Prince William has held the role of godfather for much of his life, even before he took on the roles of husband, father, or the Prince of Wales.

The Prince has been chosen as a godfather three, possibly four, times by friends who have entrusted him with this special responsibility.

His first experience as a godfather came at the age of 16, when he attended the christening of Prince Constantine Alexios of Greece, despite having his arm in a sling due to a rugby injury.

William joined an illustrious list of godparents for Constantine, which included royalty such as the King of Spain and Denmark and the future queen of Sweden.

Today, Constantine has matured into a prominent figure in high society, while William remains a supportive presence from a distance.

William also became a godfather to Tom Pettifer, the child of Tiggy Legge-Bourke, who was a cherished nanny to him during his childhood.

Unlike the Greek prince, Tom grew up far from royal palaces, although he once stole hearts as a cheeky pageboy at William and Kate’s wedding. 

Another familiar face in William’s godparent circle is Grace van Cutsem, forever remembered as the little girl who covered her ears on the Buckingham Palace balcony in 2011. 

The daughter of one of William’s closest childhood friends, Grace returned to a quiet life after her moment in the spotlight. 

Now a teenager, she remains part of the trusted inner circle that has followed William from boyhood to future king. 

And the list may not be finished yet. 

Royal watchers are buzzing with rumours that William could soon become godfather once more, this time to Cosima Grosvenor, the baby daughter of his close friend Hugh Grosvenor. 

If confirmed, it would underline a pattern that has followed William since his teens, with godchildren chosen not for show, but for deep family ties and lifelong bonds. 

CONSTANTINE ALEXIOS OF GREECE 

The Prince Constantine Alexios of Greece and Denmark has been making a name for himself as one of Europe’s most eligible bachelors thanks to his dashing looks, dating history, title and ties to high society.   

The 27-year-old is the grandson of the late King Constantine II, and the eldest son and second child of Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece.

Constantine is related to the British Royal Family through the late Prince Philip, who was born a Prince of Greece and Denmark, and his grandfather, the late King Constantine, was William’s godfather. 

He was christened in London in 1999, six months after he was born, with a fresh-faced 16-year-old William standing proudly as his godfather. 

At the ceremony, the future king had his arm wrapped in a sling after he broke his finger during a rugby match, acting as an endearing reminder that, regardless of status, boys will be boys. 

The teenage William was sitting next to Denmark’s King Frederik, who is the nephew of Constantine’s grandmother, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece.

Prince Constantine’s other godparents include current kings, King Felipe of Spain and King Frederik, as well as future queen Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden. 

The Greek royal family no longer have a claim to the throne as the country’s monarchy was abolished in 1973, but the descendants of King Constantine II have maintained courtesy titles, represent the nation, and remain a part of royal circles. 

The prince enjoyed a quiet childhood out of the limelight between London and New York with his older sister, Princess Maria-Olympia, and three younger brothers. 

In adulthood, Constantine, who goes by the nickname Tino, forged a career as a model, painter and sculptor, much like his American socialite mother, who once interned with Andy Warhol and studied art at university.

The young royal even modelled for Christian Dior and has been tied to a series of models and actresses, including Poppy Delevingne, Brooks Nader and Madelyn Cline. 

TOM PETTIFER  

Little is known of William’s godson Tom Pettifer, who has spent much of his life away from the public eye; however, royal fans might recognise his face. 

Tom is the son of Harry and William’s beloved childhood nanny, Tiggy Legge-Bourke, and her husband, security consultant Charles Pettifer. 

Tiggy was nanny to Prince William and Harry between 1993 and 1999 and has maintained a close relationship with both brothers.  

William was made godfather to the now-23-year-old, while Harry’s godson is Tom’s older brother, Fred, 24. 

When he was eight years old, Tom charmed onlookers at the Prince and Princess of Wales’s 2011 wedding, where he was a pageboy. 

The youngster cheekily giggled and grinned with fellow pageboy William Lowther-Pinkerton and bridesmaids Lady Louise Windsor and Margarita Armstrong-Jones.

He arrived in one of the official carriages with Harry and beamed as he waved, unbothered, to the huge crowds that surrounded Westminster Abbey. 

Tom was snapped years later looking much more grown up when he attended the wedding of Harry and Meghan Markle alongside Tiggy in 2018. 

Like his mother, Tom spent much of his youth in Wales, where he went to school and learnt to speak Welsh. 

GRACE VAN CUTSEM 

Another familiar face is that of Grace van Cutsem, who became the unlikely star of William and Kate’s 2011 wedding. 

The then-three-year-old famously stole the show during the Prince and Princess’s balcony kiss when she scowled as she covered her ears to protect them from the roaring crowds and noisy RAF flypast. 

Grace is the daughter of William’s childhood friend Hugh van Cutsem, whose family has been close with the royals for decades, and Lady Rose Astor.

The van Cutsems have long forged close friendships within the Palace; Hugh’s late father was one of King Charles’s oldest pals, and his grandfather, Bernard van Cutsem, trained horses for Queen Elizabeth II as a horse breeder and racehorse trainer. 

Despite her early brush with worldwide attention, Grace returned to anonymity shortly after the wedding, and now, at 17, she lives a normal life in Oxfordshire with her parents and two younger brothers.

She appears to be close with her mother, Rose, who wrote a piece for The Times about the pair’s luxurious ‘mother-daughter detox’ at an Austrian health retreat to escape their ‘boy-heavy home’. 

Rose is part of the Astor dynasty whose fortune was founded in 18th century America, when John Jacob Astor – the first multi-millionaire in the US – traded otter and beaver pelts.

The Astors moved to the UK in the early 1890s and shortly afterwards snapped up Cliveden, now run as a five-star hotel, and Hever Castle, which was sold to a private property company and is now run as a visitor attraction, wedding venue and B&B.

The Astors’ property portfolio is even more impressive in New York, where the Astor name is seen on Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, Astor Place, and Astor Avenue in the Bronx, where the family used to stable horses.

The neighbourhood of Astoria, Queens, is also named after the family, and Rose said that she feels ‘lucky’ to have such a richly-textured family history.

COSIMA GROSVENOR 

British aristocrat Hugh Grosvenor welcomed his first child, Cosima, with wife Olivia Henson in July this year.  

There has not been any word of who the girl’s godparents will be, but many royal fans suspect she could become William’s fourth godchild. 

On July 27, the Duke and Duchess of Westminster released an official statement announcing the birth of Cosima Florence. 

‘Both the Duchess and Cosima are doing well. The Duke and Duchess now look forward to spending this special time together as a family,’ it read.

Hugh is one of the world’s youngest billionaires, with an estimated net worth close to £10billion, and is a friend to both William and Harry. 

He is not only the godson of King Charles but also the godfather to William’s firstborn, Prince George, and Harry’s son, Archie. 

The long line of godfathers between the families suggests to royal watchers that William may be given the role for five-month-old Cosima. 

Friends of the Duke and Duchess of Westminster say they haven’t made a final decision on who will be Cosima’s godparents, but it is understood that William will be a godfather, according to the Sunday Times.

However, it was reported that the new father is still considering whether to also ask Prince Harry, amid ongoing tensions between him and the Royal Family since the Sussexes upped sticks to California, leaving their position as senior royals in 2020.

It is believed that both brothers sent their congratulations to the couple after their daughter was born on July 27. A date has not currently been set for the christening.