As he approaches 40, William has evolved from a handsome prince to a King-in-training.

Today is Prince William’s 40th birthday, and his life has changed dramatically since he was 30 years old. We follow his journey and show how he is on his way to becoming a king.

Prince William has been second-in-line to the throne since the day he was born exactly 40 years ago today.

And not much has changed in that regard since that day in 1982, with his grandmother the Queen still monarch and his father Prince Charles still the heir.

However, with the Queen now at the age of 96 and beginning to step down from her duties, the royals have come to rely on William more and more.

In fact, editor Russell Myers has described William as the Queen’s “trusted lieutenant.”

And as he turns 40 today, we take a look at how he’s progressed from a handsome prince to a king-in-waiting…

Getting a job as a working royal

When William turned 30 exactly ten years ago, his life looked a lot different than it does now.

He was a newlywed, having only married his wife Kate a year before, and was a search-and-rescue pilot for the Royal Air Force.