Prince William of Gloucester
| Prince William | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
William in 1971 | |||||
| Born | 18 December 1941 Lady Carnarvon's Nursing Home, Hadley Common, Barnet, Hertfordshire, England | ||||
| Died | 28 August 1972 (aged 30) Halfpenny Green, Staffordshire, England | ||||
| Burial | 2 September 1972 Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore, Windsor, Berkshire | ||||
| |||||
| House | Windsor | ||||
| Father | Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester | ||||
| Mother | Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott | ||||
| Alma mater | |||||
Prince William of Gloucester (William Henry Andrew Frederick; 18 December 1941 – 28 August 1972) was a member of the British royal family. The elder son of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, he was a grandson of George V, nephew of Edward VIII and George VI, and first cousin of Elizabeth II. At birth he was fourth in line to the throne; he was ninth in line at the time of his death.
A Cambridge and Stanford graduate, he joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office serving in Lagos and Tokyo, before returning to take over royal duties. He led an active life, flying Piper aircraft, trekking through the Sahara, and hot air ballooning.
He was the most recent descendant of George III to be diagnosed with porphyria, probably hereditary, which is conjectured to be the illness that caused George III's mental breakdown.
Prince William died in 1972, aged 30, in an air crash while piloting his plane in a competition.