Prince William at 40! See the Best Photo from Every Year of His Royal Life

1982

Prince Charles and Princess Diana on the day of their son Prince William's royal christening, which was held in the music room of Buckingham Palace on August 4, 1982.

1983

It was a royal first when Princess Diana and Prince Charles brought William with them on their royal tour Down Under. Here, they pose on the lawn of Government House in Auckland, New Zealand, on April 23, 1983.

1984

At just 2 years old, William gets familiar with the press in the garden at Kensington Palace for a photocall.

1985

Princess Diana helps her son with a jigsaw puzzle in his playroom at home in Kensington Palace.

1986

Brothers Prince William (in a Dallas Cowboys T-shirt!) and Prince Harry play with their mother in the garden of Highgrove House in Gloucestershire, on July 18, 1986.

1987

Prince William makes his carriage debut at Trooping the Colour just weeks ahead of his fifth birthday on June 13, 1987. He was accompanied by his mother Princess Diana and great-grandmother, the Queen Mother.

1988

Prince William took on the role of pageboy at the wedding of Camilla Dunne and the Hon. Rupert Soames.

1989

The family of four pose while on holiday in the Isles of Scilly.

1990

Princess Diana takes her sons William and Harry to Wetherby School in Notting Hill, London, in April 1990.

Last year, William shared that his mother used to sing "at the top of her voice" while she drove them to school.

1991

Princess Diana and Prince Charles accompany their son Prince William on his first official engagement in Cardiff, Wales.

1992

Ten-year-old Prince William goes karting at Buckmore Park Playscape in Chatham, England, on August 01, 1992.

1993

William walks alongside his mother Princess Diana to the Christmas Day church service at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk.

"I have strong memories of walking down here, and my grandfather [Prince Philip], he used to walk so fast that there'd be huge gaps and spaces between all of us walking down, and there'd be us at the back with little legs trying to keep up. You know, I think, over time, you start to feel quite attached to those moments and those memories before," William recalled in 2021.

1994

Prince William and his younger brother Prince Harry accompany their mother on a sleigh during a skiing holiday in Lech, Austria.

1995

Princess Diana, Prince Harry and Prince Charles pose with Prince William as they drop him off for his first day at Eton College.

1997

Prince Philip, Prince William, Charles Spencer, Prince Harry and Prince Charles walk behind Princess Diana's casket during her funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 6, 1997. Hundreds of thousands of mourners lined the streets to watch the funeral procession following Diana's death following a car crash in Paris.

1998

Prince Charles, Prince Harry and Prince William attend the annual Christmas Day service in Sandringham.

1999

Prince William, accompanied by his father Prince Charles and brother Prince Harry,, attends a photocall to celebrate his learing to drive. The then-17-year-old passed the test on his first try.

2000

Prince William, his brother Prince Harry and cousin Peter Phillips leave St. Mary Magdalene Church after Christmas Day church service in Sandringham.

2001

Prince William and Prince Harry applaud for their opponents after winning a polo match in Cloucestershire.

2002

Prince William smiles after watching Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee parade, celebrating the monarch's 50 years on the throne.

2003

Queen Elizabeth laughs with her grandsons Prince William and Prince Harry on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the Trooping the Colour parade.

2004

Prince William examines a sheep at the organic farm on his father Prince Charles' Highgrove Estate.

2005

Prince William and Prince Harry after the wedding ceremony of their father Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles.

2006

A 24-year-old Prince William salutes after being commissioned as an officer in the British Army during the Sovereign's Parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on December 15, 2006 in Surrey, England.

2007

Prince William sits in a cockpit trainer during a week he spent at RAF Cranwell, November 2007, in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, England. The prince was undertaking pre-training tests prior to the start of his attachment at RAF Cranwell where he will begin an intensive RAF course to learn how to fly.

2008

A rarely-seen bearded Prince William attends the Christmas Day church service at St. Mary's Church in Sandringham, England.

2009

Prince William and Prince Harry pose in front of a Griffin helicopter during a photocall at RAF Shawbury on June 18, 2009 in Shawbury, England. Both princes were on their military helicopter training courses.

2010

Prince William and Kate Middleton officially announce their engagement at St. James's Palace on November 16, 2010 in London, England. The longtime couple became engaged during a holiday in Kenya.

2011

Prince William and Kate Middleton leave Westminster Abbey following their royal wedding on April 29, 2011.

2012

Kate and William celebrate an exciting moment during the London 2012 Olympic Games on August 2, 2012.

2013

William and Kate introduce their first child, Prince George, to the world on the steps outside the Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital in London on July 23, 2013.

2014

Kate and William bring their son George to a butterfly exhibit at the Natural History Museum on July 2, 2014 in London. The family released the photo ahead of Prince George's first birthday on July 22.

2015

William and Kate smile for the cameras as they leave the hospital following the birth of their daughter Princess Charlotte on May 2, 2015 in London.

2016

Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince Harry introduce their new campaign called Heads Together in partnership with inspiring charities, which aims to change the national conversation on mental wellbeing.

2017

Kate, William and Harry take part in a relay race during a training event to promote their charity Heads Together, at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, on February 5, 2017.

2018

Princess Charlotte and Prince George hold Prince William's hands as the family arrives at the Chapel Royal in St. James's Palace for the christening of their brother, Prince Louis, who is being carried by Kate on July 09, 2018.

Prince Harry and his new wife Meghan Markle follow behind the family of five.

2019

William and Kate attend the 2019 Chelsea Flower Show alongside Queen Elizabeth.

2020

The Cambridge family shares a new photo of William with his three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, ahead of the Duke of Cambridge's 38th birthday.

2021

Prince William and Kate Middleton arrive to host the NHS Charities Together and NHS staff at a unique drive-in cinema to watch a special screening of Disney's Cruella at the Palace of Holyroodhouse during their tour in Scotland on May 26, 2021.

2022

Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis join Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles on the Buckingham Palace balcony on June 5 for the monarch's Platinum Jubilee celebration.