Charles III

For other uses, see Charles III (disambiguation).

Charles III
Head of the Commonwealth
Charles in 2019
King of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms
Reign	8 September 2022 – present
Predecessor	Elizabeth II
Heir apparent	William, Prince of Wales
Born	Prince Charles of Edinburgh (1948-11-14) 14 November 1948 Buckingham Palace, London, England, United Kingdom
Spouses	Diana Spencer ​ ​ (m. 1981; div. 1996)​ Camilla Parker Bowles ​ ​ (m. 2005)​
Issue Detail	William, Prince of Wales Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
Names Charles Philip Arthur George
House	Windsor
Father	Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Mother	Elizabeth II
Religion	Protestant
Signature	Charles's signature in black ink
Education	Gordonstoun School
Alma mater	Trinity College, Cambridge (MA)

Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms.

Charles was born in Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, George VI, and was three years old when his mother, Elizabeth II, acceded to the throne in 1952, making him the heir apparent. He was made Prince of Wales in 1958 and his investiture was held in 1969. He was educated at Cheam and Gordonstoun schools (as was his father, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh) and later spent six months at the Timbertop campus of Geelong Grammar School in Victoria, Australia. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Cambridge, Charles served in the Royal Air Force and Navy for five years, beginning in 1971. In 1981, he married Lady Diana Spencer, with whom he has two sons: William and Harry. The couple divorced in 1996, after they had each engaged in well-publicised extramarital affairs. Diana died in a car crash the following year. In 2005, Charles married his long-term partner, Camilla Parker Bowles.

As heir apparent, Charles undertook official duties and engagements on behalf of his mother. He founded the youth charity The Prince's Trust in 1976, sponsors The Prince's Charities, and is a patron, president, or a member of over 400 other charities and organisations. He has advocated for the conservation of historic buildings and the importance of architecture in society; in that vein, Charles generated the experimental new town of Poundbury. An environmentalist, Charles supported organic farming and action to prevent climate change during his time as the manager of the Duchy of Cornwall estates, earning him awards and recognition as well as criticism; he is also a prominent critic of the adoption of genetically modified food, while his support for homeopathy and other alternative medicine has been criticised. He has published his views by authoring or co-authoring over 20 books.

Charles succeeded his mother on her death on 8 September 2022. At the age of 73, he was the oldest person to accede to the British throne, after having been the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales in British history. His coronation will take place on 6 May 2023.

Early life, family, and education

Charles was born at 21:14 (GMT) on 14 November 1948, during the reign of his maternal grandfather, George VI. He was the first child of Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh (later Queen Elizabeth II), and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His parents had three more children, Anne (born 1950), Andrew (born 1960) and Edward (born 1964). On 15 December 1948, at four weeks old, he was christened in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher.

Charles's grandfather died on 6 February 1952 and, consequently, Charles's mother acceded as Elizabeth II and Charles immediately became the heir apparent. Under a charter of King Edward III in 1337, and as the monarch's eldest son, he automatically assumed the traditional titles of Duke of Cornwall and, in the Scottish peerage, the titles Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland. On 2 June the following year, Charles attended his mother's coronation at Westminster Abbey.

When Charles turned five, a governess, Catherine Peebles, was appointed to oversee his education at Buckingham Palace. Charles then commenced classes at Hill House School in west London on 7 November 1956. He was the first heir apparent to attend school, rather than be educated by a private tutor. He did not receive preferential treatment from the school's founder and headmaster, Stuart Townend, who advised the Queen to have Charles train in football, because the boys were never deferential to anyone on the football field. Charles subsequently attended two of his father's former schools: Cheam Preparatory School in Hampshire, England, from 1958, followed by Gordonstoun, in the north-east of Scotland, beginning classes there in April 1962.

With his parents and sister Anne, October 1957

In Charles's 1994 authorised biography by Jonathan Dimbleby, Elizabeth and Philip were described as physically and emotionally distant parents and Philip was blamed for his disregard of Charles's sensitive nature, including forcing him to attend Gordonstoun, where he was bullied. Though Charles reportedly described Gordonstoun, noted for its especially rigorous curriculum, as "Colditz in kilts", he later praised the school, stating it had taught him "a great deal about myself and my own abilities and disabilities. It taught me to accept challenges and take the initiative." He said in a 1975 interview he was "glad" he had attended Gordonstoun and that the "toughness of the place" was "much exaggerated". Charles spent two terms in 1966 at the Timbertop campus of Geelong Grammar School in Victoria, Australia, during which time he visited Papua New Guinea on a school trip with his history tutor, Michael Collins Persse. In 1973, Charles described his time at Timbertop as the most enjoyable part of his whole education. Upon his return to Gordonstoun, Charles emulated his father in becoming head boy and left in 1967, with six GCE O-levels and two A-levels in history and French, at grades B and C respectively. On his early education, Charles later remarked, "I didn't enjoy school as much as I might have; but, that was only because I'm happier at home than anywhere else."

Charles broke royal tradition a second time when he proceeded straight to university after his A-levels, rather than joining the British Armed Forces. In October 1967, he was admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied archaeology and anthropology for the first part of the Tripos and then switched to history for the second part. During his second year, Charles attended the University College of Wales in Aberystwyth, studying Welsh history and language for a term. Charles became the first British heir apparent to earn a university degree, graduating on 23 June 1970 from the University of Cambridge with a 2:2 Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree. As per tradition, on 2 August 1975, his Bachelor of Arts was promoted to a Master of Arts (MA Cantab) degree; at Cambridge, a Master of Arts is not a postgraduate degree.

Prince of Wales

Charles and his first wife, Diana, with Governor of Queensland Sir James Ramsay (far left) and Lady Ramsay (far right), Brisbane, 1983

Charles was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester on 26 July 1958; though, his investiture was not held until 1 July 1969, when he was crowned by his mother in a televised ceremony held at Caernarfon Castle. He took his seat in the House of Lords the following year and he delivered his maiden speech on 13 June 1974, the first royal to speak from the floor since the future Edward VII in 1884. He spoke again in 1975.

Charles began to take on more public duties, founding the Prince's Trust in 1976 and travelling to the United States in 1981. In the mid-1970s, Charles expressed an interest in serving as governor-general of Australia, at the suggestion of Australian prime minister Malcolm Fraser. But, due to a lack of public enthusiasm, nothing came of the proposal. In reaction, Charles commented, "so, what are you supposed to think when you are prepared to do something to help and you are just told you're not wanted?"

Military training and career

Charles served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Royal Navy. During his second year at Cambridge, he received Royal Air Force training, learning to fly the Chipmunk aircraft with the Cambridge University Air Squadron, and was presented with his RAF wings in August 1971.

County-class destroyers (from front to back) HMS Norfolk, HMS London, and HMS Antrim in the English Channel after taking part in joint exercises with the RAF in the Atlantic, North Sea, and Norwegian Sea in December 1971. Prince Charles was serving aboard the Norfolk at this time.

