William VI of the United Kingdom: Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox royalty
| name          = William VI
| title          = Duke of Hanover
| image          = Royalty.jpg


| image_size    = Medium
| succession  =
{{longitem |col1style=padding-top:0.2em
  |
{{Collapsible list |title={{wp|King of the United Kingdom}} and the other {{wp|Commonwealth Realms}}|titlestyle=background:transparent;text-align:center;padding-center:1.0em;
    |
----
      {{Aligned table |fullwidth=on |cols=2 |class=nowrap |style=line-height:1.2em;
        |col1style=padding-right:0.5em;
        |{{wp|Canada}}                                        | 1985-2017
|{{wp|Australia}}                                        | 1985-2017
|{{wp|New Zealand}}                                        | 1985-2017
|{{wp|Jamaica}}                                        | 1985-2017
|{{wp|Barbados}}                                        | 1985-2017
|{{wp|The Bahamas}}                                        | 1985-2017
|{{wp|Grenada}}                                        | 1985-2017
|{{wp|Papua New Guinea}}                                        | 1985-2017
|{{wp|Solomon Islands}}                                        | 1985-2017
|{{wp|Tuvalu}}                                        | 1985-2017
|{{wp|St. Lucia}}                                        | 1985-2017
|{{wp|St. Vincent and the Grenadines}}                                      | 1985-2017
|{{wp|Belize}}                                      | 1985-2017
|{{wp|Antigua and Barbuda}}                                        | 1985-2017
|{{wp|St. Kitts and Nevis}}                                        | 1985-2017
|{{wp|Puerto Rico}}                                        | 1985-2017
|{{wp|Mauritius}}                                        | 1985-1992
|{{wp|Fiji}}                                        | 1985-1987
}} }} }}
| moretext    =
| reign        = 15 January, 1997 - 13 October, 2017
| reign-type  = Reign
| coronation  = 20 March, 1997
| cor-type    = Coronation
| predecessor  = [[Charles III of the United Kingdom|Charles III]]
| pre-type    = Predecessor
| regent      =
| reg-type    =
| successor    = [[Alexandra I of the United Kingdom|Alexandra]]
| suc-type    = Successor
| succession1  =
| moretext1    =
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| cor-type2    =
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| birth_name    = William Edward Charles
| birth_date    = {{birth date and age|1950|12|17|df=yes}}
| birth_place    = {{wp|Balmoral Castle}}, {{wp|Scotland}}
| death_date  =
| death_place  =
| burial_date  =
| burial_place =
| spouse              = {{wp|Connie Nielsen}} <br/>{{small|(1989 - 1993, engaged)}}<br/>{{marriage|{{wp|Princess Märtha Louise of Norway|Märtha Louise of Norway}}|14 June 1995}}
| issue                = {{plainlist|* [[Alexandra I of the United Kingdom|Queen Alexandra]]
* [[Prince Richard, Duke of Cleveland|Richard, Duke of Cleveland]]
* [[Prince Alistair, Duke of Edinburgh|Alistair, Duke of Edinburgh]]
* [[Princess Mary, Duchess of Sussex|Mary, Duchess of Sussex]]}}
| full name      = William Edward Charles
| house          = {{wp|House of Hanover|Hanover}}
| father        = [[Charles III of the United Kingdom|Charles III]]
| mother        = {{wp|Lauren Bacall}}
| religion      = {{wp|Protestantism|Protestant}}
| module      = {{Infobox officeholder | embed=yes
  | branch        = {{plainlist|
*{{navy|United Kingdom}}}}
  | serviceyears  = 1979-1983 (active service)
  | servicenumber = <!-- Do not use data from primary sources such as service records -->
  | unit          =
  | commands      =
  | rank          = {{wp|Captain (Royal Navy)|Captain}}
  | battles_label =
  | battles      = {{wp|The Troubles}}<br/>{{wp|Falklands War}}<br/>{{wp|Multinational Force in Lebanon}}}}
}}
'''William VI''' (William Edward Charles; born 17 December 1950) was {{wp|King of the United Kingdom}} from 1997 to 2017. In 1995, he married the {{wp|Norwegian}} princess {{wp|Märtha Louise of Norway|Märtha Louise}} with whom he has four children: [[Alexandra I of the United Kingdom|Alexandra]], [[Prince Richard, Duke of Cleveland|Richard]], [[Prince Alistair, Duke of Edinburgh|Alistair]], and [[Princess Mary, Duchess of Sussex|Mary]]. As {{wp|King of the United Kingdom|King}}, he oversaw the final years of the decades-long {{wp|Cold War}} conflict with the dissolution of the {{wp|Soviet Union}} in 1991. Despite his constitutional status however, he was instrumental in promoting continued relations between the {{wp|United Kingdom}} and its allies in {{wp|Asia}} through his respective state visits to the continent. On 1984 and later 2018, he became the first {{wp|British}} monarch to receive an {{wp|Order (distinction) |order of honour}} from the governments of {{wp|Taiwan}} and {{wp|China}} respectively.
