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'''Sir William Thomas Charles Jacob Smith''' (born 11 May 1979) is an {{wp|American}}-born {{wp|English}} professional football manager and former footballer, and a member of the {{wp|British royal family}}. The illegitimate child of the former [[Thomas  of the United Kingdom|King Thomas ]] of the {{wp|United Kingdom}} and actress, {{wp|Jaclyn Smith}}, Smith was a longtime {{wp|striker}} for {{wp|Premier League}} club, {{wp|Manchester United}} from 2004 to 2016. Known for his exceptional speed on the field, his remarkable goalscoring ability, as well as his near-constant ability to penetrate past opposing defenders, Smith has been regarded as one of the greatest strikers and football players of his generation, being the captain of the winning {{wp|England}} team at the {{wp|2014 FIFA World Cup}}. Moreover, he is also one of the most decorated players for his former longtime club, {{wp|Manchester United}}, with which he won various competitions, as well as received various personal awards. In 2014, despite his royal lineage, he, along with players of the {{wp|England national football team}}, were together knighted for their collective victory at the {{wp|2014 FIFA World Cup}}, where they defeated {{wp|Argentina}} to secure their second {{wp|World Cup}} title.  
'''Sir William Thomas Charles Jacob Smith''' (born 11 May 1979) is an {{wp|American}}-born {{wp|English}} professional football manager and former footballer, and a member of the {{wp|British royal family}}. The illegitimate child of the former [[Thomas  of the United Kingdom|King Thomas ]] of the {{wp|United Kingdom}} and actress, {{wp|Jaclyn Smith}}, Smith was a longtime {{wp|striker}} for {{wp|Premier League}} club, {{wp|Manchester United}} from 2004 to 2016. Known for his exceptional speed on the field, his remarkable goalscoring ability, as well as his near-constant ability to penetrate past opposing defenders, Smith has been regarded as one of the greatest strikers and football players of his generation, being the captain of the winning {{wp|England}} team at the {{wp|2014 FIFA World Cup}}. Moreover, he is also one of the most decorated players for his former longtime club, {{wp|Manchester United}}, with which he won various competitions, as well as received various personal awards. In 2014, despite his royal lineage, he, along with players of the {{wp|England national football team}}, were together knighted for their collective victory at the {{wp|2014 FIFA World Cup}}, where they defeated {{wp|Argentina}} to secure their second {{wp|World Cup}} title.  