After the passing-out parade that September, Charles embarked on a naval career and enrolled in a six-week course at the Royal Naval College Dartmouth. He then served from 1971 to 1972 on the guided-missile destroyer HMS Norfolk and the frigates HMS Minerva, from 1972 to 1973, and HMS Jupiter in 1974. That same year, he also qualified as a helicopter pilot at RNAS Yeovilton and subsequently joined 845 Naval Air Squadron, operating from HMS Hermes. Charles spent his last 10 months of active service in the Navy commanding the coastal minehunter HMS Bronington, beginning on 9 February 1976. He took part in a parachute training course at RAF Brize Norton two years later, after being appointed colonel-in-chief of the Parachute Regiment in 1977. Charles gave up flying after crash-landing a BAe 146 in Islay in 1994, for which the crew was found negligent by a board of inquiry.

Relationships and marriages

Bachelorhood

In his youth, Charles was amorously linked to a number of women. His girlfriends included Georgiana Russell, the daughter of Sir John Russell, who was the British ambassador to Spain; Lady Jane Wellesley, the daughter of the 8th Duke of Wellington; Davina Sheffield; Lady Sarah Spencer; and Camilla Shand, who later became his second wife.

Photograph by Allan Warren, 1972

Prince Charles's great-uncle, Lord Mountbatten, advised him to "sow his wild oats and have as many affairs as he can before settling down," but, for a wife, he "should choose a suitable, attractive, and sweet-charactered girl before she has met anyone else she might fall for ... It is disturbing for women to have experiences if they have to remain on a pedestal after marriage." Early in 1974, Mountbatten began corresponding with 25-year-old Charles about a potential marriage to Amanda Knatchbull, Mountbatten's granddaughter. Charles wrote to Amanda's mother, Lady Brabourne, who was also his godmother, expressing interest in her daughter. Lady Brabourne replied approvingly; though, she suggested that a courtship with a 16-year-old was premature. Four years later, Mountbatten arranged for Amanda and himself to accompany Charles on his 1980 visit to India. Both fathers, however, objected; Philip feared that Charles would be eclipsed by his famous uncle, while Lord Brabourne warned that a joint visit would concentrate media attention on the cousins before they could decide on becoming a couple.

Nonetheless, in August 1979, before Charles would depart alone for India, Mountbatten was assassinated by the Irish Republican Army. When Charles returned, he proposed to Amanda. But, in addition to her grandfather, she had lost her paternal grandmother and youngest brother in the bomb attack and was now reluctant to join the royal family.

Lady Diana Spencer

Main article: Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer

Charles and Diana visit Uluru in Australia, March 1983

Charles first met Lady Diana Spencer in 1977, while he was visiting her home, Althorp. He was then the companion of her elder sister, Sarah, and did not consider Diana romantically until mid-1980. While Charles and Diana were sitting together on a bale of hay at a friend's barbecue in July, she mentioned that he had looked forlorn and in need of care at the funeral of his great-uncle, Lord Mountbatten. Soon, according to Dimbleby, "without any apparent surge in feeling, he began to think seriously of her as a potential bride" and she accompanied Charles on visits to Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House.

Charles's cousin, Norton Knatchbull, and his wife told the Prince that Diana appeared awestruck by his position and that he did not seem to be in love with her. Meanwhile, the couple's continuing courtship attracted intense attention from the press and paparazzi. When Prince Philip told him that the media speculation would injure Diana's reputation if Charles did not come to a decision about marrying her soon, and realising that she was a suitable royal bride (according to Mountbatten's criteria), Charles construed his father's advice as a warning to proceed without further delay.

Charles proposed to Diana in February 1981, with their engagement becoming official on 24 February, and they were wed in St Paul's Cathedral on 29 July. Upon his marriage, Charles reduced his voluntary tax contribution from the profits of the Duchy of Cornwall from 50 per cent to 25 per cent. The couple lived at Kensington Palace and Highgrove House, near Tetbury, and had two children: Prince William, in 1982, and Prince Harry, in 1984. Charles set a precedent by being the first royal father to be present at his children's births.

Charles and Diana at the Alberta Legislature Building in Calgary, Canada, June 1983

Within five years, the marriage was in trouble due to the couple's incompatibility and near 13-year age difference. By November 1986, Charles had fully resumed his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles. In a videotape recorded by Peter Settelen in 1992, Diana admitted that, by 1986, she had been "deeply in love with someone who worked in this environment." It was assumed that she was referring to Barry Mannakee, who had been transferred to the Diplomatic Protection Squad in 1986, after his managers determined his relationship with Diana had been inappropriate. Diana later commenced a relationship with Major James Hewitt, the family's former riding instructor.

Charles and Diana's evident discomfort in each other's company led to them being dubbed "The Glums" by the press. Diana exposed Charles's affair with Camilla in a book by Andrew Morton, Diana: Her True Story. Audio tapes of her own extramarital flirtations also surfaced, as did persistent suggestions that Hewitt is Prince Harry's father, based on a physical similarity between Hewitt and Harry. However, Harry had already been born by the time Diana's affair with Hewitt began.

Charles and Diana in Toledo, Spain, April 1987

In December 1992, John Major announced the couple's legal separation in the House of Commons. Early the following year, the British press published transcripts of a passionate, bugged telephone conversation between Charles and Camilla that had taken place in 1989, which was dubbed "Camillagate" and "Tampongate". Charles subsequently sought public understanding in a television film with Dimbleby, Charles: The Private Man, the Public Role, broadcast on 29 June 1994. In an interview in the film, the Prince confirmed his own extramarital affair with Camilla, saying that he had rekindled their association in 1986, only after his marriage to Diana had "irretrievably broken down". This was followed by Diana's own admission of marital troubles in an interview on the BBC current affairs show Panorama, broadcast on 20 November 1995. Referring to Charles's relationship with Camilla, she said, "well, there were three of us in this marriage. So, it was a bit crowded." She also expressed doubt about her husband's suitability for kingship. The Prince and Princess of Wales divorced on 28 August 1996, after being advised by Elizabeth II in December 1995 to end the marriage. The couple shared custody of their children.

Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris on 31 August of the following year. Charles flew to Paris with Diana's sisters to accompany her body back to Britain. In 2003, Diana's butler Paul Burrell published a note that he claimed had been written by Diana in 1995, in which there were allegations that Charles was "planning 'an accident' in [Diana's] car, brake failure and serious head injury", so that he could marry again. When questioned by the Metropolitan Police inquiry team as a part of Operation Paget, Charles told the authorities that he did not know about his former wife's note from 1995 and could not understand why she had these feelings.

