Prince William urged to be cautious in Prince Harry talks

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Now known as the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William of Wales was born in 1982 to Prince Charles and Princess Diana. There have been four previous King William’s in British royal history, so Charles and Diana’s decision to name their firstborn William was certainly fitting. Charles was also thought to have chosen the name in tribute to his late cousin Prince William of Gloucester, who died in a devastating accident in 1972.

Who was Prince William of Gloucester?

Prince William of Gloucester was the elder son of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester.

Born in 1941, William was next in line to inherit his father’s Duke of Gloucester title, and he was ninth in line to the throne at the time of his death in 1972.

His younger brother is Prince Richard, the current Duke of Gloucester, who had married his wife Birgitte just a few months before William died.

Newsweek recently reported a spike in interest among royal fans in the life of the ‘other Prince William’ on the social media platform, TikTok.

William was the Queen’s first cousin as both their fathers were sons of King George V, and he served his cousin as a working royal.

Before taking up royal duties, however, he worked in the Commonwealth Office and was posted to Lagos to work at the British High Commission.

William had a long-term relationship with Zsuzsi Starkloff, who was divorced and had children, but it is thought they never married due to disapproval in royal circles at the time.

William was the last member of the Royal Family believed to have porphyria, the same condition scholars think afflicted King George III.

When did Prince William of Gloucester die?

Prince William of Gloucester died aged 30 in an air accident while piloting his plane on August 28, 1972. His co-pilot Vyrell Mitchell also died in the crash.

William lost control of the Piper Cherokee Arrow, and it banked sharply soon after taking off before hitting a tree and plunging to the ground.

The aircraft burst into flames and fire services rushed to the scene. One of three boys who tried to reach the pilots described how they couldn’t get near enough due to the blaze.

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He told the BBC: “We tried to break into the plane’s doors and then tried to break it in half by pulling at the tail.

“But it was no good, we had to go back because of the heat.”

William’s mother Princess Alice was one of 30,000 spectators gathered to watch the Goodyear International Air Trophy race that day.

The funeral for Prince William was held at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, and he was buried in the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore.

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