The only son of actress, {{wp|Jaclyn Smith}} and {{wp|Britain}}'s [[Thomas of the United Kingdom|King Thomas]], for most of his teenage years, William grew up in the {{wp|United States}}, during which, beginning from the age of seven, he begin to show deep-seated interest in football, a sport which he came to quickly love and become rather adept at early on. Then, upon graduating from {{wp|California State University, Sacramento}} at the age of twenty-two, he moved overseas to the {{wp|United Kingdom}} where, under his [[Thomas of the United Kingdom|father]]'s sponsorship, he began his career at {{wp|Manchester United}}, where almost immediately, a promising performance during his first season with the club quickly earned Smith considerable recognition in the {{wp|English}} football world. Then, during his illustrious twelve-year long career with {{wp|Manchester United}}, Smith went on to win the {{wp|Premier League}} for ten straight years in a row, during which {{wp|Manchester United}} became the first {{wp|Premier League}} club to accumulate more than 100 points in total, as well as the {{wp|FA Cup}}, the {{wp|UEFA Champions League}}, and the {{wp|FA Community Shield}} at four times each, and lastly, the {{wp|EFL Cup}} at five times in total. By the end of it, with a record-breaking total of 701 appearances, Smith scored a total of 736 goals throughout all {{wp|European}} football competitions, massively beating the previous record holder, {{wp|Alan Shearer}} at 260 goals and {{wp|Gareth Barry}} at 653 appearances in total respectively. Because of this, he is often regarded by many as one of the greatest {{wp|English}} footballer of all time, with fans and supporters most popularly dubbing him "Prince of Manchester" and alternatively, the "King of {{wp|English}} Football". Meanwhile, in a 2017 opinion poll, {{wp|English}} sports magazine, ''{{wp|FourFourTwo}}'' ranked Smith as the greatest {{wp|English}} sportsperson of all time.
The only son of actress, {{wp|Jaclyn Smith}} and {{wp|Britain}}'s [[Thomas of the United Kingdom|King Thomas]], for most of his teenage years, William grew up in the {{wp|United States}}, during which, beginning from the age of seven, he begin to show deep-seated interest in football, a sport which he came to quickly love and become rather adept at early on. Then, upon graduating from {{wp|California State University, Sacramento}} at the age of twenty-two, he moved overseas to the {{wp|United Kingdom}} where, under his [[Thomas of the United Kingdom|father]]'s sponsorship, he began his career at {{wp|Manchester United}}, where almost immediately, a promising performance during his first season with the club quickly earned Smith considerable recognition in the {{wp|English}} football world. Then, during his illustrious twelve-year long career with {{wp|Manchester United}}, Smith went on to win the {{wp|Premier League}} for ten straight years in a row, with the 2011-12 season seeing {{wp|Manchester United}} become the first {{wp|Premier League}} club to accumulate more than 100 points in total, as well as the {{wp|FA Cup}}, the {{wp|UEFA Champions League}}, and the {{wp|FA Community Shield}} at four times each, and lastly, the {{wp|EFL Cup}} at five times in total. By the end of it, with a record-breaking total of 701 appearances, Smith scored a total of 736 goals throughout all {{wp|European}} football competitions, massively beating the previous record holder, {{wp|Alan Shearer}} at 260 goals and {{wp|Gareth Barry}} at 653 appearances in total respectively. Because of this, he is often regarded by many as one of the greatest {{wp|English}} footballer of all time, with fans and supporters most popularly dubbing him "Prince of Manchester" and alternatively, the "King of {{wp|English}} Football". Meanwhile, in a 2017 opinion poll, {{wp|English}} sports magazine, ''{{wp|FourFourTwo}}'' ranked Smith as the greatest {{wp|English}} sportsperson of all time.


Eventually, in 2016, shortly after scoring the winning goals in a 2-0 victory over {{wp|Real Madrid}} at the {{wp|2016 UEFA Champions League Final}}, Smith officially retired from professional football, thereby ending his illustrious twelve-year-long career with {{wp|Manchester United}}, which subsequently recognised him as one of its greatest players of all time. Meanwhile, in international football, Smith was a longtime member of the {{wp|England national football team}} from 2007 to 2016, during which, from 2010 to 2016, he served as the team captain, and notably led his team to victory at the {{wp|2014 FIFA World Cup}}, with Smith himself scoring the two winning goals at the finals against {{wp|Argentina}} to secure {{wp|England}} their second international title in history, and their second {{wp|World Cup}} win after {{wp|1966 FIFA World Cup|1966}} against {{wp|West Germany}}. By the end of his international football career in 2016, Smith has accumulated a total of 127 appearances, making him the third-most-capped {{wp|English}} player behind {{wp|Peter Shilton}} and {{wp|Wayne Rooney}}, and a total of 117 goals, the highest for any {{wp|English}} footballer in history, and until in recent years, the highest in the world before being beaten by {{wp|Portuguese}} footballer, {{wp|Cristiano Ronaldo}}. Despite this, with an official tally of 853 total goals, Smith is still widely considered to be the top goalscorer of all time.
Eventually, in 2016, shortly after scoring the winning goals in a 2-0 victory over {{wp|Real Madrid}} at the {{wp|2016 UEFA Champions League Final}}, Smith officially retired from professional football, thereby ending his illustrious twelve-year-long career with {{wp|Manchester United}}, which subsequently recognised him as one of its greatest players of all time. Meanwhile, in international football, Smith was a longtime member of the {{wp|England national football team}} from 2007 to 2016, during which, from 2010 to 2016, he served as the team captain, and notably led his team to victory at the {{wp|2014 FIFA World Cup}}, with Smith himself scoring the two winning goals at the finals against {{wp|Argentina}} to secure {{wp|England}} their second international title in history, and their second {{wp|World Cup}} win after {{wp|1966 FIFA World Cup|1966}} against {{wp|West Germany}}. By the end of his international football career in 2016, Smith has accumulated a total of 127 appearances, making him the third-most-capped {{wp|English}} player behind {{wp|Peter Shilton}} and {{wp|Wayne Rooney}}, and a total of 117 goals, the highest for any {{wp|English}} footballer in history, and until in recent years, the highest in the world before being beaten by {{wp|Portuguese}} footballer, {{wp|Cristiano Ronaldo}}. Despite this, with an official tally of 853 total goals, Smith is still widely considered to be the top goalscorer of all time.