Camilla Parker Bowles

Main article: Wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles

Charles and Camilla in Jamaica, March 2008

The engagement of the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles was announced on 10 February 2005; he presented her with an engagement ring that had belonged to his grandmother Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. The Queen's consent to the marriage – as required by the Royal Marriages Act 1772 – was recorded in a Privy Council meeting on 2 March. In Canada, the Department of Justice determined the consent of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada was not required, as the union would not produce any heirs to the Canadian throne.

Charles was the only member of the royal family to have a civil, rather than a church, wedding in England. British government documents from the 1950s and 1960s, published by the BBC, stated that such a marriage was illegal; though, these claims were dismissed by Charles's spokesman and explained to be obsolete by the sitting government.

The union was scheduled to take place in a civil ceremony at Windsor Castle, with a subsequent religious blessing at the castle's St George's Chapel. The wedding venue was changed to Windsor Guildhall after it was realised a civil marriage at Windsor Castle would oblige the venue to be available to anyone who wished to be married there. Four days before the event, it was postponed from the originally scheduled date of 8 April until the following day, in order to allow Charles and some of the invited dignitaries to attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II.

Charles's parents did not attend the civil marriage ceremony; the Queen's reluctance to attend possibly arose from her position as Supreme Governor of the Church of England. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh did attend the service of blessing and, later, held a reception for the newlyweds at Windsor Castle. The blessing, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, was televised.

Official duties

See also: List of official overseas trips made by Charles III

Charles carried out 560 official engagements in 2008, 499 in 2010, and over 600 in 2011. He completed 10,934 engagements between 2002 and 2022.

Charles with Harichand Megha Dalaya at Amul, in Anand, Gujarat, December 1980

During his time as Prince of Wales, Charles undertook official duties on behalf of the Queen. He officiated at investitures and attended the funerals of foreign dignitaries. Charles made regular tours of Wales, fulfilling a week of engagements each summer, and attending important national occasions, such as opening the Senedd. The six trustees of the Royal Collection Trust met three times a year under his chairmanship. Charles also represented his mother at the independence celebrations in Fiji in 1970, the Bahamas in 1973, Papua New Guinea in 1975, Zimbabwe in 1980, and Brunei in 1984.

In 1983, Christopher John Lewis, who had fired a shot with a .22 rifle at the Queen in 1981, attempted to escape a psychiatric hospital in order to assassinate Charles, who was visiting New Zealand with his first wife, Diana, and son William. While Charles was visiting Australia on Australia Day in January 1994, David Kang fired two shots at him from a starting pistol in protest of the treatment of several hundred Cambodian asylum seekers held in detention camps. In 1995, Charles became the first member of the royal family to visit the Republic of Ireland in an official capacity. In 1997, Charles represented the Queen at the Hong Kong handover ceremony. At the ceremony, he read the Queen's message to Hong Kongers, which said: "Britain is part of Hong Kong's history and Hong Kong is part of Britain's history. We are also part of each other's future".

Charles's ninth visit to New Zealand in 2015

At the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005, Charles caused controversy when he shook hands with the president of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, who had been seated next to him. Charles's office subsequently released a statement saying that he could not avoid shaking Mugabe's hand and that he "finds the current Zimbabwean regime abhorrent."

Charles represented the Queen at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. From 15 to 17 November 2013, he represented the Queen for the first time at a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Charles and Camilla made their first joint trip to the Republic of Ireland in May 2015. The trip was called an important step in "promoting peace and reconciliation" by the British Embassy. During the trip, Charles shook hands in Galway with Gerry Adams, leader of Sinn Féin and widely believed to be the leader of the IRA, the militant group that had murdered Charles's relatives in a 1979 terror attack. The Galway event was described by the media as a "historic handshake" and a "significant moment for Anglo-Irish relations".

Commonwealth heads of government decided at their 2018 meeting that Charles would be the next Head of the Commonwealth after the Queen. The head is chosen and therefore not hereditary.

With Queen Elizabeth II and other world leaders to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day on 5 June 2019

On 7 March 2019, the Queen hosted a Buckingham Palace event to mark the 50th anniversary of Charles's investiture as Prince of Wales. Guests at the event included his wife Camilla, his sons and daughters-in-law, Prime Minister Theresa May and Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford. The same month, at the request of the British government, Charles and Camilla went on an official tour to Cuba, making them the first British royalty to visit the country. The tour was seen as an effort to form a closer relationship between the UK and Cuba.

Charles contracted COVID-19 during the pandemic in March 2020. Several newspapers were critical that Charles and Camilla were tested promptly at a time when many NHS doctors, nurses and patients had been unable to be tested expeditiously. Charles tested positive for COVID-19 for a second time in February 2022. Charles and Camilla, who also tested positive, had received doses of a COVID-19 vaccine in February 2021.

Delivering a speech in Bridgetown, after Barbados became a republic, November 2021

In November 2021, Charles attended the ceremonies held to mark Barbados's transition into a parliamentary republic, abolishing the position of monarch of Barbados. Charles was invited by Prime Minister Mia Mottley as the future Head of the Commonwealth, and it was the first time that a member of the royal family attended the transition of a realm to a republic.

Delivering the Queen's Speech on behalf of his mother, May 2022

In May 2022, Charles attended the State Opening of Parliament and delivered the Queen's Speech on behalf of his mother as a counsellor of state.

Reign

Accession and coronation plans

Main articles: Proclamation of accession of Charles III and Coronation of Charles III and Camilla

Charles became king of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms upon his mother's death on 8 September 2022. He was the longest-serving British heir apparent, having surpassed Edward VII's record of 59 years on 20 April 2011. When he became monarch at the age of 73, Charles was the oldest person to do so, the previous record holder being William IV, who was 64 when he became king in 1830.

Addressing the Scottish Parliament following his accession as king

Charles gave his first speech to the nation on 9 September, at 18:00 BST, in which he paid tribute to his mother and announced the appointment of his elder son, William, as Prince of Wales. The following day, the Accession Council publicly proclaimed Charles as King; the ceremony being televised for the first time. Attendees included the new queen consort, Camilla; William, Prince of Wales; Prime Minister Liz Truss; and her predecessors John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May, and Boris Johnson. Other realms where Charles is monarch also held proclamation ceremonies.

The coronation of Charles III and Camilla is due to take place on 6 May 2023, at Westminster Abbey. Plans for Charles's coronation have been made for many years, under the code name Operation Golden Orb. Reports before his accession suggested that Charles's coronation would be simpler and smaller in scale than his mother's in 1953, with the ceremony expected to be "shorter, smaller, less expensive, and more representative of different faiths and community groups – falling in line with the King's wish to reflect the ethnic diversity of modern Britain". Nonetheless, the coronation will be a Church of England rite and will require a coronation oath, the anointment, the delivery of the orb, and the enthronement.