Following a sudden health crisis and upon the recommendation of the then {{wp|Theresa May|Prime Minister}}, an ageing William abdicated the throne in favour of his daughter who ascended to the throne as [[Alexandra I of the United Kingdom|Alexandra]] while styling himself as ''Duke of Hanover'', becoming the second {{wp|British}} monarch to do so, after his own father [[Charles III of the United Kingdom|Charles III]] in 1997. He has been living alongside his family ever since and is reported to be in stable condition.
==Early Life==
William was born on the 17th of December, 1950 to the then [[Charles III of the United Kingdom|Charles, Prince of Wales]] and {{wp|American}} actress {{wp|Lauren Bacall}}. In heavy contrast to his predecessors, he was the first royal ever to be born of a mother who was neither royal nor {{wp|British}} by original nationality or by ancestral meanings, which generated a degree of controversy and interest surrounding the young prince. Following his baptism, he was formally given the name William Edward Charles, which alluded to that of his deceased [[Prince William, Duke of Edinburgh|uncle]], his [[Edward VII of the United Kingdom|grandfather]] and his father, then a [[Charles III of the United Kingdom|''Prince of Wales'']].
On July 7th 1951, he was subsequently made {{wp|Prince of Wales|''Prince of Wales''}} following the death of his grandfather, as his father instead ascended to the throne as sovereign under the regnal name of Charles III.
==''Prince of Wales''==
As the {{wp|Prince of Wales|''Prince of Wales''}}, William frequently traveled alongside his parents in their state visits to allied countries, and as he was only a young child, extreme levels of security were a priority for whenever the young William would come along with his parents in their overseas trips. However, following an assassination attempt in 1953, the royal family withdrew to {{wp|Canada}} where this time, he was allowed to freely interact with the common people to a certain extent. Like his [[Edward VII of the United Kingdom|grandfather]], William greatly enjoyed the {{wp|Canadian}} scenery, frequently indulging himself in physical activities, namely hunting and others.
Following their subsequent return to {{wp|Britain}}, the royal family's standings had gradually improved, with the public showing a sizable amount of approval for their formerly resented [[Charles III of the United Kingdom|king]] and {{wp|Lauren Bacall|queen}}. Upon reaching the age of majority, William was first made a {{wp|Counsellor of State}}, to which he would then began subsequently carrying out royal functions on behalf and delegated to by his [[Charles III of the United Kingdom|father]].
In 1972, William decided to first hold a regional tour around {{wp|Scandinavia}} as part of his first few state visits, where his visits to all three {{wp|Scandinavian}} countries were greatly received in both countries, despite allegations claiming that his tour was to dramatically influence the neutral-aligned countries of the region into the {{wp|North Atlantic Treaty Organization|NATO}} cause.
==Abdication==
Despite having reached 67 years old of age, William was consistently described as a ''"generally healthy, and well-conditioned man"'', aside from being regularly seen playing a game of polo with the palace staff and his close associates during his free time. However, on October 6, having just went back to his chambers alongside his {{wp|Princess Märtha Louise of Norway|wife}}, the King unexpectedly collapsed onto his bed while the latter had went inside the chambers' bathroom. Under a minute later, royal doctors were immediately summoned following signs of a weakened pulse, where he was then transferred to a special room for an operation. At the same time, by his wife's insistence, both the {{wp|British}} and {{wp|Pakistani}} governments agreed to preserve details of his operations from ever being publicised, as to not jeopardise his [[Alexandra I of the United Kingdom|daughter]]'s ongoing state visit to the {{wp|Pakistan|country}}. Following an initial operation, he was declared to be in a ''"mildly stable"'' condition but soon after that, subsequent operations were also conducted which lasted until just hours before his daughter [[Alexandra I of the United Kingdom|Alexandra]]'s return from her state visit.
