Prince William's Birthday: Duke Turns 29, Plans To Be At Work (PHOTOS, POLL)

A very special HuffPost Style Happy Birthday goes out to Prince William, who turned 29 on Tuesday.

"Good Morning America" reports that the prince will be at work and may even be pulling a 24-hour shift, which means he'll be celebrating quietly and not necessarily on his date of birth.

Dickie Arbiter, the Queen's press secretary during William's childhood, told cameras, that growing up, "William's birthdays were very much like any other child's. Diana gave him birthday parties with his schoolmates at Kensington Palace. They set up various photo calls. I remember the very first one when William was 1. It was in the royal garden at Kensington Palace. There's a very famous picture of him looking into a TV camera. So, they kind of protected him from his very early days."

"GMA" adds that the Federers invited Kate and Pippa to Wimbledon finals. Duncan Larcombe, the happy-go-lucky royal correspondent for the UK's Sun newspaper, remarked, "It's possible though that it being William's birthday, [Kate] might decide that PR-wise it's not a great move if William's there working on a search-and-rescue unit and she's eating strawberries and cream."

Anywho, take a look at William throughout the years. And scroll down to watch the report.

WATCH:

Comments

[The Goddaughter]

11:51 PM on 06/23/2011

Will seems like a nice guy. He has an exemplary record of military service, and he speaks out about environmental issues. He doesn't just sit on his butt. I'm not asking people to be in awe of his work ethic or anything, I'm just saying it's unfair to consider him a "do-nothing."

Also...I don't care how rich you are, losing your mother at a young age is traumatic. But he seems to have come out with his head screwed on straight. And he's got a good relationship with his dad and stepmother...if anyone had a reason to resent Camilla, it would be him (there were many times he saw his mother crying over Charles' affair with Camilla), but he doesn't. If he ever did, he got over it.

[Said One]

07:01 AM on 06/23/2011

29 years of living off poor pensioners in the UK - grand

[Asuigeneris1]

11:53 PM on 06/23/2011

You should all be used to it by now, one would think. LOL

I have noticed that there most of William's life, he was actually a tad awkward looking...then had a few years where he was very good looking.

...while Harry was actually good-looking for a kid most of his life, with an odd redhead spell for a few years.

Now it appears that Harry will end up the better looking of the two as grown and middle-aged men.

[Roy E Pearson]

01:43 PM on 06/24/2011

I know it hard for you understand other countries and their preferences, but being a Future King is a job.

"Those also serve who only stand and wait" William ,more that other Princes of Wales spends a lot of time representing hos country around the world, about 1/3 of which he will "rule" over one day.

[hattieli]

11:05 AM on 06/22/2011

What a wonderful family, How could Prince Charles want Camilla over his family, the pics i have seen with Camilla are horrible. I know the boys really miss their mother, but i Give Charles credit he did a good job raising them after their mother's death\. Also Kate should buy her own clothes we do in the real world.

[RedRoux]

09:02 AM on 06/22/2011

Good looking guy..shame about his hair. Won't be any on top by the time he's 35.

[Roy E Pearson]

01:45 PM on 06/24/2011

Don't worry some people find a bald head attractive. Apparently Kate doesn't mind.

[Roy E Pearson]

08:58 AM on 06/22/2011

Looking through these pictures I am most struck by one thing, how tense Charles used to be. I always thought that Charles was good looking but he always looked worried. I guess it is to be expected, the Queen took on her duties very young and she grew up in a household that had to be tense.

There was the Duke of Windsor who put unimaginable stress of King George V. Then the war and the Kings early death. Queen Elizabeth followed in the Victorian tradition of being very proper. Charles always seemed lost between worlds. You can see that road map on his face.

Now Charles seems quite happy. The picture of him with William, with William's arm around his dad is probably one of the best pictures I have seen of Charles. He looks younger and at peace with himself.

I may be reading in too much, but it almost seems like William is the father that Charles always wanted. Phillip has served his family and country well, but that generation was very distant and not given to public or maybe even private affection.