Foreign visits

Charles and Camilla with German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier on the first foreign visit of Charles's reign

Charles arrived in Germany on 29 March 2023 for his first foreign visit as sovereign and became the first British monarch to address the Bundestag. Initially, the King was due to visit France before travelling to Germany; however, that trip was postponed due to the pension reform strikes.

Philanthropy and charity

Since founding the Prince's Trust in 1976, using his £7,500 of severance pay from the Navy, Charles has established 16 more charitable organisations and now serves as president of each. Together, these form a loose alliance called the Prince's Charities, which describes itself as "the largest multi-cause charitable enterprise in the United Kingdom, raising over £100 million annually ... [and is] active across a broad range of areas including education and young people, environmental sustainability, the built environment, responsible business and enterprise, and international." Charles is also patron of over 400 other charities and organisations

The Prince's Charities Canada was established in 2010, in a similar fashion to its namesake in the UK. Charles uses his tours of Canada as a way to help draw attention to youth, the disabled, the environment, the arts, medicine, the elderly, heritage conservation, and education. Charles has also set up The Prince's Charities Australia, based in Melbourne, to provide a coordinating presence for Charles's Australian and international charitable endeavours.

Charles and Camilla visit the African American Heritage Center in Louisville, March 2015

Charles has supported humanitarian projects; for example, he, along with his two sons, took part in ceremonies that marked the 1998 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Charles was one of the first world leaders to express strong concerns about the human rights record of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu, initiating objections in the international arena, and subsequently supported the FARA Foundation, a charity for Romanian orphans and abandoned children. In January 2020, Charles became the first British patron of the International Rescue Committee, a charity which aims to help refugees and those displaced by war, persecution, or natural disaster.

In December 2022, Charles contributed to a £1m fund with a "substantial personal donation" for a project organised by the Felix Project that aimed to provide hundreds of fridges and freezers for food banks. Following his mother's death, Charles asked for the donation to the Fuel Bank Foundation – a charity that "provides vouchers for pre-payment meters for gas and electricity" – to be in her memory. In February 2023, he and Camilla donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee, which was helping victims of the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake.

Investigations of donations

Main articles: The Prince's Foundation § Cash for honours allegations and other donations, and The Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund § Qatari donations

Two of Charles's charities, the Prince's Foundation and the Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund, came under scrutiny in 2021 and 2022, for accepting donations the media deemed inappropriate. In August 2021, it was announced that The Prince's Foundation was launching an investigation into the reports, with Charles' full support. The Charity Commission launched its own investigation into allegations that the donations meant for The Prince's Foundation had been instead sent to the Mahfouz Foundation. The Metropolitan Police then, in February 2022, launched an investigation into the cash-for-honours allegations linked to the foundation, passing their evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service for deliberation on 31 October.

The Times reported in June 2022 that, between 2011 and 2015, Charles accepted €3 million in cash from the Prime Minister of Qatar, Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani. Charles's meetings with Al Thani did not appear in the Court Circular. There is no evidence that the payments were illegal or that it was not intended for the money to go to the charity, though, the Charity Commission announced they would review the information and, in July 2022, it announced that no further investigation, as the information submitted had provided "sufficient assurance" that due diligence had taken place. In the same month, The Times reported that The Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund received a donation of £1 million from Bakr bin Laden and Shafiq bin Laden – both half-brothers of Osama bin Laden – during a private meeting in 2013. The Charity Commission described the decision to accept donations as a "matter for trustees" and added that, based on the available information, no investigation was required.

Personal interests

Letters sent by Charles to government ministers in 2004 and 2005 – the so-called black spider memos – presented potential embarrassment following a challenge by The Guardian newspaper to release the letters under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. In March 2015, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom decided that Charles's letters must be released and the letters were published by the Cabinet Office on 13 May. The reaction was largely supportive of Charles, with little criticism of him; the memos were variously described in the press as "underwhelming" and "harmless" and that their release had "backfired on those who seek to belittle him"; the reaction from the public was also supportive. It was revealed in the same year that Charles had access to confidential Cabinet papers.

In October 2020, a letter sent by Charles to Australian Governor-General John Kerr after Kerr's dismissal of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam in 1975 was released as part of the collection of palace letters regarding the Australian constitutional crisis. In the letter, Charles appeared to be supportive of the Governor-General's decision, writing that what Kerr "did last year was right and the courageous thing to do – and most Australians seemed to endorse your decision when it came to the point," adding that he should not worry about "demonstrations and stupidities" that arose following his decision.

The Times reported in June 2022 that Charles had privately described the British government's Rwanda asylum plan as "appalling" and he feared that it would overshadow the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Rwanda that same month, where Charles represented the Queen. It was later claimed that Cabinet ministers had warned Charles to avoid making political comments, as they feared a constitutional crisis could arise if he continued to make such statements once he became king.

Built environment

Charles has openly expressed his views on architecture and urban planning; he fostered the advancement of New Classical Architecture and asserted that he "care[s] deeply about issues such as the environment, architecture, inner-city renewal, and the quality of life." In a speech given for the 150th anniversary of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) on 30 May 1984, he memorably described a proposed extension to the National Gallery in London as a "monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved friend" and deplored the "glass stumps and concrete towers" of modern architecture. He asserted that "it is possible, and important in human terms, to respect old buildings, street plans and traditional scales and at the same time not to feel guilty about a preference for facades, ornaments and soft materials," called for local community involvement in architectural choices, and asked:

Why can't we have those curves and arches that express feeling in design? What is wrong with them? Why has everything got to be vertical, straight, unbending, only at right angles – and functional?

At the newly opened At-Bristol, 14 June 2000

Charles's book and BBC documentary A Vision of Britain (1987) were also critical of modern architecture, and he has continued to campaign for traditional urbanism, human scale, restoration of historic buildings, and sustainable design, despite criticism in the press. Two of his charities (the Prince's Regeneration Trust and the Prince's Foundation for Building Community, which were later merged into one charity) promote his views, and the village of Poundbury was built on land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall to a master plan by Léon Krier under the guidance of Charles and in line with his philosophy. Charles has "a deep understanding of Islamic art and architecture", and has been involved in the construction of a building and garden at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies that combine Islamic and Oxford architectural styles.

Charles helped establish a national trust for the built environment in Canada after lamenting, in 1996, the unbridled destruction of many of the country's historic urban cores. He offered his assistance to the Department of Canadian Heritage in creating a trust modelled on Britain's National Trust, a plan that was implemented with the passage of the 2007 Canadian federal budget. In 1999, Charles agreed to the use of his title for the Prince of Wales Prize for Municipal Heritage Leadership, awarded by the Heritage Canada Foundation to municipal governments that have shown sustained commitment to the conservation of historic places. While visiting the United States and surveying the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, Charles received the National Building Museum's Vincent Scully Prize in 2005, for his efforts in regard to architecture; he donated $25,000 of the prize money towards restoring storm-damaged communities.

