Born on this day in London, Prince William Arthur Philip Louis Windsor (1982–) inherited his beloved mother’s good looks, blue eyes, height, and sense of compassion. Princess Diana once described him as "the man in my life," and she lives on through him.

“I enjoy water polo, football, and rugby—mostly team sports,” he once said. Known for his down-to-earth manner, William requested to be called simply by his first name, despite his royal title.

A graduate of Eton College, he took a gap year to work on environmental and community projects, including 10 weeks volunteering in southern Chile. “I wanted to get out and see a bit of the world,” he explained.

He once said, “I really do want to be in control of my own life.”

William served as an officer cadet at Sandhurst and became a search and rescue helicopter pilot for the Royal Navy. In 2011, he married Catherine Middleton, now Princess of Wales, and they have three children.

“The thing is with me, I look on the brighter side of everything,” he said. “There’s no point being pessimistic or worried about too many things because frankly life’s too short.”