William brings a openness and sense of optimism to the Royal family that is refreshing.

It is impossible to miss the fact that Diana had a very positive influence on this family, and they do now look like a family even if it is the Royal family.

[Said One]

07:06 AM on 06/23/2011

Charles has never worked a day in his life yet lives the life of a billionare due to taxes from poor pensioners - oh how he must suffer on vacation all the time

[Roy E Pearson]

10:13 AM on 06/23/2011

You act as if this is a choice. I think that the old Indian saying that one must walk in a mans moccasins for a mile before they criticize him.

You really have no idea what it is like to be Royal in England. Work. That is a bigger word that you allow for.

[agness nutter]

11:42 AM on 06/24/2011

As Wordsworth said, "The child is father of the man".

[Roy E Pearson]

01:38 PM on 06/24/2011

Nice.

[Urbane Worrier]

07:44 AM on 06/22/2011

And if Kate is going to be turning down invitations because she doesnt want to be seen having fun while William is out working- she's in for a *very* dull life.

William is a helicopter pilot who has to work shifts and she doesnt have a job, has never held down a job and isnt trained for anything.
Except maybe for picking out clothes.

[leavesbound]

08:16 AM on 06/22/2011

Actually she has a master's degree in art history. As for work, she was a buyer for a clothing store chain and a web designer, photographer and marketing officer for her parent's firm. I am guessing she wishes she was doing one of those jobs right now but it is nearly impossible to hold down that kind of job with paparazzi are constantly stalking you. It is unfortunate but having a famous person work for you is almost always extremely disruptive to any business unless you are in the entertainment industry or something similar. The dutchess does not strike me as the entertainment type.

[Urbane Worrier]

09:05 AM on 06/22/2011

I have never questioned her education. Kate has had an exemplary education.

She had the best education and opportunities money could buy. And she did nothing with it. The bit part jobs she had didnt last long or go anywhere. She was wasting her time, aged 29 and went from living off her parents to living off her husbands family.

This isnt the 19th century. She had 8 years between college and marrying into the Windsors.
Now she has a life of keeping her mouth shut and long periods of boredom. Yes, she couldnt take a job now.

Obviously its all her choice, but when you think of what other kids would have given for a chance to go to Marlborough College http://www.marlboroughcollege.org/col_home.aspx Watch the 1 min video clip and see.

[Said One]

07:07 AM on 06/23/2011

She doesn't have a master's degree - she has one degree - sole purpose was to continue stalking witless like she'd been doing for at least a year before they met (followed him to Chile etc)

[Urbane Worrier]

07:41 AM on 06/22/2011

Beautiful looking boy/ man.

More importantly, he looks like he has a cheery disposition too.

[Widespread Panic]

09:26 PM on 06/21/2011

I can't believe he's almost 30, seems like yesterday he was just a wee tot.

He's grown up into a good &respectable young man, I'm sure his momma would be so proud of him.

[PATRICKXRAY]

08:18 PM on 06/21/2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TEDDY jr.

[dailysugar]

08:10 PM on 06/21/2011

William celebrated his childhood birthday's like any other child? I don't know many children having birthday parties in palaces.

[harmonybringer]

06:39 AM on 06/22/2011

loll!

[leavesbound]

08:23 AM on 06/22/2011

They didn't mean to say that the celebration was typical. They meant that, like other children, he got to have a birthday party. In past generations of royals, a young prince, especially an heir to the throne, didn't actually get to have a birthday party at all or at least not one where they got to invite their actual school friends. In fact most didn't get to have school friends at all. Most were kept sequestered in the palace and were tutored never having stepped in a school room or even having friends at all. That is why monarchs have traditionally been very aloof. They never had school friends and don't have a clue how to make friends. Diana wanted some degree of normalcy for her son so he could develop normal relationships and have the closest thing to a normal life an heir to the throne could have. Note the fact he actually has a real job doing real work.

