After graduating in
1963, he spent a post-baccalaureate year at
Stanford University studying political science, American history, and business. Upon returning to Britain, he took a position with
Lazards, a merchant bank.
Prince William was the second member of the
British Royal Family to work in the
civil service or the diplomatic service (the first was his late uncle,
Prince George, Duke of Kent in the 1920s). He joined the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1965 and was posted to
Lagos as the
third secretary to the British
High Commission. In 1968, he transferred to
Tokyo to accept the post of
second secretary (commercial) in the British
Embassy. In 1970, the Duke of Gloucester's health began to fail and he was diagnosed as suffering from
porphyria. Prince William resigned from the diplomatic service and returned to Britain. For the next two years, he managed
Barnwell Manor and began to carry out public duties as a member of the royal family.
Prince William served on some occasions as
Counsellor of State in the absence of his cousin, the Queen.