Charles in Aberdyfi, Wales, to celebrate the refurbishment of several retail properties, part of a revitalisation of Welsh villages

Charles has occasionally intervened in projects that employ architectural styles such as modernism and functionalism. In 2009, Charles wrote to the Qatari royal family, the developers of the Chelsea Barracks site, labelling Lord Rogers's design for the site "unsuitable". Rogers claimed the prince had also intervened to block his designs for the Royal Opera House and Paternoster Square, and condemned Charles's actions as "an abuse of power" and "unconstitutional". Lord Foster, Zaha Hadid, Jacques Herzog, Jean Nouvel, Renzo Piano, and Frank Gehry, among others, wrote a letter to The Sunday Times complaining that Charles's "private comments" and "behind-the-scenes lobbying" subverted the "open and democratic planning process". Piers Gough and other architects condemned Charles's views as "elitist" in a letter encouraging colleagues to boycott a speech given by Charles to RIBA in 2009. CPC Group, the developer of the project, took a case against Qatari Diar to the High Court, which described Charles's intervention as "unwelcome". After the case was settled, the CPC Group apologised to him "for any offence caused by the decision to commence litigation against Qatari Diar and the allegations made by CPC during the course of the proceedings".

For his work as patron of New Classical Architecture, in 2012 Charles was awarded the Driehaus Architecture Prize for patronage. The prize, awarded by the University of Notre Dame, is considered the highest architecture award for New Classical Architecture and urban planning.

Livery company commitments

The Worshipful Company of Carpenters installed Charles as an Honorary Liveryman "in recognition of his interest in London's architecture." Charles is also Permanent Master of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights, a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Drapers, an Honorary Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Musicians, an Honorary Freeman and Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers, an Honorary Member of the Court of Assistants of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, and a Royal Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Gardeners.

Natural environment

Charles and Camilla meeting Federal Emergency Management Agency officials in Louisiana, as they arrive to tour the damage created by Hurricane Katrina, November 2005

Since the 1970s, Charles has promoted environmental awareness. At the age of 21, he delivered his first speech on environmental issues in his capacity as the chairman of the Welsh Countryside Committee. An avid gardener, Charles has also emphasised the importance of talking to plants, stating that "I happily talk to the plants and trees, and listen to them. I think it's absolutely crucial". His interest in gardening began in 1980 when he took over the Highgrove estate. His "healing garden", based on sacred geometry and ancient religious symbolism, went on display at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2002.

Upon moving into Highgrove House, Charles developed an interest in organic farming, which culminated in the 1990 launch of his own organic brand, Duchy Originals, which now sells more than 200 different sustainably produced products, from food to garden furniture; the profits (over £6 million by 2010) are donated to the Prince's Charities. Along similar lines, Charles became involved with farming and various industries within it, regularly meeting with farmers to discuss their trade. A prominent critic of the practice, Charles has also spoken against the use of GM crops, and in a letter to the prime minister in 1998, Charles criticised the development of genetically modified foods.

In January 2020, Charles launched the Sustainable Markets Initiative at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, a project which encourages putting sustainability at the centre of all activities. In May 2020, his Sustainable Markets Initiative and the World Economic Forum launched the Great Reset project, a five-point plan concerned with enhancing sustainable economic growth following the global recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In January 2021, Charles launched Terra Carta ("Earth Charter"), a sustainable finance charter that would ask its signatories to follow a set of rules towards becoming more sustainable and make investments in projects and causes that help with preserving the environment. In July 2021, Charles and Jony Ive announced the Terra Carta Design Lab, a competition conceived by the Royal College of Art to find solutions to climate change and environmental issues, winners of which would be supported financially and introduced to the industry leads of the Sustainable Markets Initiative.

In 2021, Charles spoke to the BBC about the environment and said two days a week he eats no meat nor fish and one day a week he eats no dairy products. In 2022, it was reported that he eats a breakfast of fruit salad, seeds and tea. He does not eat lunch, but takes a break for tea at 5 p.m. and eats dinner at 8:30 p.m. and then returns to work until midnight or after. Ahead of the 2022 Christmas dinner, Charles confirmed to animal rights group PETA that foie gras would not be served at any royal residences. As Prince of Wales, he had stopped the use of foie gras at his own properties for more than a decade before taking the throne. The holy chrism oil to be used at his coronation is vegan and made from oils of olive, sesame, rose, jasmine, cinnamon, neroli, benzoin along with amber and orange blossom. His mother's chrism oil contained animal-based oils.

In October 2021, he delivered a speech at the 2021 G20 Rome summit, describing COP26 as "the last chance saloon" for preventing climate change and asking for actions that would lead to a green-led sustainable economy. In his speech at the opening ceremony for COP26, he repeated his sentiments from the previous year, stating that "a vast military-style campaign" was needed "to marshal the strength of the global private sector" for tackling climate change.

Charles, who is patron of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, launched the Climate Action Scholarships for students from small island nations in partnership with University of Cambridge, University of Toronto, University of Melbourne, McMaster University and University of Montreal in March 2022. In September 2022, Charles hosted the Global Allergy Symposium at Dumfries House with the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation and 16 allergy experts from around the world to discuss factors behind new emerging allergies, including biodiversity loss and climate change. In October 2022, it was reported that the prime minister, Liz Truss, had advised the King against attending COP27, to which he had agreed.

Alternative medicine

See also: The Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health and The College of Medicine

Charles and Camilla with NIH director Elias Zerhouni (second from left) and Surgeon-General Richard Carmona (right), November 2005

Charles has controversially championed alternative medicine. He first expressed his interest in alternative medicine publicly in December 1982 in an address to the British Medical Association (BMA). This speech was seen as 'combative' and 'critical' of modern medicine, and was met with anger by some medical professionals. The Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health (FIH) attracted opposition from the scientific and medical community over its campaign encouraging general practitioners to offer herbal and other alternative treatments to National Health Service patients.

In April 2008, The Times published a letter from Edzard Ernst, Professor of Complementary Medicine at the University of Exeter, which asked the FIH to recall two guides promoting alternative medicine, saying "the majority of alternative therapies appear to be clinically ineffective, and many are downright dangerous." That year, Ernst published a book with Simon Singh, mockingly dedicated to "HRH the Prince of Wales", called Trick or Treatment: Alternative Medicine on Trial. The last chapter is highly critical of Charles's advocacy of complementary and alternative treatments.

Charles's Duchy Originals produced a variety of complementary medicinal products including a "Detox Tincture" that Edzard Ernst denounced as "financially exploiting the vulnerable" and "outright quackery". Charles personally wrote at least seven letters to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) shortly before they relaxed the rules governing labelling of such herbal products, a move that has been widely condemned by scientists and medical bodies. In October 2009, it was reported that Charles had personally lobbied the Health Secretary, Andy Burnham, regarding greater provision of alternative treatments in the NHS.

