, biography of The Prince of Wales
  12. 2023-08 Official Became Colonel-in-Chief of the Mercian Regiment and the Army Air Corps, and gave up his role as Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Coningsby, held since 2008. Royal Household, biography of The Prince of Wales

Documents

Sources behind this file

  1. BBC News report on the Princetown Community Fund · Report, Sep 13, 2026
  2. BBC News report on the royal accounts and tax bills · Report, Jun 25, 2026
  3. The Times report on the Duchy's plan to sell a fifth of the estate · Report, May 17, 2026
  4. Daily Telegraph report on Duchy rent waivers and the Prince's income · Report, Jul 6, 2025
  5. Guardian report on the royal accounts · Report, Jul 23, 2024
  6. Guardian investigation into royal duchy income · Report, Apr 5, 2023
  7. Duchy of Cornwall FAQ page (archived copy) · Statement, Mar 12, 2023
  8. Prince of Wales annual review, income and expenditure 2017-18 (archived copy) · Statement, Mar 1, 2018
  9. Guardian report on the HMRC avoidance request · Report, Dec 14, 2012
  10. First-tier Tribunal decision, Bruton v Information Commissioner · Court order, Nov 3, 2011

Connected files

  • Duchy of Cornwall · Royal land and property estate that provides the Prince of Wales's income; created in 1337. · 1 shared story
  • Charles III · King of the United Kingdom since 2022 · named in the record