King Charles III (Windsor) Mountbatten-Windsor KG

Ancestors

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Biography

King Charles III (Windsor) Mountbatten-Windsor KG is a member of the House of Windsor.

Princess Elizabeth with 1-month-old Prince Charles

His Majesty King Charles III is the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. He was born on 14 November 1948, and baptised by the then-Archbishop of Canterbury Geoffrey Fisher on 15 December 1948. As the eldest son, he also had the titles Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland. He was created Prince of Wales in 1958, but not invested until eleven years later in 1969. The investiture was televised in colour. ^[1]

He began his education being tutored by a governess, but when he reached age eight he went to school - the first heir apparent to do so. He then went to Gordonstoun in Scotland (like his father had done previously). He subsequently attended Geelong Grammar School in Australia, visiting Papua New Guinea, before returning to Gordonstoun and achieving six O-levels and two A-levels. Then Prince Charles was admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied archaeology, anthropology, and history, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1970.

Prince Charles in 1972

In 1970, then-Prince Charles took his seat in the House of Lords and spoke in 1974 and 1975. ^{[2] [3]}

In 1971 he trained as a jet pilot with the Royal Air Force, then joined the Royal Navy, serving on board HMS Norfolk, HMS Minerva, and HMS Jupiter. In 1974 he trained as a helicopter pilot at RNAS Yeovilton, and joined 845 Naval Air Squadron attached to HMS Hermes. Two years later, then-Prince Charles took command of the minehunter HMS Bronington, then flew the HS780 Andover transport aircraft (Hawker Siddeley), the Wessex helicopter (Westlands) and BAe 146 airliner (British Aerospace).

The Prince of Wales badge

While still known as "Prince Charles", he created "The Prince's Trust" in 1976, which is a charity dedicated to supporting young people between the ages of eleven to thirty. It has currently helped over a million young people. Its logo shows the three feathers of the Prince of Wales in horizontal red stripes (a copyrighted image). He set up sixteen more charities, all of which form "The Prince's Charities", which together raise over £100 million annually. ^[4] "The Prince's Charities Canada" was set up in 2010, followed by "The Prince's Charities Australia". He is also patron of over 400 charities and organisations.

Prince Charles was very involved in charities worldwide, and as King Charles III, is involved in more than 600 charities. He has donated to the British Red Cross (Syria Appeal). It has been reported that he donated his state pension to a charity supporting elderly people when he reached 65 (UK state pension age). ^[5] He has also sent five million measles-rubella vaccines for children in the Philippines. In 2020, Prince Charles became patron of the International Rescue Committee, which helps refugees fleeing from war, persecution, or natural disaster, and set up "The Great Reset Project", to help those worst affected by the COVID-19 recession. He launched an appeal called "Oxygen for India", which helped to buy oxygen concentrators for hospitals in India.

On 29 July 1981, Prince Charles married Diana Frances Spencer in St Paul's Cathedral. The couple had two children: Prince William and Prince Harry. Within eleven years they had announced their separation (1992), and they divorced on 28 August 1996. Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997.

Charles then wed Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005 in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall, with a religious blessing (televised) at St George's Chapel. The reception was held at Windsor Castle. When they married, she was in fact entitled to be called 'Princess of Wales', but refused because the title was linked with Diana in the people's minds, so she became the Duchess of Cornwall. When Charles became king, Camilla did not become 'Queen Camilla' but rather 'Queen Consort'.

Prince Charles, Princess Diana Nancy and Ronald Reagan

He has met several US Presidents, and many overseas leaders. He spends time in both Scotland and Wales (he has a Welsh official harpist) and has close ties with Canada. King Charles opened the Welsh Senedd and the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. He attended investitures and funerals of foreign dignitaries on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II.

As well as being patron or president of over 20 performing arts institutions such as the Royal College of Music, the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Welsh National Opera, he plays cello and has sung with the Bach Choir. He is also president of the Royal Shakespeare Company and frequently attends performances in Stratford on Avon. King Charles is a member of the Magic Circle, and a keen watercolourist; many of his paintings have been exhibited. He has authored, co-authored, illustrated, and written prefaces for over thirty books. All royalties go to the Prince's Charities Foundation.