Revision as of 07:29, 22 September 2022

William Smith

England Women 0 New Zealand Women 1 01 06 2019-1360 (47986481842) (cropped).jpg
Born
William Thomas Charles Jacob Smith

(1979-05-11) May 11, 1979 (age 45)
Nationality
Occupation
  • Footballer
  • Manager
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Spouse(s)
Laetitia Casta (m. 2011)
Children
  • Thomas
  • Jacques
  • Rosaline
Parents
Personal information
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004-2016 Manchester United 701 (736)
International career
2007-2016 England 127 (117)
Managerial career
2022-present Buckingham
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Sir William Thomas Charles Jacob Smith (born 11 May 1979) is an American-born English professional football manager and former footballer, and a member of the British royal family. The illegitimate child of the former King Thomas of the United Kingdom and actress, Jaclyn Smith, Smith was a longtime striker for Premier League club, Manchester United from 2004 to 2016. Known for his exceptional speed on the field, his remarkable goalscoring ability, as well as his near-constant ability to penetrate past opposing defenders, Smith has been regarded as one of the greatest strikers and football players of his generation, being the captain of the winning England team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Moreover, he is also one of the most decorated players for his former longtime club, Manchester United, with which he won various competitions, as well as received various personal awards. In 2014, despite his royal lineage, he, along with players of the England national football team, were together knighted for their collective victory at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, where they defeated Argentina to secure their second World Cup title.

The only son of actress, Jaclyn Smith and Britain's King Thomas, for most of his teenage years, William grew up in the United States, during which, beginning from the age of seven, he begin to show deep-seated interest in football, a sport which he came to quickly love and become rather adept at early on. Then, upon graduating from California State University, Sacramento at the age of twenty-two, he moved overseas to the United Kingdom where, under his father's sponsorship, he began his career at Manchester United, where almost immediately, a promising performance during his first season with the club quickly earned Smith considerable recognition in the English football world. Then, during his illustrious twelve-year long career with Manchester United, Smith went on to win the Premier League for ten straight years in a row, with the 2011-12 season seeing Manchester United become the first Premier League club to accumulate more than 100 points in total, as well as the FA Cup, the UEFA Champions League, and the FA Community Shield at four times each, and lastly, the EFL Cup at five times in total. By the end of it, with a record-breaking total of 701 appearances, Smith scored a total of 736 goals throughout all European football competitions, massively beating the previous record holder, Alan Shearer at 260 goals and Gareth Barry at 653 appearances in total respectively. Because of this, he is often regarded by many as one of the greatest English footballer of all time, with fans and supporters most popularly dubbing him "Prince of Manchester" and alternatively, the "King of English Football". Meanwhile, in a 2017 opinion poll, English sports magazine, FourFourTwo ranked Smith as the greatest English sportsperson of all time.

Eventually, in 2016, shortly after scoring the winning goals in a 2-0 victory over Real Madrid at the 2016 UEFA Champions League Final, Smith officially retired from professional football, thereby ending his illustrious twelve-year-long career with Manchester United, which subsequently recognised him as one of its greatest players of all time. Meanwhile, in international football, Smith was a longtime member of the England national football team from 2007 to 2016, during which, from 2010 to 2016, he served as the team captain, and notably led his team to victory at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, with Smith himself scoring the two winning goals at the finals against Argentina to secure England their second international title in history, and their second World Cup win after 1966 against West Germany. By the end of his international football career in 2016, Smith has accumulated a total of 127 appearances, making him the third-most-capped English player behind Peter Shilton and Wayne Rooney, and a total of 117 goals, the highest for any English footballer in history, and until in recent years, the highest in the world before being beaten by Portuguese footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite this, with an official tally of 853 total goals, Smith is still widely considered to be the top goalscorer of all time.

