William became aware of
HIV/AIDS in the mid-1990s when he accompanied his mother and brother on visits to shelters and clinics for patients. In January 2005, he and Harry volunteered at a
British Red Cross aid distribution centre to pack emergency supplies for countries affected by the
2004 Boxing Day tsunami. That December, William spent two weeks in North Wales with
Mountain Rescue England and Wales (MREW). In May 2007, he became patron of MREW and president of the
Royal Marsden Hospital, the latter a role previously held by his mother. In January 2025, William was announced as the hospital's joint royal patron alongside Catherine. In July 2007, William and Harry organised the Concert for Diana in memory of their mother, benefitting the charities and patronages of Diana, William, and Harry. In October 2008, the brothers undertook the 1,000‑mile, eight‑day Enduro Africa motorbike ride across South Africa to raise money for
Sentebale,
UNICEF, and the
Nelson Mandela Children's Fund. In 2010, William became a patron of
100 Women in Hedge Funds' philanthropic initiatives for the following three years. The same year, he succeeded
Lord Attenborough as the fifth president of the
British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). BAFTA has since established the Prince William BAFTA Bursary to support junior creatives in the UK with costs needed to progress in film, television, or games. In March 2011, he and Catherine set up a gift fund through The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry to allow well‑wishers to donate to charities supporting the armed forces, children, the elderly, art, sport, and conservation in lieu of wedding gifts. The foundation was renamed
The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales in September 2022. In 2011 and 2015, William served as patron of British Army officer
Henry Worsley's second and third expeditions to the
South Pole, the latter raising money for the Endeavour Fund. In 2026, he became patron of the Onwards Expedition, in which Worsley's son, Max, and Norwegian adventurer Martin Nesse will undertake an expedition to the South Pole to raise funds for the
Earthshot Prize and the
British Exploring Society. In April, he officially became patron of the organisation. In February 2021, he visited a vaccination centre in
King's Lynn and later encouraged vaccine uptake, denouncing
false information that could cause
vaccine hesitancy. In September that year, he reportedly helped evacuate a Sandhurst-trained Afghan officer and his family from Kabul during the
2021 Taliban offensive. In March 2022, amid the
Russian invasion of Ukraine, William and Catherine made a donation to support refugees. In February 2023, they donated to the
Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to support victims of the
2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake. In July 2023, William became patron of the appeal to launch The Fleming Centre, aimed at driving a global movement to tackle
antimicrobial resistance. In July 2024, he and Catherine made donations to support victims of
Hurricane Beryl. In January 2025, William was announced as patron of the
College of Paramedics.
Conservation William became patron of the
Tusk Trust in December 2005, a charity that works to conserve wildlife and support community development across Africa. He carried out his first official duty with the Trust in April 2008 by launching a bike ride across the African continent. He later helped launch the Tusk Conservation Awards, presented annually since 2013 to recognise environmental activists. In June 2010, he and his brother visited Botswana, Lesotho, and South Africa, undertaking projects relating to wildlife, sport, and young children. In 2013, he succeeded his grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, as president of
Fields in Trust and transitioned into the role of patron in 2024. He established the United for Wildlife Transport Taskforce in December 2014 to reduce the global illegal wildlife trade. In 2014,
Jane Goodall stated that William had expressed the view that all ivory in the royal collection should
be destroyed. William has occasionally commented on the effects of
overpopulation on
African wildlife, though his remarks have been criticised for not addressing
resource consumption and population density. After two years of research, William launched the Earthshot Prize in October 2020, designed to provide funding and incentives for environmental solutions over the following decade. He subsequently delivered a
TED Talk on environmental protection and conservation as part of the TED Countdown climate‑change initiative. Later that month, he assumed the patronages of
Fauna and Flora International and the
British Trust for Ornithology, passed on from his grandparents. He also appeared in an ITV documentary,
Prince William: A Planet For Us All, discussing environmental issues. In 2021, William made a private donation to the Thin Green Line Foundation, which provides grants to the families of conservation rangers killed while protecting wildlife. In July 2022, he condemned the murder of South African park ranger Anton Mzimba and called for those responsible to "be brought to justice". William has advocated stricter penalties for poachers and wildlife traffickers, having spoken at the Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference in 2018 and supported a 2022 US court sentencing of a man responsible for trafficking rhinoceros horns and elephant ivory.
LGBT rights William has spoken in support
LGBT rights as part of his work against
cyberbullying, emphasising the importance of being "proud of the person you are" and highlighting the effects of online abuse and discrimination. In 2016, he appeared in the July issue of
Attitude, becoming the first member of the royal family to feature on the cover of a gay magazine. He was recognised at the
British LGBT Awards in May 2017.
