Who was the ‘other Prince William’? Queen Elizabeth’s controversial cousin, the ‘playboy prince’, was a royal rebel who dated a Hungarian model … and his story just went viral on TikTok

Sep 5 , 2022

Princes William: long before today’s Prince William was Prince William of Gloucester whose love affair with a Hungarian model was so scandalous that he didn’t even feature in Netflix’s The Crown. Photos: Real Royalty/YouTube, @princewilliamroyal/Instagram

Like Prince Charles with Camilla Parker Bowles, and Prince Harry with Meghan Markle, Prince William of Gloucester faced backlash for his love life with model Zsuzsi Starkloff

The royal ‘James Bond’, who Prince Charles reportedly looked up to, loved a woman five years his senior who had dated Sean Connery – is this why he was never mentioned in Netflix’s The Crown?

In July, TikTok history buff Sarah Lalor shared a clip summarising the short life of the “other Prince William”, Britain’s Prince William of Gloucester. The story went viral, amassing over 1.3 million views. It detailed the late prince’s 1960s love affair with a Hungarian model before his tragic death on August 28, 1972. It’s been 50 years since his passing, yet this slice of royal history has seemed to slip under the radar until recently.

Prince William of Gloucester. Photo: @royalinstablog/Instagram

Before the Prince William we all know, there was an earlier Prince William who bore some resemblances to today’s Duke of Cambridge. The handsome Prince William of Gloucester was often referred to as the “James Bond” of the family, as shared in an in-depth documentary by Real Royalty on YouTube.

Prince William was the son of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. Photo: Real Royalty/YouTube

So, who was he exactly?

How was Prince William of Gloucester related to the British royal family?

In this shot taken on Queen Elizabeth’s coronation day in 1953, in Buckingham Palace, the queen is flanked by various members of the royal family, including a young Prince William of Gloucester, second from left. Photo: AFP

Prince William of Gloucester was born in Hertfordshire as Prince William Henry Andrew Frederick on December 18, 1941, to Prince Henry and Princess Alice, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. He was initially fourth in line to the British throne, slipping down to ninth in succession by the time of his tragically early death.

Britain’s then-Princess Elizabeth leaves Westminster Abbey with her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, after their wedding in 1947. Photo: AP

He was the grandson of King George V and Queen Mary and the paternal cousin of Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. William was also a page boy, along with his cousin Prince Michael of Kent, at the wedding of then-Princess Elizabeth to Philip Mountbatten in 1947.

Diana, Princess of Wales with her sons Prince William and Prince Harry at Highgrove, in 1988. Photo: Handout

According to British media, many royal experts believe that Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, was named after the Prince of Gloucester, since Prince Charles reportedly looked up to him. Others claim that Princess Diana was inspired by William the Conqueror, England’s first Norman king, who won the throne after victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

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