UK's Prince William 'Rarely' Attends Church He'll Govern One Day

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Britain's Prince William, the future Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England, only goes to church a "handful" of times a year, a newspaper in the U.K. reports.

British newspaper Daily Mail quotes sources as saying that William and his wife, Kate, "rarely, if ever" go to church privately on a Sunday morning, or indeed at any other time in the week. William, who is 30 years old and was confirmed into the Anglican faith in 1997, attends worship services only a "handful" of times each year, the newspaper said. When he does it is mostly connected with official engagements or on special occasions in the Christian calendar such as Christmas, as well as weddings and christenings.

Queen Elizabeth II, William's grandmother, is a devout Christian, with a deep sense of religious duty, who attends church on a weekly basis. William's father, Charles, Prince of Wales, is also known as a regular churchgoer, though he is also interested in other faiths such as Islam.

Prince William appears to be like other British men his age, barely 8 percent of whom attend church regularly. According to a survey by Christian charity Tearfund, the U.K. is among Europe's four least observant counties. Two thirds of those polled had not been to church in the past year, except for baptisms, weddings or funerals, although 53 percent still identified themselves as Christian.