Mental health Since 2009, William has been patron of Child Bereavement UK, which supports children and families who have lost a loved one. In 2016, the Royal Foundation launched several mental‑health initiatives, including Heads Together, a campaign led by William, Catherine, and Harry to de‑stigmatise mental health. Legacy programmes include Mental Health at Work, launched in September 2018 to improve workplace mental‑health approaches, and Heads Up, launched in May 2019 with the
Football Association to encourage conversations about mental health among adults. Later that month, William and Catherine, together with Harry and his wife
Meghan, launched Shout, the United Kingdom's first 24/7 text-messaging service for people experiencing mental‑health crises. William later volunteered on the crisis helpline during the
COVID-19 lockdowns. He attributes his interest in mental health to his experiences as an air‑ambulance pilot, his work with the homeless, veterans' welfare, and Catherine's anti‑addiction advocacy. In March 2020, William and Catherine began supporting a new mental‑health initiative by Public Health England during the COVID‑19 pandemic. In April 2020, they announced Our Frontline, providing mental‑health support to emergency medical workers. In September 2020, William established the Emergency Responders Senior Leaders Board, commissioned by the Royal Foundation to research the mental health and wellbeing of emergency responders, in partnership with
King's College London and the Open University. In May 2021 and 2022, William and Catherine voiced the Mental Health Minute message, broadcast on every UK radio station, encouraging people to support those experiencing loneliness. In October 2022, to mark World Mental Health Day, the couple took over
Newsbeat and interviewed four guests on mental‑health topics. In September 2023, William unveiled two organisations partnering with the Duchy of Cornwall to improve mental wellbeing and provide mental‑health services for its tenants. In October 2023, to mark World Mental Health Day, he and Catherine took part in a youth forum in Birmingham,
Exploring our Emotional Worlds, alongside BBC Radio 1 and the charity The Mix. In May 2024, he announced a three‑year funding package for the charity We Are Farming Minds to support mental health among farmers on Duchy of Cornwall land. In December 2024, he and Catherine jointly funded a pilot scheme with Norfolk and Waveney Mind to support rural and farming communities on the Sandringham estate. In December 2009, as part of a Centrepoint‑organised event, he spent the night in a sleeping bag near
Blackfriars Bridge to raise awareness of youth homelessness. He opened the charity's new facility, Apprenticeship House, in November 2019 to mark its 50th anniversary. William has been patron of
The Passage since 2019, having first visited the centre in 1993 with his mother. In October 2020, he wrote the introduction to the organisation's 40th‑anniversary fundraising cookbook, highlighting the importance of supporting homeless people during the COVID‑19 pandemic. In December that year, he volunteered at the charity to prepare donation bags for homeless residents in emergency hotel accommodation and spoke with residents about their experiences. In 2022 and 2023, he was seen selling copies of
The Big Issue, typically sold by homeless and unemployed people to earn income. In June 2023, William launched Homewards after two years of development, aiming to end homelessness in the United Kingdom. The five‑year initiative focuses on six pilot locations, each receiving initial seed funding from the Royal Foundation and working with private‑sector and grassroots charity partners. Future plans include constructing more than 400 social‑rented homes and a further 475 affordable dwellings in
South East Faversham.
Sport in 2007|alt=see caption William often plays
polo to raise money for charity. He is a football fan and supports the English club
Aston Villa. He became president of
England's Football Association (FA) in May 2006 and vice-royal patron of the
Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) in February 2007, supporting the Queen as patron. That same year, the WRU's decision to name the
Prince William Cup drew criticism from those who believed it would have been more appropriate to name it after
Ray Gravell. William became patron of the WRU and the FA in 2016 and 2024, respectively. In 2011, William, as president of the FA, voted against
Australia's 2022 FIFA bid and instead supported South Korea, despite being
Australia's future heir. In 2020, he voted against the joint
Australia–New Zealand 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup bid and instead voted for
Colombia. In February 2021, following an investigation into racist abuse directed at
Marcus Rashford, William released a statement as FA president denouncing "racist abuse... whether on the pitch, in the stands, or on social media" as "despicable" adding that "we all have a responsibility" to create an environment of tolerance and accountability. In April, he criticised the planned breakaway competition,
The Super League, saying he "share[d] the concerns of fans about the proposed Super League and the damage it risks causing to the game we love." In July, he condemned racist attacks against England football players following their loss in the
UEFA Euro 2020 final. In May 2007, William became patron of the English Schools' Swimming Association. In 2012, alongside Catherine and Harry, he launched Coach Core, a programme established after the
2012 Olympics to provide apprenticeship opportunities for aspiring professional coaches. In May 2020, he appeared in the
BBC One Documentary
Football, Prince William and Our Mental Health, part of a campaign encouraging men to discuss mental‑health issues using football as a shared medium. Both William and Harry are enthusiastic motorcyclists; William has owned a
Ducati 1198 S Corse. In May 2014, William, like his father and grandfather, became president of the
British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC). He also took part in a
bandy event in
Stockholm in January 2018. In November 2022, William was criticised by Welsh football supporters and Welsh actor
Michael Sheen for holding the Prince of Wales title while maintaining affiliations with the
England national football team, particularly after he presented jerseys to the squad ahead of the
2022 FIFA World Cup, in which both
Wales and England were placed in the same Group B. William commented that he had supported the England football team from a very young age but happily supported
Welsh rugby unionof which he is patronover England. In August 2023, he faced criticism in parts of the press and on social media for not attending the
2023 FIFA Women's World Cup final in Australia as FA president. ==Public image==