In April 2010, following accounting irregularities, the FIH announced its closure, claiming that it "has achieved its key objective of promoting the use of integrated health." The FIH was re-branded and re-launched later in 2010 as The College of Medicine, of which Charles became a patron in 2019.

Sports

From his youth until 1992, Charles was an avid player of competitive polo. Charles also frequently took part in fox hunting until the sport was banned in the United Kingdom in 2005. By the late 1990s, opposition to the activity was growing when Charles's participation was viewed as a "political statement" by those who were opposed to it.

Charles has been a keen salmon angler since youth and supported Orri Vigfússon's efforts to protect the North Atlantic salmon. He frequently fishes the River Dee in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, while he claims his most special angling memories are from his time in Vopnafjörður, Iceland. Charles is a supporter of Burnley Football Club.

Aside from hunting, Charles has also participated in target rifle competitions, representing the House of Lords in the Vizianagram Match (Lords vs. Commons) at Bisley. He became President of the British National Rifle Association in 1977.

Visual, performing, and literary arts

Further information: Bibliography of Charles III

Charles, President of the Royal Shakespeare Company, attending a performance of Henry V at the Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, 2007

Charles has been involvd in performance since he was a member of Dryden Society, Trinity College's drama group, and appeared in sketches and revues. He is president or patron of more than 20 performing arts organisations, including the Royal College of Music, Royal Opera, English Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Welsh National Opera, Royal Shakespeare Company (attending performances in Stratford-Upon-Avon, supporting fundraising events, and attending the company's annual general meeting), British Film Institute, and Purcell School. In 2000, he revived the tradition of appointing an official harpist to the Prince of Wales, in order to foster Welsh talent at playing the national instrument of Wales.

Charles is a keen watercolourist, having published books on the subject and exhibited and sold a number of his works to raise money for charity; in 2016, it was estimated that he had sold lithographs of his watercolours for a total of £2 million from a shop at his Highgrove House residence. For his 50th birthday, 50 of his watercolours were exhibited at Hampton Court Palace and, for his 70th birthday, his works were exhibited at the National Gallery of Australia. In 2001, 20 lithographs of his watercolour paintings illustrating his country estates were exhibited at the Florence International Biennale of Contemporary Art and 79 of his paintings were put on display in London in 2022. To mark the 25th anniversary of his investiture as Prince of Wales in 1994, the Royal Mail issued a series of postage stamps that featured his paintings. Charles is Honorary President of the Royal Academy of Arts Development Trust and, in 2015 and 2022, commissioned 12 paintings of D-Day veterans and seven Holocaust survivors, respectively, which went on display at the Queen's Gallery in Buckingham Palace.

Charles is the author of several books, and has contributed a foreword or preface to numerous books by others. He has also written, presented, or been featured in a variety of documentary films.

Religion and philosophy

Shortly after his accession to the throne, Charles publicly described himself as "a committed Anglican Christian." The King is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England and a member of the Church of Scotland; Charles swore an oath to uphold that church immediately after he was proclaimed king. At age 16, during Easter 1965, Charles was confirmed by Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey, in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. He attends services at various Anglican churches close to Highgrove and attends the Church of Scotland's Crathie Kirk with the rest of the royal family when staying at Balmoral Castle. In 2000, Charles served as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

With Czech Orthodox priest Jaroslav Šuvarský, 2010

Laurens van der Post became a friend of Charles in 1977; he was dubbed the Prince's "spiritual guru" and was godfather to Charles's son, Prince William. From van der Post, Charles developed a focus on philosophy and an interest in other religions. Charles expressed his philosophical views in his 2010 book, Harmony: A New Way of Looking at Our World, which won a Nautilus Book Award. In 2019, Charles attended the service in Rome at which Pope Francis declared the canonisation of Cardinal Newman. He has also visited Eastern Orthodox monasteries on Mount Athos, in Romania, and in Serbia, and met with Eastern Church leaders in Jerusalem in 2020, during a visit that culminated in an ecumenical service in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and a walk through the city accompanied by Christian and Muslim dignitaries. Charles also attended the consecration of Britain's first Syriac Orthodox cathedral, St Thomas Cathedral, Acton. Charles is patron of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies at the University of Oxford and attended the inauguration of the Markfield Institute of Higher Education, which is dedicated to Islamic studies in a multicultural context.

In his 1994 documentary with Dimbleby, Charles said that, when king, he wished to be seen as a "defender of faith", rather than the monarch's traditional title of Defender of the Faith, in order to respect other people's religious traditions. This attracted controversy at the time, as well as speculation that the coronation oath may be altered. He stated in 2015 that he would retain the title of Defender of the Faith, whilst "ensuring that other people's faiths can also be practised", which he sees as a duty of the Church of England. Charles reaffirmed this theme shortly after his accession and declared that his duties as sovereign included "the duty to protect the diversity of our country, including by protecting the space for faith itself and its practice through the religions, cultures, traditions, and beliefs to which our hearts and minds direct us as individuals." His inclusive multi-faith approach and his own Christian beliefs were also evident in his first Christmas message as king, broadcast on 25 December 2022.

Media image and public opinion

Main article: Cultural depictions of Charles III

Since his birth, Charles has received close media attention, which increased as he matured. It has been an ambivalent relationship, largely impacted by his marriages to Diana and Camilla and their aftermath, but also centred on his future conduct as king. Described as the "world's most eligible bachelor" in the late 1970s, Charles was subsequently overshadowed by Diana. After her death, the media regularly breached Charles's privacy and printed exposés. Known for expressing his opinions, when asked during an interview to mark his 70th birthday whether this would continue in the same way once he is king, he responded "No. It won't. I'm not that stupid. I do realise that it is a separate exercise being sovereign. So, of course, you know, I understand entirely how that should operate".

Charles and Diana with US president Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan in November 1985

A 2018 BMG Research poll found that 46% of Britons wanted Charles to abdicate immediately upon accession to the throne, in favour of William. However, a 2021 opinion poll reported that 60% of the British public had a favourable opinion of him. On his accession to the throne, The Statesman reported an opinion poll that put Charles's popularity with the British people at 42 per cent. More recent polling suggested that his popularity increased sharply after he became king. According to YouGov, as of 16 April 2023, Charles had an approval rating of 55%.

Reaction to press treatment

In 1994, German tabloid Bild published nude photos of Charles that were taken while he was vacationing in Le Barroux. They were reportedly put up for sale for £30,000. Buckingham Palace reacted by stating that it was "unjustifiable for anybody to suffer this sort of intrusion".

In 2002, Charles, "so often a target of the press, got his chance to return fire" when addressing "scores of editors, publishers and other media executives" gathered at St Bride's Fleet Street to celebrate 300 years of journalism. Defending public servants from "the corrosive drip of constant criticism", he noted that the press had been "awkward, cantankerous, cynical, bloody-minded, at times intrusive, at times inaccurate and at times deeply unfair and harmful to individuals and to institutions." But, he concluded, regarding his own relations with the press, "from time to time we are probably both a bit hard on each other, exaggerating the downsides and ignoring the good points in each."

