Another Prince William: the story of Elizabeth II’s cousin – a playboy who died at 30

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Even if you’re a fan of the British royal family, you’re unlikely to know any other Prince William except Cambridge. In the meantime, we want to talk about something else – Prince William of Gloucester.

The British press adored him, his subjects idolized him. Prince William was a cousin of Queen Elizabeth – a handsome, intelligent, kind and energetic young man with impeccable manners. He deeply revered the family, but at the same time valued his freedom, which bribed the conservative public. He even had fans among his relatives: for example, the son of Elizabeth II adored Uncle Will and after a few decades named his first child after him.

Prince William of Gloucester was born on December 18, 1941 to King George VI’s brother, Henry of Gloucester and Lady Alice. Will’s parents knew that their son, being fourth on the throne, had little chance of becoming king, so they tried to provide him with an ordinary childhood, away from prying eyes.

The royal couple tried for children for many years, so when baby William was born, their happiness knew no bounds. From childhood he grew up in an atmosphere of love and affection. The parents knowing that their firstborn is unlikely to become king, so they raised the boy away from the public eye.

Alas, plans had to change drastically after the sudden death of his uncle William, Duke of Kent, who served as Governor General of Australia. Henry of Gloucester, Will’s father, was next in line, so in 1944 the whole family moved to another continent. By the way, the local press adored baby William and his younger brother Richard.

In 1947, the whole family returned to the United Kingdom: the Windsors were preparing for an important event: the wedding of the future queen. On November 20, 1947, Elizabeth II married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, and baby Prince William was honored to be one of the page boys who accompanied the bride to this historic celebration.

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William, as befits all members of the royal family, received an excellent education. His classmates noted that he never looked down on people, did not use his status and position in society. The prince was a diligent student, and at the same time there was an adventurous spirit in him. He adored his friends, loved adventure, and was always the life of the party.

“He was very intelligent, while doing his best to avoid the ‘royal’ life. He hated being forced to do something against his will,” said Eton history teacher Giles St Aubyn.

After Cambridge University, William expressed a desire to fly to the United States to take courses in business and politics. He thus became the first member of the British royal family to receive an American education.

The prince was a sporty man: he loved skiing and racing cars. But his main passion was flying airplanes. Of course, that added points for him in the eyes of women. In the press, even then, William was nicknamed the playboy prince.

William abandoned the traditional military career of members of the British royal family and joined the diplomatic corps. The prince began to travel a lot (which he always dreamed of), but above all, he was able to escape the stiffness of royal life towards adventures and adventures. Away from the palace, one could forget all the conventions and restrictions.

William often sat at the helm. For example, in 1967 he flew a plane from the city of Lagos, Nigeria to Tokyo. The way to the destination was 16 days! There were numerous flight tests, to which the young man coped perfectly, he managed to land the plane at Tokyo airport.

Of course, a guy like William won the hearts of many girls. Half of Britain dreamed of marrying her! Meanwhile, the prince has met his love in faraway Japan. At one of the secular parties, the 27-year-old prince met a girl named Zuzi Starkloff.

The model of Hungarian origin won the heart of the prince from the first minutes: he fell in love and wanted to be only with her, despite the fact that at that time Zuzi had two divorces, a child and experience in as an air hostess.

“We spent every minute together when we weren’t busy with work. He was so pure and seemed so much wiser than his age,” Starkloff recalled.

Rumors of the prince’s romance with a twice-divorced hostess soon reached Buckingham Palace. It had the effect of a bomb going off: then Britain had not yet moved away from the scandalous story of King Edward VIII, who abdicated for the sake of his wife Wallis Simpson. William, of course, was not aimed at kings, but the romance of a representative of the royal family with a commoner with a dubious background could still spoil the reputation of the palace.

In 1969, Princess Margaret, sister of Elizabeth II, arrived in Tokyo – ostensibly to attend a business conference, but in fact she was sent by the Queen to find out the seriousness of the prince’s intentions. Alas, she failed to convince her cousin. Soon William turned personally to Elizabeth II. “He said he had written to the queen asking her permission to marry me. Elizabeth told him to follow his heart, but Prince Philip was very unhappy,” Zuzi recalled.

For one, Prince William had a marriage license from the Queen herself. On the other hand, he felt trapped and this approach could cost him too much. “William was devoted to his family, he had obligations. I knew there was a struggle going on inside him. But I also knew his feelings for me were strong, so I looked to the future with hope. I never pressured her,” her lover shared.

Zuzi, as a wise girl, decided to give William time to think things over and flew to New York. They continued to keep in touch: they wrote letters, went away in the evening for long telephone conversations.

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In the summer of 1972, Prince William took part in the Goodyear International Air Trophy. He also invited Zuzi, but she couldn’t come because of work. Then the lovers agreed that immediately after the competition William would take a ticket to New York and they would finally meet again.

Alas, fate had other plans. On August 28, 1972, William takes the helm, takes off and begins to maneuver. In an instant, something went wrong and the prince lost control of the ship: the plane crashed, an explosion sounded. Prince William, 30, died at the scene.

Zuzi learned of her fiancé’s death from a reporter who called her in New York. Since then, she has been in a long mourning, and at the end of it, she has decided that she will live by William’s philosophy – listening only to her heart. “William inspired me to start flying. After his death, I became not only a pilot, but also a flight instructor,” she admitted. By the way, Zuzi remains loyal to Will to this day.

Read also: Royally: what Elizabeth II, her children and grandchildren looked like on their wedding day