The Queen's Gallery Example of New Classical Style

King Charles is well-known for his interest in architecture and urban planning - and his dislike of some modern architecture - and works constantly to refurbish historic buildings and popularise a 'new classical' style. He has promoted environmental awareness and organic farming, and has created his own company, "Duchy Originals" which sells organic food. The King is a supporter of alternative medicine, including homeopathy, which he uses on his own farm. ^[6] In March 2020, Charles tested positive for coronavirus, but only had a mild dose and immediately self-isolated. ^[7] He did not get his vaccine until February 2021.

Charles's official London residence is Clarence House, previously the residence of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. His main income comes from the Duchy of Cornwall, and he also has a house in Gloucestershire (Highgrove House). He has another residence - Llwynywermod in Carmarthenshire, which he rents out as holiday flats when he is not there.

King Charles was the longest-serving Prince of Wales ^[8] and, when he became King, he was the oldest person to do so (the previous record holder was William IV, who ascended the throne in 1830 aged 64). Charles was also Duke of Edinburgh, which title he inherited from his father but, upon the death of the Queen, the title reverted to Prince Edward, as Her Majesty had requested at the funeral of Prince Philip.

Upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles became King Charles III on 8 September 2022. His coronation will take place on Saturday 6th May 2023; Camilla will be crowned as Queen Consort at the same time. The Coronation will take place in Westminster Abbey, and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. ^[9]

Buckingham Palace (the previous residence of the monarchy) is undergoing a large restoration and renovation work, and will be again available in 2027. It is unknown whether King Charles III will choose to live there. ^[10]

Coat of Arms of Charles, Prince of Wales

Bibliography

Author

• The Old Man of Lochnagar. Illustrated by Sir Hugh Maxwell Casson, KCVO, London: Hamish Hamilton, 1980
• A Vision of Britain: A Personal View of Architecture. Doubleday, 1989
• Rain Forest Lecture. Royal Botanic Gardens, 1990
• HRH the Prince of Wales Watercolours. Little, Brown and Company, 1991

Co-Author

• Mary Rose. With Armand Hammer. New York: The Sarpedon Press, eds. Portsmouth: The Mary Rose Trust (1985)
• Architecture & the Environment: HRH The Prince of Wales and the Earth in Balance (Architectural Design Profile). With Andreas C. Papadakis. John Wiley & Sons (1993)
• Highgrove: An Experiment in Organic Gardening and Farming. With Charles Clover, environment editor for The Daily Telegraph, New York City: Simon & Schuster (1993)
• Portrait of an Estate. With Charles Clover. Photography by Andrew Lawson. London: A. G. Carrick. (1993)
• Princes As Patrons: The Art Collections of the Princes of Wales from the Renaissance to the Present Day: An Exhibition from the Royal Collection. With Mark Evans, Oliver Millar, National Museum and Gallery, Cardiff.
• The Parks and Gardens of Cornwall. With Douglas Ellory Pett. Cornwall: Alison Hodge Publishers (1998).
• Respect for the Earth: Sustainable Development. BBC Radio 4 Reith Lectures (2000).[2] With Christopher Patten, et al. London: Profile Books (2000).
• The Garden at Highgrove. With Candida Lycett Green. London: Cassell & Co. (2001)
• Watercolours and Drawings from the Collection of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. With Susan Owens. Royal Collection Enterprises (2005).
• Harmony: A New Way of Looking at Our World. With Tony Juniper and Ian Skelly. Blue Door. (2010).
• Highgrove: A Garden Celebrated. With Bunny Guinness. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. (2013).
• HRH The Prince of Wales; Juniper, Tony; Shuckburgh, Emily (26 January 2017). Climate Change. illus. Ruth Palmer. London: Ladybird Books.

Sources

1. ↑ The Prince of Wales on royal.uk
2. ↑ Prince Charles' maiden speech (Hansard)
3. ↑ Voluntary Service in the Community (Hansard)
4. ↑ The Prince's Charities
5. ↑ Prince Charles in The Guardian
6. ↑ Charles uses homeopathy
7. ↑ Charles positive for coronavirus (BBC)
8. ↑ Longest-serving Prince of Wales {BBC News)
9. ↑ Coronation: royal.uk
10. ↑ Buckingham Palace renovated British Heritage

See Also:

• Wikipedia: Charles_III
• https://www.princes-trust.org.uk

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