Prince William: Fast Facts You Might Not Know
His full name runs to five words, he is left-handed, and he shares a distant ancestor with Winston Churchill. Here are the essential facts about the future King.
Prince William has been a public figure for his entire life, and yet a surprising number of basic facts about him are more commonly guessed at than actually known. Here is a genuinely reliable rundown.
Full name and birth
His full name is William Arthur Philip Louis Mountbatten-Windsor, born at 9:03pm on 21 June 1982 at St Mary’s Hospital in London, the same hospital where his own son Prince George was later born. His star sign is Gemini, and as of 2026 he is in his mid-forties, having crossed the milestone birthdays that come with a life this publicly documented.
Physical details people ask about
William stands at approximately 6 feet 3 inches, considerably taller than his father and grandfather, and has blue eyes. He is left-handed, a trait shared with a number of other prominent royals historically, and does not wear glasses, having not been publicly reported to need corrective lenses for everyday life.
He speaks more than English
Beyond English, William has some proficiency in Welsh, developed partly through his role as Prince of Wales, alongside basic French from his schooling, following a pattern fairly typical of his generation of British-educated public figures rather than anything unusually accomplished linguistically.
”Steve”: his university code name
During his time at the University of St Andrews, William used the code name “Steve” among some university staff and security arrangements, a measure intended to preserve a degree of ordinary student anonymity rather than any personal preference for the name itself. It became one of the more enduring, faintly charming pieces of royal trivia from his university years.
A surprising link to Winston Churchill
William is distantly related to Sir Winston Churchill. Both the modern Spencer family, William’s mother’s side, and the Churchill family descend from John and Sarah Churchill, the first Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, through their daughter Anne Churchill, making William and the wartime Prime Minister distant cousins through a shared eighteenth-century ancestor.
Favourite foods, according to those who’ve cooked for him
Reports from royal chefs and household staff over the years have named roast chicken, spaghetti bolognese, and a simple shepherd’s pie among William’s known favourites, unpretentious, classic British comfort food that has been described as consistent with his generally low-key approach to food compared to some of the more elaborate state dining he attends for official duties.
A visible scar from a golfing accident
William has a small, visible scar on his forehead, the result of a golf club injury during his childhood, requiring stitches at the time. It has occasionally been noted in close-up photographs over the years, one of the few visible physical traces of an otherwise carefully managed public image.
Why these small details matter
None of these facts change how William carries out his public role, but they are part of why he reads as a genuinely relatable figure to much of the public: a future King who is left-handed, distantly related to a wartime Prime Minister, and was once known to university staff simply as Steve, alongside all the grander titles and responsibilities that come with being first in line to the throne.
Browse more of our Royal Figures stories for more of the details behind the public role.
Frequently asked questions
What is Prince William’s full name?
William Arthur Philip Louis Mountbatten-Windsor.
When and where was Prince William born?
21 June 1982, at St Mary’s Hospital in London.
How tall is Prince William?
Approximately 6 feet 3 inches.
Is Prince William left-handed?
Yes.
What languages does Prince William speak?
English as his first language, with some proficiency in Welsh and basic French.
Is Prince William really related to Winston Churchill?
Yes, distantly. Both the Spencer and Churchill families descend from the first Duke and Duchess of Marlborough through their daughter Anne Churchill, making William and Churchill distant cousins.
Personal details are drawn from standard royal-biography sources and long-running royal-affairs reporting; correct as of 2026.
