Charles III

**Charles III** (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is 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

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.

### 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.

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.

## 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'

## Infobox (military person)

- **embed**: yes
- **allegiance**: United Kingdom
- **serviceyears**: 1971–1976
- **serviceyears label**: Years of active service
- **rank**: List of titles and honours of Charles III, Full list


## Infobox (person)

- **embed**: yes
- **education**: Gordonstoun School


## Infobox (royalty)

- **title**: Head of the Commonwealth
- **image**: King Charles III (July 2023).jpg
- **alt**: Photograph of Charles III
- **caption**: Charles III in 2023
- **reign**: 8 September 2022present
- **cor-type**: Coronation of Charles III and Camilla, Coronation
- **coronation**: 6 May 2023
- **predecessor**: Elizabeth II
- **successor**: William, Prince of Wales
- **birth name**: Prince Charles of Edinburgh
- **birth place**: Buckingham Palace, London, England
- **issue-link**: #Issue
- **full name**: Charles Philip Arthur George
- **house**: House of Windsor, Windsor
- **father**: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
- **mother**: Elizabeth II
- **religion**: Protestantism in the United Kingdom, Protestant