In light of the incident, William began seriously contemplating in an abdication, the decision which he made it known to the then {{wp|Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister}} {{wp|Theresa May}}, whom he had specifically invited to {{wp|Buckingham Palace}} for the matter. Discussions between the two would continue until the 10th of December when in a coordinated manner, William first declared his abdication at 10:30 AM in a {{wp|BBC}} broadcast from {{wp|Buckingham Palace}} before an {{wp|Act of Parliament}} was granted {{wp|royal assent}} by the King himself, thereby effectively formalising his abdication. In his abdication speech, William chose not to publicly disclose the incident prompting his abdication, having instead citing ''"ill-health and inability to sustain the continuation of royal duties"'' as his reasons for abdicating. He subsequently attended his [[Alexandra I of the United Kingdom|daughter]] and successor's coronation.
==Post-Abdication==
Following his abdication, William promptly took an initial period of rest for approximately five months before returning to his royal duties, albeit on a periodical basis. On May 2018, he embarked on a second state visit to {{wp|China}}, the first of which since his abdication where he reassured {{wp|Chinese}} premier {{wp|Xi Jinping}} of a sustained bilateral relationship between the two countries. On the October of the same year, a widely acclaimed broadcast of the former King urging {{wp|Salman of Saudi Arabia|King Salman}} of {{wp|Saudi Arabia}} to reprimand his officials believed to be involved in the attempted kidnapping of [[Alexandra I of the United Kingdom|Queen Alexandra]] was publicly released a few hours prior to the sentencing of the perpetrators. While he was criticised by a few for allegedly "overstepping" his limits as the most senior member of the {{wp|British royal family}}, though he received general acclaim and praise otherwise by internationial observers.
==Marriage==
As William's parents had chosen a rather informal and morganatic approach to marriage, prospects of the young William in exemplifying his parents were largely encouraged. Consequently, William frequently indulged himself in events concerning the country's nobility and celebrity circles. Rumours of his alleged relationships with several prominent women became a common theme for local tabloids, but at the same time, neither were officially confirmed. However, from 1979 to 1985, the prince was in a lengthy relationship with {{wp|Austrian}}-{{wp|American}} actress {{wp|Sybil Danning}}. The couple later peacefully separated over issues concerning work and residence. Nevertheless, {{wp|Sybil Danning|Danning}} herself would later attend his own coronation in 1997.
In 1989, the royal palace announced the surprise engagement between William and a young {{wp|Danish}} actress by the name of {{wp|Connie Nielsen}}. Following the announcement, Nielsen and William began to appear together in public, with Nielsen herself frequently accompanying the prince on both his local and state visits. Three years later, the couple officially broke off their engagement, albeit in a peaceful manner. Regardless, both William and Nielsen remained close partners in the aftermath of their separation, with {{wp|Connie Nielsen|Nielsen}} herself being made a {{wp|viscount|viscountess}} on the same year, alongside a {{wp|British}} citizenship before subsequently marrying William's [[Prince William, Duke of Clarence and St Andrews|brother]] of the same name three years later. At the same time, the end of their engagement raised concerns over the question of William's successor. Compounding this was William's own age, in which he was already in his 40's.
In the months following his separation, William was first introduced to the {{wp|Norwegian}} princess {{wp|Princess Märtha Louise of Norway|Märtha Louise}}, who is almost 20 years his junior during a state visit to {{wp|Norway}}. Throughout the following months, the two decided to pursue a relationship, albeit in a private manner before they were officially wed in 1995. Though their marriage were partially received with despair as it was hoped that William was to marry a commoner, the wedding was greatly received and publicised by both the {{wp|British}} and {{wp|Norwegian}} medias. After only a few months into their marriage, their first child, the current [[Alexandra I of the United Kingdom|Queen Alexandra]] was born. Through their respective ancestors, William and {{wp|Princess Märtha Louise of Norway|Märtha Louise}} are distant cousins as {{wp|Princess Märtha Louise of Norway|Märtha Louise}}'s {{wp|Princess Märtha of Sweden|grandmother}} was the sister of {{wp|Astrid of Sweden|Astrid}} who had in turn, married William's great uncle Frederick, the [[Prince Frederick, Duke of Clarence and Avondale|Duke of Clarence of Avondale]].
Despite the glaring age difference, the couple enjoyed a well-built marriage in which throughout the succeeding years, they received the birth of their twin sons, [[Prince Richard, Duke of Cleveland|Richard]] and [[Prince Alistair, Duke of Edinburgh|Alistair]] and an another daughter, named [[Princess Mary, Duchess of Sussex|Mary]].
