# Charles III

| Charles III |
| --- |
| *Head of the Commonwealth* |
| Charles III in 2023 |
| King of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms |
| Reign | 8 September 2022 – present |
| Coronation | 6 May 2023 |
| Predecessor | Elizabeth II |
| Successor | William, Prince of Wales |
|  |
| Born | Prince Charles of Edinburgh  (1948-11-14) 14 November 1948 Buckingham Palace, London, England |
| Spouses | * Diana Spencer
​ ​(m. 1981; div. 1996)​
* Camilla Parker Bowles
​ ​(m. 2005)​
 |
| Issue | * 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 |
|  |
| Education | Gordonstoun School |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge (MA) |
|  |
| Military career |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | * Royal Navy
* Royal Air Force
 |
| Years of active service | 1971–1976 |
| Rank | Full list |
| Commands | HMS *Bronington* |
|

Charles III's voice

Speech to the Scottish Parliament following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II Recorded 12 September 2022
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|  |
|  |

**Charles III** (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is currently King of the United Kingdom and of the 14 other countries consisting of the Commonwealth Realm. He is also the Head of the Commonwealth. He was Prince of Wales between 1958 and 2022.

Charles was born in 1948, when his grandfather George VI was King. He became heir apparent when his mother, Elizabeth II, became Queen in 1952.

He created Prince of Wales in 1958 and his investiture happened in 1969. He went to Cheam School and Gordonstoun, and went to Geelong Grammar School in Victoria, Australia. He got a history degree from the University of Cambridge; and then he was in the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy from 1971 to 1976. After his 1981 wedding to Lady Diana Spencer, they had two sons, William and Harry. After years of being apart and adultery, Charles and Diana divorced in 1996. Diana died in a car crash in 1997. In 2005 Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles (now Queen Camilla).

Charles became King when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died in September 2022. She had been Queen since 1952. Charles was heir apparent for longer than any in British history, between 1952 and 2022.

## Early life

King Charles III was born at Buckingham Palace in London. He is the first son of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark. He is the grandson of George VI of the United Kingdom and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. He was baptised at Buckingham Palace.

Charles went to school at Gordonstoun and to university at Trinity College, Cambridge. He became the first British royal heir to earn a university degree.

## Prince of Wales

Portrait of Charles in 1972 when he was Prince of Wales
Charles was officially made the Prince of Wales in 1958. As Prince of Wales, Charles fulfilled many public engagements and charity work, such as creating the Prince's Trust. He has also spent time in the Royal Air Force. He has spent a lot of time advocating for the prevention of climate change.

As the heir to the throne, Charles also represented his mother on numerous occasions, such as the independence days of Fiji, the Bahamas, Papua New Guinea, Zimbabwe and Brunei, as well as the day Hong Kong was given back to China.

In 2021, Prince Charles attended the celebration of Barbados becoming a republic and removing Queen Elizabeth as their leader. It was the first time that a British royal attended the transition of a Commonwealth realm in a republic.

## Reign

### Accession

Charles became king on 8 September 2022, after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Holding the titles Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, and Duke of Rothesay, Charles was the longest-serving British heir apparent, passing Edward VII's record on 20 April 2011. When he became monarch at the age of 73, he was the oldest person to do so.

Charles in the Scottish Parliament (September 2022)
In an announcement after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Liz Truss called Charles "King Charles III". This was the first time anyone had used that name officially. soon after Clarence House confirmed that he would use the regnal name "Charles III". When a British monarch becomes king or queen, they are allowed to change their name if they want to. For example, Charles' grandfather changed his name from "Albert" to "George", and he was "King George VI".

### Coronation

Charles' coronation took place at Westminster Abbey on 6 May 2023. HM Queen consort Camilla was crowned at the same occasion. Charles' eldest son William, Prince of Wales attended and was the only noble to swear allegiance to The King.

### Reign

In October 2025, during his state visit to the Holy See, Charles became the first British monarch to pray alongside a pope since the Reformation, joining Pope Leo XIV for a church service in the Sistine Chapel of the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City. Later that month, Charles had his first official engagement in support of the LGBT+ community, unveiling "An Opened Letter", the UK's first national memorial honouring LGBT armed forces veterans, at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

After his brother Andrew's arrest on 19 February 2026 on suspicion of misconduct in public office, he showed his "deepest concern" and said that "the law must take its course".

In April 2026, during a state visit to the United States, Charles became the second British monarch to address the United States Congress]], after his mother Elizabeth II in 1991. His speech received about a dozen standing ovations. In May, he visited Golders Green after the previous month's stabbings, meeting the victims at a Jewish Care charity centre, the Chief Rabbi, and members of the community's medical and security response teams.

## Personal life

He was married to his first wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, from 1981 until they divorced in 1996. They had two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. Charles and Diana's divorce attracted a lot of media coverage and attention. Charles has been married to his second wife, Camilla, Queen Consort formerly the Duchess of Cornwall, since 2005.

On 25 March 2020, Charles tested positive for COVID-19.

On 5 February 2024, it was announced by Buckingham Palace that Charles had been diagnosed with cancer.

## Titles

* 14 November 1948 – 6 February 1952: His Royal Highness Prince Charles of Edinburgh
* 6 February 1952 – 8 September 2022: His Royal Highness The Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles
* 26 July 1958 – 8 September 2022: His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester
* 9 April 2021 – 8 September 2022: His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, Baron of Greenwich
* 8 September 2022: His Majesty The King

## Other websites

* Official website of HRH The Prince of Wales
* Official Duchy of Cornwall Cottages website
* Official website of 'The Prince's Trust' Archived 2019-04-21 at the Wayback Machine
* Charles III at Curlie