Charles's anguish was recorded in his private comments to Prince William, caught on a microphone during a press photo-call in 2005 and published in the national press. After a question from the BBC's royal correspondent, Nicholas Witchell, Charles muttered: "These bloody people. I can't bear that man. I mean, he's so awful, he really is."

In 2006, Charles filed a court case against The Mail on Sunday, after excerpts of his personal journals were published, revealing his opinions on matters such as the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong to China in 1997, in which Charles described the Chinese government officials as "appalling old waxworks". In 2011, Charles and Camilla were named as individuals whose confidential information was reportedly targeted or actually acquired in conjunction with the news media phone hacking scandal.

In 2015, The Independent noted that Charles would only speak to broadcasters "on the condition they have signed a 15-page contract, demanding that Clarence House attends both the 'rough cut' and 'fine cut' edits of films and, if it is unhappy with the final product, can 'remove the contribution in its entirety from the programme'." This contract stipulated that all questions directed at Charles must be pre-approved and vetted by representatives of Charles.

Residences and finance

See also: Finances of the British royal family

In 2023, The Guardian estimated Charles's personal wealth at £1.8 billion (EUR 2 billion, USD 2.2 billion). This estimate includes the assets of the Duchy of Lancaster worth £653 million (and paying Charles an annual income of £20 million), jewels worth £533 million, real estate worth £330 million, shares and investments worth £142 million, a stamp collection worth at least £100 million, racehorses worth £27 million, artworks worth £24 million, and cars worth £6.3 million. Most of this wealth Charles inherited from his mother, Elizabeth II, exempt from inheritance tax.

Clarence House, Charles's official residence as Prince of Wales from 2003

Clarence House, previously the residence of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, was Charles's official London residence from 2003, after being renovated at a cost of £4.5 million. He previously shared apartments eight and nine at Kensington Palace with his first wife, Diana, before moving to York House at St James's Palace, which remained his principal residence until 2003. Highgrove House in Gloucestershire is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, having been purchased for his use in 1980, and which Charles rents for £336,000 per annum.

As Prince of Wales, Charles's primary source of income was generated from the Duchy of Cornwall, which owns 133,658 acres of land (around 54,090 hectares), including farming, residential, and commercial properties, as well as an investment portfolio. Since 1993, Charles has paid tax voluntarily under the Memorandum of Understanding on Royal Taxation, updated in 2013. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs were asked in December 2012 to investigate alleged tax avoidance by the Duchy of Cornwall. The Duchy is named in the Paradise Papers, a set of confidential electronic documents relating to offshore investment that were leaked to the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Titles, styles, honours, and arms

Main article: List of titles and honours of Charles III

See also: List of awards received by Charles III

Royal cypher of Charles III, surmounted by the Tudor Crown

Scottish royal cypher of Charles III, surmounted by the Crown of Scotland

Titles and styles

Charles was originally styled His Royal Highness Prince Charles of Edinburgh. Upon his mother's accession in 1952, he, as the monarch's eldest son, automatically acquired the duchies of Cornwall and Rothesay and became known as His Royal Highness the Duke of Cornwall. Though he continued to hold the title until his accession in 2022, this style was superseded when he was created Prince of Wales in 1958. From then until he became king, Charles was generally styled His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, except in Scotland, where he was styled His Royal Highness the Duke of Rothesay. When his father died in 2021, Charles also inherited the title of Duke of Edinburgh. The title merged with the Crown upon Charles's accession to the throne.

There had been speculation throughout his mother's reign as to what regnal name Charles would choose upon his accession; instead of Charles III, he could have chosen to reign as George VII or used one of his other given names. It was reported that he might use George in honour of his grandfather, George VI, and to avoid associations with previous royalty named Charles. Charles's office asserted in 2005 that no decision had yet been made. Speculation continued for a few hours following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, until first Prime Minister Liz Truss announced, and then Clarence House confirmed, that Charles would use the regnal name Charles III.

Honours and military appointments

Charles meets Canadian Armed Forces members taking part in Exercise Southern Katipo, in Westport, November 2015

Charles has held substantive ranks in the armed forces of a number of countries since he was commissioned as a flight lieutenant in the Royal Air Force in 1972. Charles's first honorary appointment in the armed forces was as Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Regiment of Wales in 1969; since then, he has also been installed as Colonel-in-Chief, Colonel, Honorary Air Commodore, Air Commodore-in-Chief, Deputy Colonel-in-Chief, Royal Honorary Colonel, Royal Colonel, and Honorary Commodore of at least 32 military formations throughout the Commonwealth, including the Royal Gurkha Rifles, which is the only foreign regiment in the British army. Since 2009, Charles holds the second-highest ranks in all three branches of the Canadian Forces and, on 16 June 2012, the Queen awarded him the highest honorary rank in all three branches of the British Armed Forces, "to acknowledge his support in her role as Commander-in-Chief", installing him as Admiral of the Fleet, Field Marshal and Marshal of the Royal Air Force.

Charles has been inducted into seven orders and received eight decorations from the Commonwealth realms, and has been the recipient of 20 different honours from foreign states, as well as nine honorary degrees from universities in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

Arms

Main articles: Arms of the United Kingdom and Arms of Canada

As Prince of Wales, Charles used the arms of the United Kingdom differenced with a white label and an inescutcheon of the Principality of Wales, surmounted by the heir apparent's crown. When Charles became king, he inherited the royal coats of arms of the United Kingdom and of Canada.

The design of his royal cypher, featuring a depiction of the Tudor crown instead of St Edward's Crown, was revealed on 27 September 2022. According to the College of Arms, the Tudor crown will now be used in representations of the royal arms of the United Kingdom and on uniforms and crown badges.

Coat of arms as Prince of Wales (1958–2022)

Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom

Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom for use in Scotland

Royal coat of arms of Canada

Banners, flags, and standards

As heir apparent

The banners used by Charles whilst Prince of Wales varied depending upon location. His personal standard for the United Kingdom was the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom differenced as in his arms, with a label of three points argent and the escutcheon of the arms of the Principality of Wales in the centre. It was used outside Wales, Scotland, Cornwall, and Canada, and throughout the entire United Kingdom when the Prince was acting in an official capacity associated with the British Armed Forces.

The personal flag for use in Wales was based upon the Royal Badge of Wales (the historic arms of the Kingdom of Gwynedd), which consists of four quadrants, the first and fourth with a red lion on a gold field and the second and third with a gold lion on a red field. Superimposed is an escutcheon vert, bearing the single-arched coronet of the Prince of Wales.

