Charles, Prince of Wales, is the oldest and longest-serving heir apparent to the throne of the British royal family.Charles Philip Arthur George, otherwise known as Prince Charles, is a responsible royal whose life has been in the spotlight since his birth. His long life is known to us all and has included many tragic events.Prince Charles is currently 73 years old and is a patron member of over 400 charity organizations. He is also an environmentalist and interested in the fields of youth opportunity, global sustainability, protection of the rainforests, heritage architecture, education, among others. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Prince Charles has an estimated net worth of $400 million.Due to his contribution to environmental research and climate change, he has received many accolades. A frog species was named after him ‘Hyloscirtus Princecharlesi,’ which means Prince Charles Magnificent Tree Frog.Early Life Facts About Prince CharlesCharles, Prince of Wales, has been a prince since birth, son of the reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. Prince Charles loves gardening and does that for fun in his free time. Did you know that Prince Charles has a really long full title? Some of the titles were given as heir to the throne. Some of his titles include KG (Knight of the Garter), Order of Merit (OM), Duke of Rothesay, Knight of the Order of Australia (AK), Baron of Renfrew, Companion of the Queen’s Service Order (QSO), Earl of Chester, Privy Counsellor (PC), Aide-De-Camp (ADC), Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Carrick, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland, and Lord of the Isles. Apart from these, he was given the title Mal Menaringmanu (High Chief) by the Chiefs in the Pacific Island of Vanuatu in 2018. He was also given the title ‘Keeper of the Cows’ by the Masai in Tanzania, recognizing his work as a farmer in 2011.Prince Charles was born in 1948 on November 14, at 9:14 p.m. in Buckingham Palace, London, England. He was the first heir born in Buckingham Palace in the 20th century and the eldest son to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Prince Charles was christened by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Geoffrey Fisher, as Charles Philip Arthur George a month later on December 15, 1948.When Prince Charles was three years old, his grandfather, who was then the King of England, King George VI, passed away. And when he was only four years old, his mother’s coronation to the British throne as Queen Elizabeth II was completed. Due to this, he became second in line to the throne and heir apparent. With these developments, the young Prince was automatically assigned the traditional titles of: Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, and Earl of Carrick. Prince Charles was designated as the Prince of Wales on July 26, 1958, and his investiture was made in 1969 by his mother in a ceremony held at Caernarfon Castle and was broadcast to the whole of the UK. Prince Charles has three siblings, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward.Schooling Facts About Prince CharlesDid you know that Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, was the first royal and heir apparent to attend school and the first to obtain a university degree?As per the traditions, Prince Charles initially had a governess, Catherine Peebes, who gave him primary education until he was eight years old. Breaking usual customs, it was decided by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip that Prince Charles would attend school. He attended Hill House School, London in 1956, Cheam Preparatory School, Berkshire from 1958, and Gordonstoun, north-east Scotland, from 1962.Incidentally, these schools were also attended by his father, Prince Philip. The Prince of Wales also attended Geelong Grammar School in Victoria, Australia as an exchange student and spent two terms there. After returning to Gordonstoun, he followed in his father’s footsteps and became Head Boy there. He scored six GCE - O levels with two A’s in French and History along with grades B and C.Prince Charles started his university education instead of joining the British Army, which was the tradition. He attended Trinity College in Cambridge, where he studied archeology and anthropology in the first year. In his second year, he studied, history and the Welsh language at the University College of Wales in Aberystwyth, Wales. He graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1970, thus becoming the first heir apparent to earn a bachelor’s degree. He also received a Master’s degree from the same university in 1975.In his second year at Cambridge, the Prince of Wales undertook training in the Royal Air Force as a jet pilot. After successfully passing, he also enrolled himself in Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. Prince Charles joined the Royal Navy and served aboard HMS Norfolk, a guided-missile destroyer, and frigates, HMS Minerva and HMS Jupiter, till 1974. Later that year, he trained and received qualifications as a helicopter pilot and joined the 845 Naval Air Squadron on HMS Hermes. Prince Charles flew the Chipmunk, a basic pilot trainer; BAC Jet Provost, a jet trainer; and Beagle Basset, a multi-engine trainer. Apart from this training, the Prince of Wales qualified as a pilot to fly Westland Wessex helicopter, Hawker Siddeley Andover, and BAE 146 aircraft.Prince Charles And MarriageDid you know that US President Richard Nixon played matchmaker and tried to set up his eldest daughter, Tricia Nixon, with Prince Charles?Prince Charles, in his youth, was linked to many women. His love interests included Georgina Russel, Lady Jane Wellesley, Davina Sheffield, Lady Sarah Spencer, and Camilla Parker Bowles. It is said that Lord Mountbatten spoke to Prince Charles about marrying his granddaughter Amanda Knatchbull. Though Prince Charles was interested in this woman, the relationship did not eventually work out.Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, first met Lady Diana Spencer in 1977 during a visit to her home in Althorp. Strangely though, he was actually accompanying her sister Lady Sarah Spencer. They met again after four years in 1980 in Sussex and started dating though they had an age difference of 12 years. They occasionally met 13 times and continued talking to each other over the phone. Prince Charles proposed to Lady Diana Spencer on February 3, 1981, and she accepted his offer of marriage. Their wedding would be of global interest! The engagement became official on February 29, 1981, and with the consent and blessing from the Royal Family, their marriage was fixed on July 29, 1981. The wedding was organized at St. Paul’s Cathedral instead of Westminster Abbey as it had a higher seating capacity of 3500 people. The wedding itself was termed ‘The Wedding of the Century’ and ‘Fairytale Wedding’ by the media, and it was broadcast live to the world, seen by about 750 million people!Prince Charles and Princess Diana lived in Kensington Palace with their two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. They were born in June 1982 and September 1984, respectively. Their fairytale romance did not last, however, due to Prince Charles’ compatibility issues with Princess Diana, and also his extra-marital relationship with Mrs. Parker Bowles. In December 1992, the couple’s legal separation was announced, and they divorced on August 28, 1996. Unfortunately, Princess Diana passed away in a car crash in Paris the following year. Earl Spencer, Diana’s brother, spoke at her funeral service and criticized both the royal family and the press for their conduct towards his sister.Prince Charles proposed to Camilla Parker Bowles on February 10, 2005, and the wedding was fixed on April 9, 2005, with the blessing of Charles’ grandmother, the Queen Mother and the royal family. Initially, a civil ceremony was planned at Windsor Castle and later changed to Windsor Guildhall.Monarchy Of Prince CharlesPrince Charles is the longest-serving Prince of Wales, longest-serving heir apparent, and longest-serving Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay. In fact, if he becomes the future king, he will be the oldest man to become king in British History.To recap the facts about his background, Charles Philip Arthur George, born to her royal highness Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, became an heir apparent and prince at the very young age of four due to the untimely death of King George VI. He was assigned as the Prince of Wales in 1958, and his investiture was held in 1969. After completing his university education, he enrolled in the Royal Regiment in various capacities. He has also held various honorary appointments as Colonel in Chief, Air Commodore in Chief in at least 32 military formations of the Commonwealth. The Prince of Wales was given an honorary five-star rank in all three branches of the British Armed Forces with the titles Field Marshal, Admiral of Fleet, and Air Chief Marshal of the Royal Air Force in 2012.Apart from his military contributions, he has undertaken many roles and responsibilities as a royal heir, promoting and supporting social and environmental causes. Prince Charles started The Prince’s Trust in 1976 and is now heading more than 16 charitable organizations as President. Prince’s Trust is also a patron of around 400 charitable trusts. He uses his tours to raise awareness of social issues, environment, arts and architecture, alternative medicine, heritage conservation, human rights, and education. He also wrote a children’s book called ‘The Old Man of Lochnagar’, which he read for the BBC series ‘Jackanory’ in 1984.Along with his significant philanthropic work, he actively conducts his royal duties. He has represented The Queen at various international events and interacts with foreign dignitaries who visit the UK. He tours Wales regularly and participates in all the engagements and important national occasions. The ‘Daily Telegraph’ called Prince Charles, ‘The hardest-working member of the Royal Family.‘And it is not just royal duties, Prince Charles in his younger years played polo regularly and even represented the UK in many international events and championships. It was not until an unfortunate accident in 2000 during a polo match that he had to stop playing it. Prince Charles now enjoys gardening and encourages organic gardening using traditional methods. He is also into hedge-laying and had hosted National Hedge-Laying Championships in his Highgrove home farm.In the aftermath of Diana’s tragic death and the public disappointment with the royal family, Prince Charles worked on clearing and modernizing their image. He improved public opinion with his public connections and philanthropic activities and increased goodwill.Prince Charles has also been working on revamping the monarchy and slimming it down to the minimum. Currently, there are 22 members in the royal family, and he plans to trim it down to only eight. The reasons include financial ones and safeguarding their reputation from any other family members. He is also planning to open the royal residences for the public to be more connected with them.Prince Charles is the first in the royal line of succession after Queen Elizabeth II. But he can eventually be king only if the Queen relinquishes her many decades-long rule. It is said that if Prince Charles dies before her royal highness, Queen Elizabeth, then Prince William will be second in line for the throne. Prince Harry, his brother, is sixth in line. Prince Williams’ kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis would be in line for the throne.
Charles, Prince of Wales, is the oldest and longest-serving heir apparent to the throne of the British royal family.
