Tragic End of ‘Other Prince William’ in 1972 Air Crash

On August 28, 1972, tragedy struck when **Prince William of Gloucester** and his passenger, **Vyrell Mitchell**, died in a plane crash during the **Goodyear International Air Trophy** air race. The incident occurred at **Halfpenny Green** in the UK, where his **Piper Cherokee** aircraft collided with a tree at low altitude before plummeting into an embankment and igniting. At just 30 years old, the prince was ninth in line to the British throne, a bright future cut short.

Born on **December 18, 1941**, in **Barnet, Hertfordshire**, **Prince William Henry Andrew Frederick** was the son of **Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester**, and **Alice, Duchess of Gloucester**. He was a grandson of **King George V** and had strong familial ties to the royal family, being a first cousin to **Queen Elizabeth II** and **Princess Margaret**. His education included prestigious institutions such as **Wellesley Prep School**, **Eton College**, and **Magdalene College** in Cambridge, followed by a year at **Stanford University** in California, where he studied political science, American history, and business.

William began his professional career in **1965** when he joined the **Commonwealth Office**. His duties took him first to **Lagos**, Nigeria, as the third secretary at the British High Commission, and later to **Tokyo**, Japan, where he served as the second secretary at the British Embassy. During his time in Japan, he met **Zsuzsi Starkloff**, the woman he intended to marry. Unfortunately, due to her being a twice-divorced Jewish mother of two, royal circles deemed her an unsuitable match, a decision that brought significant personal heartache to the prince.

In **1970**, William’s responsibilities increased as his father suffered multiple strokes, prompting the prince to return to the UK to manage family affairs and fulfill his royal duties. Despite the weight of these responsibilities, he remained known for his adventurous spirit, engaging in various daredevil activities, including flying, ballooning, and hiking in the **Sahara Desert**.

The relationship between William and his family, particularly with his second cousin **King Charles**, was marked by affection and admiration. Charles named his first son after William, paying tribute to the prince’s legacy. Furthermore, William shared a close bond with the late **Queen Elizabeth II**, having served as a page boy at her wedding in **1947** and attending her coronation.

The life of **Prince William of Gloucester** remains a poignant story of promise and untimely loss. His legacy as the “other prince” serves as a reminder of the potential that was never realized, leaving behind a family and a nation to wonder what might have been.