Since retiring from his role as a professional footballer, Smith has begun transitioning to a more managerial role. Since 2018, Smith has also been serving as the deputy chairman for his father's own football club, Buckingham F.C., which currently competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. Then, in 2022, Smith was appointed the manager for Buckingham W.F.C., the women's counterpart for Buckingham F.C., recently founded in 2022.

In May 2011, he married the French supermodel, Laetitia Casta, with whom he has three children, which consists of two sons and one daughter, in addition to a stepdaughter from Casta's previous relationship.

Early Life

Smith was born William Thomas Charles Jacob Smith on May 11th 1979 as the oldest and firstborn child of actress, Jaclyn Smith and the then-heir to the British throne, Thomas, Prince of the Welsh. Having been born out of wedlock and from a largely secretive romantic affair between his parents, Smith, unlike his later siblings, was never officially made a prince, and therefore, despite being the firstborn son and a biological descendant of a member o the British royal family, was never included in the British line of succession to the throne.

Despite the need for near-constant secrecy in regards to his true identity, so as to avoid attracting unnecessary media attention, Smith nonetheless grew up in relative comfort and wealth under the care of his biological parents, whom, despite never being married to one another, agreed to raise their firstborn child together. In later interviews, Smith himself would describe his childhood as a "rather strange one, but nonetheless one that I have many happy memories of", while also recounting that his father whom, despite being born of royalty himself, was said to have "greatly encouraged me to be humble and true to who I am, that being the son of a middle-class woman from Houston, Texas". Additionally, his mother's paternal Jewish roots, which mirrored that of his father's maternal Jewish roots, are said to have also greatly instilled in him a considerable sense of Jewish identity, although he never did necessarily converted to Judaism himself.

Early on, his father's native English roots, coupled with the United Kingdom having football being its most popular sport, consequently led a young Smith to be exposed to the sport at a rather early age, with Thomas himself even going so far as to set up a small football field at the back of their family home for his son's pleasure. Smith himself later noted, "While he wasn't exactly a devout fanatic or the sort when it comes to football, he would absolutely be the most thrilled person in the world whenever I put my feet on the ball". In addition to this, Smith was also taught in other sports such as swimming, tennis, and golfing, in line with his father's own sports-centric upbringing, which came about as a result of his grandfather, King Charles III's own deep love for sports. Nonetheless, amidst all this, it was said that academic matters themselves were also given considerable importance, given that up to that point, no member of the British royal family has ever received a "normal" form of education, nor has any of them ever officially graduated from either a public or private university.

Meanwhile, in 1982, when he was around three years old, Smith would be joined by a younger sister, Jacqueline, born on June 22nd 1983, and whom is named after her mother, albeit in a slightly varied way. Consequently, it later became a common practice to refer to Jacqueline as "Jack" or "Jacky", so as to distinguish her from her similarly-named mother.

Teenagehood

When Smith was around sixteen years old, amidst pressure upon his father to marry a woman, in order to secure the future of the British monarchy, and the fact that Smith's mother, Jaclyn Smith was, by virtue of her ex-husband, the actor, Roger Davis still being alive at the time, therefore canonically ineligible to marry her beloved romantic partner, the small family of four was thus met with an unexpected setback when Thomas himself later departed the family, albeit in a heavily reluctant manner, in order to marry the American supermodel, Christy Turlington, whom the former had been seeing for some time and whom was deemed a prospective candidate as a legitimate wife. Evidently, according to Smith himself, their father's departure was "one of the most difficult things in my life, and one that tested our small family of four greatly with something that we could probably not have anticipated". Moreover, it was said that actress, Jaclyn Smith herself later cried for "days on end" in the days following her romantic partner's departure. Despite this, in 1997, she later married Texas-based cardiothoracic surgeon, Brad Allen, whom therefore became the stepfather to Jaclyn's two teenage children.

