What does Prince William do for a living?

The Duke of Cambridge wrote that his occupation was "Prince of the United Kingdom" on the birth certificate when he and the Duchess of Cambridge welcomed their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

• The Duke of Cambridge wrote his occupation as "Prince of the United Kingdom" on Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis' birth certificates
• Being a prince means being the patron of charities and working for his grandmother, the Queen, with the Duchess of Cambridge, as well as many other things
• In other royal news, take a look at the times Kate and William broke the royal rule book 

What does being a prince actually mean?

The role of the Royal Family - which includes Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton - is to assist William's grandmother, the Queen, in carrying out her duties and also to carry out work in areas of public and charitable service, according to the official website of the British Royal Family.

They represent their country at events and charities throughout the country, and travel to other countries in the Commonwealth as ambassadors for the Queen and the Monarchy.

Overall, every year, the Royal Family as a whole carries out over 2,000 official engagements, which can include things like state funerals, national festivities or presenting honours. They also entertain over 70,000 people at dinners, lunches, receptions and garden parties at the royal residences; and receives and answers 100,000 letters.

There are also around 3,000 organisations that list a member of the Royal Family as a patron or president, according to Buckingham Palace.

How much charity work does Prince William do?

William is very keen on supporting charities in many different areas, including conservation work, supporting communities to protect their natural environment for future generations, and mental health as well.

His Royal Highness has publicly supported initiatives to fund conservation, community development and environmental education programmes across Africa as Royal Patron of the Tusk Trust, in a bid to highlight the inspiring conservation work that is being undertaken to a global audience.

Through the Royal Foundation, The Duke has founded United for Wildlife - an unprecedented collaboration between seven of the world’s most influential conservation organisations committed to tackling the global challenges that threaten the world’s natural resources.

William has strived to raise awareness of how serious issues - like bullying - can affect young people, and, in 2016, he convened a new industry-led taskforce to develop a shared response to the online bullying of young people.

He also set up the Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, which Harry is no longer a part of - having stepped down from royal duties with Meghan Markle.

The Foundation develops programmes and charitable projects based on the interests of Their Royal Highnesses by working with organisations which are already making a proven impact in their respective fields.

As part of the foundation, in 2017, the trio spearheaded the Heads Together mental health campaign, leading a coalition of eight mental health charity partners to change the national conversation on mental health. The campaign aimed to build on existing progress nationwide in tackling stigma, raising awareness, and providing vital help for people with mental health problems.

How does Prince William actually make a living?

After the death of his mother, Princess Diana, William reportedly inherited a fortune of $10 million (£756,616.35) after taxes, Forbes reports, and began receiving an annual dividend of an estimated $450,000 (£339,662.25) a year at age 25, and the full sum at age 30.

The living expenses of William and Kate are also financed by the Duchy of Cornwall, a portfolio of properties, established by Edward III in 1337, with the purpose of providing income for him and future Princes of Wales - currently Prince Charles.

While much of that money is used for his public and charitable work, Charles also uses part of that income for his family, and, in 2017, The Duchy reported spending $4.9 million (£3,696,437.50) to cover the official duties of Harry, William and Kate.

What were Prince William's previous jobs?

William held a more traditional job as a helicopter pilot for East Anglian Air Ambulance for over two years before retiring in 2017 in order to shift focus to his royal duties.

While there, he worked alongside a team of doctors and critical care paramedics to save lives.

At the time of retiring, he said: "It has been a huge privilege to fly with the East Anglian Air Ambulance. I have loved being part of a team of professional, talented people that save lives every day."

Like most members of the Royal Family, William was keen to join the Armed Forces after leaving university, and he quickly rose through the ranks and wanted to continue his role.

He joined the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as an Officer cadet and completed a 44-week training course.

In December 2006 he became an army officer and joined the Household Cavalry as Second Lieutenant before being promoted to Lieutenant.

He then discovered his love of flying and that became his main focus, beginning to train as a Search and Rescue pilot in 2009.

After months of training and exams, he qualified in September 2010 and joined C Flight, 22 Squadronm which is based at RAF Valley in Anglesey.

However, the Queen didn't want him on the front-line, so William decided to put what he had learned into practice, and trained to become an air ambulance pilot.