In Scotland, the personal banner used between 1974 and 2022 was based upon three ancient Scottish titles: Duke of Rothesay (heir apparent to the King of Scots), High Steward of Scotland, and Lord of the Isles. The flag was divided into four quadrants, like the arms of the Chief of Clan Stewart of Appin; the first and fourth quadrants comprised a gold field with a blue and silver checkered band in the centre; the second and third quadrants displayed a black galley on a silver field. The arms were differenced from those of Appin by the addition of an inescutcheon bearing the tressured lion rampant of Scotland, defaced by a plain label of three points azure, to indicate the heir apparent. In Cornwall, the banner was the arms of the Duke of Cornwall: Sable 15 bezants Or; that is, a black field bearing 15 gold coins.

In 2011, the Canadian Heraldic Authority introduced a personal heraldic banner for the Prince of Wales for Canada, consisting of the shield of the Royal Coat of Arms of Canada defaced with both a blue roundel of the Prince of Wales's feathers surrounded by a wreath of gold maple leaves and a white label of three points.

Banner of arms

Royal standard of the Prince of Wales for the United Kingdom

Standard for Wales

Standard for Scotland

Banner of arms of the Duke of Cornwall

Royal standard of the Prince of Wales for Canada

As sovereign

Main article: Royal Standard of the United Kingdom

The royal standard is used to represent the King in the United Kingdom and on official visits overseas, except in Canada. It is the royal arms in banner form undifferentiated, having been used by successive British monarchs since 1702.

Royal Standard

United Kingdom (outside Scotland)

Scotland

Issue

Name	Birth	Marriage		Children
		Date	Spouse
William, Prince of Wales	(1982-06-21) 21 June 1982	29 April 2011	Catherine Middleton	Prince George of Wales Princess Charlotte of Wales Prince Louis of Wales
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex	(1984-09-15) 15 September 1984	19 May 2018	Meghan Markle	Prince Archie of Sussex Princess Lilibet of Sussex

Ancestry

Ancestors of Charles III

8. George I of Greece 4. Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark 9. Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia 2. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh 10. Prince Louis of Battenberg 5. Princess Alice of Battenberg 11. Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine 1. Charles III of the United Kingdom 12. George V of the United Kingdom 6. George VI of the United Kingdom 13. Princess Victoria Mary of Teck 3. Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom 14. Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne 7. Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon 15. Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck

See also

• List of current monarchs of sovereign states
• List of covers of Time magazine (1960s), (1970s), (1980s), (2010s)

Sources

• Brandreth, Gyles (2007). Charles and Camilla: Portrait of a Love Affair. Random House. ISBN 978-0-09-949087-6.
• Dimbleby, Jonathan (1994). The Prince of Wales: A Biography. William Morrow and Company. ISBN 0-688-12996-X.
• Holden, Anthony (1979). Prince Charles. Atheneum. ISBN 978-0-593-02470-6.
• Junor, Penny (2005). The Firm: The Troubled Life of the House of Windsor. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-35274-5. OCLC 59360110.
• Lacey, Robert (2008). Monarch: The Life and Reign of Elizabeth II. Free Press. ISBN 978-1-4391-0839-0.
• Smith, Sally Bedell (2000). Diana in Search of Herself: Portrait of a Troubled Princess. Signet. ISBN 978-0-451-20108-9.

Further reading

• Benson, Ross (1994). Charles: The Untold Story. St Martins Press. ISBN 978-0-312-10950-9.
• Bower, Tom (2018). The Rebel Prince, The Power, Passion and Defiance of Prince Charles. William Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-829173-0.
• Brown, Michèle (1980). Prince Charles. Crown. ISBN 978-0-517-54019-0.
• Campbell, J. (1981). Charles: Prince of Our Times. Smithmark. ISBN 978-0-7064-0968-0.
• Cathcart, Helen (1977). Prince Charles: The biography (illustrated ed.). Taplinger Pub. Co; Ltd. ISBN 978-0-8008-6555-9.
• Fisher, Graham; Fisher, Heather (1977). Charles: The Man and the Prince. Robert Hale. ISBN 978-0-7091-6095-3.
• Gilleo, Alma (1978). Prince Charles: Growing Up in Buckingham Palace. Childs World. ISBN 978-0-89565-029-0.
• Graham, Caroline (2005). Camilla and Charles: The Love Story. John Blake. ISBN 978-1-84454-195-9.
• Heald, Tim; Mohrs, Mayo (1979). The Man Who Will Be King H.R.H. (Prince of Wales Charles). New York: Arbor House.
• Hedley, Olwen (1969). Charles, 21st Prince of Wales. Pitkin Pictorials. ISBN 978-0-85372-027-0.
• Hodgson, Howard (2007). Charles: The Man Who Will Be King (illustrated ed.). John Blake Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84454-306-9.
• Holden, Anthony (1988). King Charles III: A Biography. Grove. ISBN 978-1-55584-309-0.
• Holden, Anthony (1998). Charles at Fifty. Random House. ISBN 978-0-375-50175-3.
• Holden, Anthony (1999). Charles: A Biography. Corgi Books. ISBN 978-0-552-99744-7.
• Jencks, Charles (1988). Prince, Architects & New Wave Monarchy. Rizzoli. ISBN 978-0-8478-1010-9.
• Jobson, Robert (2018). Charles at Seventy – Thoughts, Hopes & Dreams: Thoughts, Hopes and Dreams. John Blake. ISBN 978-1-78606-887-3.
• Junor, Penny (1998). Charles: Victim or Villain?. Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-255900-3.
• Lane, Peter (1988). Prince Charles: a study in development. Robert Hale. ISBN 978-0-7090-3320-2.
• Liversidge, Douglas (1975). Prince Charles: monarch in the making. A. Barker. ISBN 978-0-213-16568-0.
• Martin, Christopher (1990). Prince Charles and the Architectural Debate (Architectural Design Profile). St Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-04048-2.
• Mayer, Catherine (2015). Born to Be King: Prince Charles on Planet Windsor. Henry Holt and Co. ISBN 978-1-62779-438-1.
• Mayer, Catherine (2015). Charles: The Heart of a King. Random House. ISBN 978-0-7535-5593-4.
• Nugent, Jean (1982). Prince Charles, England's Future King. Dillon. ISBN 978-0-87518-226-1.
• Regan, Simon (1977). Charles, the Clown Prince. Everest Books. ISBN 978-0-905018-50-8.
• Smith, Sally Bedell (2017). Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life. Random House Trade Paperbacks. ISBN 978-0-8129-7980-0.
• Veon, Joan M. (1997). Prince Charles: The Sustainable Prince. Hearthstone. ISBN 978-1-57558-021-0.
• Wakeford, Geoffrey (1962). Charles, Prince of Wales. Associated Newspapers.

External links

• The King at the Royal Family website
• King Charles III at the website of the Government of Canada
• Charles III at IMDb
• Appearances on C-SPAN