William Smith
William Smith | |
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| 29th Governor-General of Canada | |
| Assumed office October 2, 2017 | |
| Monarch | William VI Alexandra |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | David Johnston |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Charles Smith May 11, 1979 Fenwick, Connecticut, United States |
| Citizenship |
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| Spouse | Gillian Jacobs (m. 2015) |
| Children |
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| Parents |
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| Residence | Rideau Hall |
| Alma mater | New York University (BA) |
| Occupation |
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| Personal information | |||
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| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2002-2016 | Manchester United | 412 | (65) |
| International career | |||
| 2007-2017 | England | 147 | (59) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
William Charles Smith (born 11 May 1979) is an American-born English-Canadian former professional footballer, civil servant, diplomat, and a member of the British royal family. The illegitimate child of the former King William VI of the United Kingdom and actress, Jaclyn Smith, Smith was a longtime striker for Premier League club, Manchester United from 2002 to 2016. Known for his speed and his remarkable goalscoring ability, Smith has been regarded as one of the greatest strikers of his generation, and one of the most decorated players for Manchester United. Moreover, his recognisable speed on the field has famously earned him the nickname "Red Stallion".
Born and raised in New York primarily by his mother, the actress, Jaclyn Smith, Smith, upon graduating from New York University at the age of twenty-two, soon began his career at Manchester United. Almost immediately, a stellar performance during his first season with the club soon earned Smith considerable recognition in the football world, which began to consider Smith as a promising young player. Meanwhile, during his time with United, Smith went on to win the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, the EFL Cup four times, and the UEFA Champions League in 2008. Eventually, in April 2017, Smith officially retired from professional football, thereby ending his fourteen-year-long career. Meanwhile, in international football, Smith was part of the England national football team from 2007 to 2016, during which he was captain for six years until his retirement from the team, and one of its most illustrious, having earned a total of 69 caps during his time with the team, while making 147 career appearances in total.
Since his retirement from professional football, Smith has been serving as the incumbent Governor-General of Canada since 2017, a post to which he was appointed by his father, the former King William VI during the latter's final year on the throne. As a result, he became the first-ever former professional footballer to be made a governor-general of any country, and the second member of the British royal family to ever be appointed governor-general of Canada after his paternal ancestor, King George V.
In 2015, he married American actress, Gillian Jacobs, with whom he has two children.