==Personal Information==
==Titles & Honours==
*'''17 December 1950 - 7 July 1951''' ''His Royal Highness'' Prince William of Cambridge
*'''7 July 1951 - 11 June 1985''' ''His Royal Highness'' The Prince of Wales
*'''11 June 1985 - 13 October 2017''' ''His Majesty'' The King
*'''13 October 2017 - 22 December 2017''' ''His Royal Highness'' Prince William
*'''22 December 2017 - Present''' ''His Royal Highness'' The Duke of Hanover
==Honours==
====National & Commonwealth====
*{{flag|United Kingdom}} - Sovereign of the Most Noble Order of the Garter
*{{flag|United Kingdom}} - Sovereign of the Royal Family Order of King William V
*{{flag|United Kingdom}} - Sovereign of the Royal Guelphic Order
*{{flag|United Kingdom}} - Sovereign of the Order of St. George
*{{flag|United Kingdom}} - Sovereign of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle​
*{{flag|United Kingdom}} - Sovereign of the Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick
*{{flag|United Kingdom}} - Sovereign of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath​
*{{flag|United Kingdom}} - Sovereign of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George
*{{flag|United Kingdom}} - Sovereign of the Order of the British Empire
*{{flag|United Kingdom}} - Sovereign of the Distinguished Service Order
*{{flag|United Kingdom}} - Sovereign of the Williamite Cross
*{{flag|Canada}} - Sovereign of the Order of Canada
*{{flag|Australia}} - Sovereign of the Order of Australia
*{{flag|New Zealand}} - Sovereign of the Order of New Zealand
*{{flag|Barbados}} - Sovereign of the Order of Barbados
*{{flag|Saint Lucia}} - Sovereign of the Order of St Lucia
*{{flag|Solomon Islands}} - Sovereign of the Order of Solomon Islands
*{{flag|Belize}} - Sovereign of the Order of Belize
*{{flag|Antigua and Barbuda}} - Sovereign of the Order of Antigua and Barbuda
*{{flag|St Christopher and Nevis|Saint Kitts and Nevis}} - Sovereign of the Order of St Christopher and Nevis
*{{flag|Grenada}} - Sovereign of the Order of Grenada​
*{{flag|Tuvalu}} - Sovereign of the Order of Tuvalu
*{{flag|Puerto Rico}} - Sovereign of the Order of Puerto Rico
====Foreign====
*{{flag|Spain}} - Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece
*{{flag|Norway}} - Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of St Olav
*{{flag|Norway}} - ​Recipient of the Medal of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of King Olav V
*{{flag|Norway}} - Recipient of the Royal House Centenary Medal
*{{flag|Norway}} - ​Recipient of the King Harald V Silver Jubilee Medal
*{{flag|Sweden}} - Member of the Royal Order of the Seraphim
*{{flag|Sweden}} - Commander Grand Cross - of the Royal Order of the Sword
*{{flag|Denmark}} - Knight of the Order of the Elephant
*{{flag|Denmark}} - Grand Commander of the Order of the Dannebrog
*{{flag|Germany}} - Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
*{{flag|Japan}} - Collar and Grand Order of the Order of the Chrysanthemum
*{{flag|Japan}} - Golden Medal of Merit Japanese Red Cross
*{{flag|Japan}} - Golden Medal of Honorary Member of Japanese Red Cross
*{{flag|France}} - Grand Cross of the National Order of the Legion of Honour
*{{flag|Malaysia}} - Honorary Recipient of the Order of the Crown of the Realm
*{{flag|China}} - Recipient of the Order of Friendship
*{{flag|Republic of China}} - Recipient of the Order of Brilliant Jade
== Ancestry ==
{{ahnentafel
|width=100%|align=center|collapsed=yes
| boxstyle_1 = background-color: #fcc;
| boxstyle_2 = background-color: #fb9;
| boxstyle_3 = background-color: #ffc;
| boxstyle_4 = background-color: #bfc;
| 1 = 1. '''William VI of the United Kingdom'''
| 2 = 2. [[Charles III of the United Kingdom]]
| 3 = 3. {{wp|Lauren Bacall}}
| 4 = 4. [[Edward VII of the United Kingdom]]
| 5 = 5. {{wp|Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia}}
| 6 = 6. {{wp|William Perske}}
| 7 = 7. {{wp|Natalie Bacall}}
| 8 = 8. [[George V of the United Kingdom]]
| 9 = 9. {{wp|Princess Sophia of Prussia}}
| 10 = 10. {{wp|Wilhelm II, German Emperor}}
| 11 = 11. {{wp|Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein|Princess Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg}}
| 12 = 12. {{wp|Zalman Perski}}
| 13 = 13. {{wp|Sheyna Yofa}}
| 14 = 14. {{wp|Max Weinstein}}
| 15 = 15. {{wp|Sophia Bacall}}
}}

Latest revision as of 09:57, 3 May 2024

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