The Prince of Wales celebrates his 72nd birthday on November 14th 2020. To celebrate, here are some things you may or may not know about the man born to be king.
- HRH Prince Charles Philip Arthur George was born at Buckingham Palace on November 14, 1948 to the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh (now HM The Queen and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh). He was the first grandchild of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.
- Prince Charles became the heir apparent at the age of three in 1952 and has since become the longest serving Prince of Wales in history. He broke this record on September 9, 2017 when he overtook the record held by his great grandfather King Edward VII.
- Prince Charles is the elder brother of Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. He is also the first cousin of David Linley and Lady Sarah Chatto, the children of his aunt Princess Margaret.
- The Prince of Wales was educated at Hill House School and Cheam Preparatory School. This was then followed by Gordonstoun in North-East Scotland. Before the end of his studies at Gordonstoun, the Prince spent time at the Timbertop campus of Geelong Grammar School in Victoria, Australia. The royal then went on to study at Trinity College, Cambridge where he read anthropology, archaeology and history. He graduated with a 2:2.
- During his second year at Cambridge, Charles spent a term at the University College of Wales in Aberystwyth where he studied Welsh and Welsh history ahead of his formal investiture as the Prince of Wales.
- He was made the Prince of Wales and the Earl of Chester on July 26, 1958 but he was not officially invested until July 1, 1969. The televised ceremony took place at Caernarfon Castle where the prince was crowned by his mother.
- The Prince took up his first Service appointment in 1969 as Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Regiment of Wales. He also obtained his RAF wings as Flight Lieutenant Wales in August 1971, making him the first royal to do so. Prince Charles is associated to 18 different military regiments.
- Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer on July 29, 1981 at St Paul’s Cathedral, London. During the ceremony, Princess Diana made a mistake in her vows, instead of saying that she would take Charles Philip Arthur George, she called him ‘Philip Charles Arthur George’. The couple honeymooned aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia, sailing around the Mediterranean, before ending their holiday at Balmoral Castle, Scotland. The couple were separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996. Tragically, the Princess of Wales died on August 31, 1997 in Paris.
- The couple welcomed two sons. Prince William Arthur Philip Louis was born on June 21, 1982 and Prince Henry Charles Albert David was born on September 15, 1984. Both of the children were born at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London. The family lived together at Kensington Palace, with their country home at Highgrove in Gloucestershire.
- Prince Charles married his long-term partner and one time mistress Camilla Parker-Bowles at Windsor Guildhall in Berkshire on April 9, 2005. This was followed by a religious blessing at St George’s Chapel.
- Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall live at Clarence House on The Mall in London. He also lived there when he was younger with his mother and father whilst his grandfather King George VI was still on the throne. Even though he was born at Buckingham Palace, his younger sister Princess Anne was born at Clarence House in 1950.
- The prince is the President or Patron of over 420 charities, such as ActionAid, The British Forces Foundation, Marie Curie and The Prince’s Trust.
- When he becomes the king, he will be the oldest person to succeed. As of November 2020, the prince is 72 years old, which is already older than the current record for the oldest person to succeed to the throne, this being William IV who was 64 when he became the king in 1830.
- It is speculated that he may not choose his first name of ‘Charles’ as his regnal name, meaning he may not become King Charles III, instead using one of his middle names. The reason behind this is because of the bad luck associated with the previous Kings Charles I & II. The former lost the Civil War and was beheaded by Oliver Cromwell. The latter was the king during the Great Fire of London and led a promiscuous lifestyle.
- Prince Charles has four grandchildren, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Archie Mountbatten-Windsor. He also has five step-grandchildren, who are the Duchess of Cornwall’s grandchildren from her first marriage to Andrew Parker-Bowles.
