27 Facts About Prince William of Gloucester

Prince William of Gloucester 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.

Prince William of Gloucester led an active life, flying Piper aircraft, trekking through the Sahara, and hot air ballooning.

Prince William of Gloucester 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.

Prince William of Gloucester's father was Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the third son of King George V and Queen Mary.

Prince William of Gloucester's mother was Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, the third daughter of the 7th Duke of Buccleuch and Lady Margaret Bridgeman.

Prince William of Gloucester was baptised in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle on 22 February 1942 by Cosmo Gordon Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury.

Prince William of Gloucester's godparents were King George VI, Queen Mary, Princess Helena Victoria, Lady Margaret Hawkins, Major Lord William Montagu Douglas Scott and Lord Gort, who was unable to attend.

At the time of his birth, and for months afterwards, Prince Henry was away on military duties, some of which meant considerable risk.

In 1947, Prince William was a page boy for his cousin Princess Elizabeth at her wedding to Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Prince William spent his early childhood at Barnwell Manor in Northamptonshire and later in Canberra, Australia, where his father served as Governor-General from 1945 to 1947.

Prince William of Gloucester was the second member of the British royal family to work in the civil service or the diplomatic service.

Prince William of Gloucester joined the Commonwealth Office in 1965 and was posted to Lagos as the third secretary at the British High Commission.

Apart from taking over many engagements his father could no longer perform, Prince William of Gloucester took particular interest in St John Ambulance, where he became increasingly active.

Prince William of Gloucester was President of National Ski Federation Supporters' Association, the Magdalene Society, the East Midlands Tourist Board, and the Royal African Society.

Prince William of Gloucester's patronages included the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain, the British Schools Exploring Society and the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society.

Prince William served on some occasions as Counsellor of State in the absence of his cousin, the Queen.

One account describes how Prince William of Gloucester was particularly kind to friends who were either "ill, unpopular with others, or even downright embarrassing".

Prince William of Gloucester was very fond of his father, one friend describing William's love and tenderness for him as "infectious".

Prince William of Gloucester acknowledged his father couldn't have been very happy as a young man, as a result of the strict upbringing he had received, so he was very grateful to him for the freedom he had given him throughout his life.

Shortly before transferring to Tokyo in August 1968, Prince William was examined by a Royal Air Force doctor, Headly Bellringer, at the request of the prince's mother.

Prince William of Gloucester told the doctor that he had suffered from jaundice, beginning in December 1965 and lasting several months.

Prince William of Gloucester had subsequently noticed that his skin was prone to a blistering rash, particularly on exposure to sunshine.

Prince William was buried in the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore.

Prince William of Gloucester's will was sealed in London after his death in 1972.

Prince William of Gloucester was the first grandchild of King George V and Queen Mary to die.