[moany46]

08:07 PM on 06/21/2011

wow.....29.......ok...uh..happy birthday.
.

isn't this the same royal bloodline we fought to get away from in 1776?....

and what exactly is the point to english royalty?

I'll wait for a good answer.

[MyrtleJune]

12:52 AM on 06/22/2011

It is another country's CULTURE. Here in America we RESPECT other countries and their cultures.

[WestOfTheMoon]

05:19 AM on 06/22/2011

Not only do you not have a plan, you clearly don't even have a clue.

[hmalkasian]

08:06 PM on 06/21/2011

Who cares about these people?

The only royal to be admired is the Queen who was forced into the job by the death of her father. All the others are freeloaders, including Prince William and Harry. None ever did a day's work in their lives. How the hell does "Wills" run around to charity galas and extravagant parties and just walk out on his "job" in Wales? Long overdue to turn Buckingham Palace into another London hotel and abolish the monarchy.

[MyrtleJune]

12:52 AM on 06/22/2011

Actually, they do work.

[hmalkasian]

10:06 PM on 06/22/2011

They don't "work" like you and I do. Do they get up every morning, get on the Tube and go to a desk? Do they know how to add 2 + 2? NO. None of them could even get into a decent school like Cambridge or LSE. Andrew had a television production company that failed and he went on to "promote British commerce". I can't ever remember seeing him on any trade missions. Phillip was good buddies with Saif Qadaffi. I'm sorry, the only person to be admired, as aforesaid, is the Queen. The rest are a bunch of freeloaders. Playing around in a helicopter is a joke. Why doesn't one of them get up and go to work at a bank in The City and learn something about finance? Why doesn't one of them go into medicine? Give me a break "Actually, they do work"

[Urbane Worrier]

07:51 AM on 06/22/2011

If you're going to be a bigot, be an informed one.

Prince William and Prince Harry are trained helicopter pilots in the British armed services.

William is a search and rescue pilot and has saved lives, while Harry is an army captain and has served in Afghanistan. Harry has spent the past 2 years becoming a fully qualified Apache pilot.
He's due back in Afghanistan later in the year.

Oh and pilots work shifts, hence William having time to fulfil other official duties.
They show up places, people give money to charity.

Now what?

[hmalkasian]

10:11 PM on 06/22/2011

Throw the bigotry in the closet for a minute, because you don't know what the hell you're talking about.
Why doesn't one of them get up and get on The Tube every morning and actually go to a desk? Why doesn't one of them go into medicine? If any of the Royals had any brains, they'd have been admitted to a decent school here in the UK like Cambridge, Oxford or LSE. They're a bunch of freeloaders living off the Queen's money.
When you become a British citizen and pay taxes here as I do, heavy taxes, to support 12 castles, Buckingham Palace, Royal Security and the public in Briton picking up the tab for them to embellish themselves in nightclubs in Mayfair and Kensington, I resent it. Also, who is the bigot? Harry was caught wearing a Gestapo uniform at a fancy dress party with a swastika right on his left arm. Who is the bigot?

[hmalkasian]

10:13 PM on 06/22/2011

Abid:

They give MY taxpayer money away ....... not THEIR money......

Only Parliament should be allowed to make charitable gifts, not undeducated oafs like the Queen's offspring

[consultcsm]

07:10 PM on 06/21/2011

The Brits royals keep trying to create some handsome people by marrying beautiful people, but it just isnt working. Anybody got some nuts to fill those cheeks up?

[Tony Vaccaro]

07:08 PM on 06/21/2011

WE ALL LOVED YOUR MOM

[moany46]

08:11 PM on 06/21/2011

who was his mom?

[lenuk]

08:25 PM on 06/21/2011

No one you've heard of ...

[SayBlade]

12:07 PM on 06/24/2011

Doh! You must be very young.

[Tony Vaccaro]

07:06 PM on 06/21/2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ... I SEE YOUR A GEMINI TOO ...HAPPY BIRTHDAY FROM ONE ROYAL TO THE OTHER :o)