The year began for Prince Charles being praised for his dedication to duty as 70 years spent as heir to the throne and for his work as Prince of Wales. It ended with his accession and praise for the way he’s carried himself as King Charles III.
Charles marked the new year with a special video message for those who fight to support human rights. He said, “I pray for peaceful resolutions to these conflicts and that we might all be blessed with the courage to support those in need, wherever they may be.”
The month of January continued with Charles’s support for human rights; he remembered Holocaust survivors and would later commission portraits of survivors to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day. He sent a message for Lunar New Year as the month ended, and celebrated with Camilla.
On a mini-tour of Kent, Charles and Camilla saw how history is being brought to life in the area. As the month continued, he and Camilla were joined by Catherine for an engagement in support of The Prince’s Foundation (we spotlighted the charity here).
In early February as Queen Elizabeth II marked the official 70th anniversary of her accession (6 February), we feted Charles’s 70 years as heir. As Queen Elizabeth II made her wish known that she hoped Camilla would be referred to as queen consort “with the passage of time”, Charles led tributes praising The Queen and his “darling wife.”
Sadly for Prince Charles, he tested positive for COVID-19 a second time (and would later make a full recovery). February furthered controversy for the prince when his charity was investigated for potentially offering honours for cash. A storm further caused trouble when his visit to Wales was postponed. Post-COVID, Charles returned to royal duties with Princess Anne by his side. He would also visit Hereford Cathedral.
In March, Prince Charles strongly condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin and led royal support for Ukraine. On a visit to Winchester, he was surrounded by Ukrainian flags.
Queen Elizabeth II had also been diagnosed with COVID-19 in February, but Charles reassured the public that her case was mild and she was already feeling better. He visited refugees and later led the Royal Family at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey.
A visit to Northern Ireland included a historic first as they made a debut royal visit to Cookstown. A special visit to the Republic of Ireland saw the couple also trace the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
In County Tipperary, they also met with the family of murdered teacher Ashling Murphy.
In April, Prince Charles was joined by Queen Letizia of Spain for the opening of an art exhibit; he later visited Eden and released a video message supporting sustainability. He would later create a challenge for children to get them involved for Earth Day.
Prince Charles and Camilla announced a visit to Canada in April as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
As the Jubilee celebrations began to kick into high gear, Charles and Camilla co-wrote a foreword to a jubilee-themed cookbook.
The royal couple visited the BBC World Services studios and Prince Charles celebrated pandemic pilots as new Royal Air Force officers graduated.
In early May, the heir to the throne read the Queen’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament on behalf of his mother. Charles opened parliament as a Counsellor of State – Prince William was also present to allow the duty to be discharged. It would put a further spotlight on the important role.
Charles visited Brixton. We also looked at his work with the Duchy of Cornwall and Poundbury. Charles and Camilla hosted the first Buckingham Palace Garden Party since the pandemic began; and later, Charles joined then-Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, on an engagement in South London promoting job creation. (It’s not lost on us that a future king and prime minister were walking around London that day.)
Ahead of their visit to Canada in May, Charles and Camilla paid a visit to Canada House in London. During their visit to Canada, Charles and Camilla opened the Jubilee walkway and carried out engagements in three provinces and territories. We
In June, Prince Charles attended a Platinum Jubilee tea dance to start the celebrations. We looked at his years as heir and posited that this made his unintentional spotlight—with Queen Elizabeth still sidelined due to ill health—all the more important.
The then first in line to the throne took the salute at Trooping the Colour on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II who later reviewed the troops from the balcony of Buckingham Palace. If you were curious as to why Prince Charles and Prince William wore green sashes at Trooping the Colour, we have the details here. Speaking of the father and son duo, both paid poignant tributes to their monarch during the Platinum Jubilee.
Immediately following the Platinum Jubilee weekend, Charles and Camilla hosted a reception for the Commonwealth diaspora.
In July, Prince Charles carried out ‘Wales Week.’ It’s a week-long visit to Wales each year to celebrate the Welsh people and businesses at the forefront of the principality. Now it will be up to William and Catherine to carry on the tradition.
The heir to the throne was at Queen Elizabeth II’s side as she presented the George Cross to the NHS for its work in the coronavirus pandemic.
Charles also marked the 125th anniversary of the Winter Gardens Theatre before helping celebrate his wife’s 75th birthday with carnival-themed engagements in Notting Hill. As the summer continued on, a ‘bombshell letter’ from Charles was placed up for auction and the royal couple attended the Sandringham Flower Show. In a quiet August, the news was that Charles would appear in a documentary about an explorer.
September was poised to be a return to royal engagements for Charles. In the early days of the month, he took part in a Rwandan naming ceremony for a gorilla and held a conference to discuss Natasha’s Law (on allergies).
Prince Charles’s last engagement as heir came a day before his accession, when he helped celebrate the Platinum Jubilee in New Lanark, Scotland. The next day he was King Charles III.