As a result of his biological father's high personal status, it was said that from an early age, when asked about his father's occupation, Smith would often resort to claiming that his biological father was an officer in the US Navy (a slight deviation from his real occupation as an officer in the Royal Navy), as opposed to literally exposing his father's royal lineage and identity. Moreover, under the guise of privacy, Thomas himself rarely appeared in public in the presence of his son, for fear of inadvertently exposing the latter's royal lineage. However, the arrival of his stepfather, an American-born commoner working as a cardiothoracic surgeon, otherwise made such an issue irrelevant, given that his stepfather's relatively humble roots would be no cause for concern should the former ever appear with his son in public. Despite this, the two are otherwise said to have mostly shared a "barely working" relationship, in that while not necessarily rejecting their stepfather outright, William, as well as his sister, Jacqueline, nonetheless showed much clearer love and admiration towards none other than their own biological father.

Upon completing his secondary studies, Smith enrolled at the California State University, Sacramento, where he majored in international relations, a decision that was said to have been spurred by an initial thought of his of potentially becoming a diplomat for the United States, which would theoretically allow him to once more meet his biological father. Eventually, after a four-year long study, Smith did indeed graduated with a bachelor's degree in international relations from the university, becoming the first member of the British royal family, legitimate or illegitimate, to graduate from a university.

Adulthood

Not long after finishing his university studies, Smith, with the hopes of eventually reuniting with his father back in the United Kingdom, at first decided to travel incognito to the United Kingdom, where sometime after his arrival, Smith quickly became enthralled by the popular domestic football scene in England, with major clubs such as Manchester United, Arsenal, and others, having thousands of fans across the country. Soon enough, convinced that his footballing skills would be enough to attract the attention of one of the major Premier League clubs, Smith, albeit wihout necessarily disclosing his real intentions behind doing so, decided to reach out to his own father, whom he hoped would be able to leverage his entry into one of the major Premier League clubs, with his choice of club being Manchester United, which was then led by the illustrious Scottish manager, Alex Ferguson. Ultimately, such an effort would prove successful, and in the days that followed, after some serious convincing, Smith was able to get the rest of his family to move abroad to the United Kingdom, where they could be much closer, particularly to King Thomas himself, the beloved biological father of William and Jacqueline's.

Club Career

Manchester United

International Career

England national football team

Personal Life

Relationships

Cameron Diaz

In 2003, while attending the premiere of the action film, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, in which his mother, the actress, Jaclyn Smith, as well as himself, had a cameo role, Smith began his first serious romantic relationship with one of the film's lead stars, namely the actress, Cameron Diaz, whom was seven years Smith's senior. Under the advice of both of his parents, the two largely conducted their relationship in secret, so as to avoid unwanted media scrutiny. '

In 2006, following a three-year-long relationship, it was revealed that the couple had officially split, with Diaz later marrying musician, Benji Madden in 2015.

Laetitia Casta

Not long after his split from Diaz, Smith soon began a relationship with French supermodel, Laetitia Casta, whom around five years prior, had given birth to a daughter, Sahteene by the photographer, Stéphane Sednaoui. Meanwhile, in the years that followed, due to both Smith's and Casta's respective high-profile statutes, the couple, as a result, took to conducting their relationship in a largely secret manner, so much so that Casta herself even reportedly avoided attending any football matches involving her romantic partner, for fear of sparking rumours by the media. Nonetheless, in 2008, Casta gave birth to a son, Thomas, followed by another son, Alexander just a year later, making them the supermodel's second and third overall child respectively.

In May 2011, the couple was officially married at a private ceremony at Oheka Castle, New York. Two years later, the couple welcomed their third child together, and the first since they were officially married, that being a daughter, Rosaline Smith. At the same time, he also became the stepfather to Casta's daughter, Sahteene, whom she conceived while in a previous relationship with French director, Stéphane Sednaoui.