Charles , Prince of Wales Charles , Prince of Wales ( Charles Philip Arthur George , born 14 November 1948 ) , is the eldest child and heir apparent of Queen Elizabeth II . Known alternatively in Scotland as Duke of Rothesay and in South West England as Duke of Cornwall , he is the longest - serving heir apparent in British history , having held the position since 1952 . He is also the oldest heir to the throne since 1714 . Charles was born at Buckingham Palace as the first grandchild of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth . He was educated at Cheam and Gordonstoun Schools , which his father , Prince Philip , Duke of Edinburgh , had attended as a child , as well as the Timbertop campus of Geelong Grammar School in Victoria , Australia . After earning a bachelor of arts degree from Trinity College , Cambridge , Charles served in the Royal Navy from 1971 to 1976 . Charles ' s interests encompass a range of humanitarian and social issues : he founded The Prince ' s Trust in 1976 , sponsors The Prince ' s Charities , and is patron of numerous other charitable and arts organisations . He has long championed organic farming and sought to raise world awareness of the dangers facing the natural environment , such as climate change . As an environmentalist , he has received numerous awards and recognition from environmental groups around the world . His 2010 book , " " , won the Nautilus Book Award . He has been outspoken on the role of architecture in society and the conservation of historic buildings , and produced a book on the subject called " " in 1989 . He has also promoted herbal and other alternative medical treatment . In 1980 , he wrote a children ' s book titled " The Old Man of Lochnagar . " The book was later adapted into an animation short film , a musical stage play and a ballet . In 1981 , he married Lady Diana Spencer and they had two sons , Prince William , Duke of Cambridge ( born 1982 ) , and Prince Harry of Wales ( born 1984 ) . In 1996 , the couple divorced , following well - publicised extra - marital affairs . The following year , the Princess of Wales died in a car crash . In 2005 , he married Camilla Parker Bowles in a civil ceremony followed by a televised blessing service . Camilla uses the title Duchess of Cornwall . Early life . Charles was born at Buckingham Palace on 14 November 1948 , at 9 . 14 pm ( GMT ) , the first child of Princess Elizabeth , Duchess of Edinburgh , and Prince Philip , Duke of Edinburgh , and first grandchild of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth . Baptised in the palace ' s Music Room on 15 December 1948 , using water from the River Jordan , by the Archbishop of Canterbury , Geoffrey Fisher , the prince ' s godparents were : the King ( his maternal grandfather ) ; the King of Norway ( his cousin , for whom the Earl of Athlone stood proxy ) ; Queen Mary ( his maternal great - grandmother ) ; Princess Margaret ( his maternal aunt ) ; Prince George of Greece and Denmark ( his paternal great - uncle , for whom the Duke of Edinburgh stood proxy ) ; the Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven ( his paternal great - grandmother ) ; the Lady Brabourne ( his cousin ) ; and the Hon David Bowes - Lyon ( his maternal great - uncle ) . As the child of a daughter of the sovereign , Charles would not usually have been accorded the titles of a British prince or the style " Royal Highness " . Instead , he would have taken his father ' s secondary title , Earl of Merioneth , as a courtesy title . However , on 22 October 1948 , George VI had issued letters patent granting a royal and princely status to any children of Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh , making Charles a royal prince from birth . When Charles was aged three his mother ' s accession as Queen Elizabeth II made him her heir apparent . As the sovereign ' s eldest son , he automatically took the titles Duke of Cornwall , Duke of Rothesay , Earl of Carrick , Baron of Renfrew , Lord of the Isles and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland , in addition to being a prince of the United Kingdom . Charles attended his mother ' s coronation at Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953 , seated alongside his grandmother and aunt . As was customary for royal offspring , a governess , Catherine Peebles , was appointed and undertook his education between the ages of five and eight . Buckingham Palace announced in 1955 that Charles would attend school rather than have a private tutor , making him the first heir apparent ever to be educated in that manner . Youth . Education . Charles first attended Hill House School in west London , receiving non - preferential treatment from the school ' s founder and then head , 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 then attended two of his father ' s former schools , Cheam Preparatory School in Berkshire , England , followed by Gordonstoun in the north - east of Scotland . He reportedly despised his time at the latter school , which he described as " Colditz in kilts " . He 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 . Upon his return to Gordonstoun , Charles emulated his father in becoming Head Boy . He left in 1967 , with six GCE O - levels , and two A Levels in history and French at grades B and C respectively . Tradition was broken again when Charles proceeded straight from secondary school into university , as opposed to joining the British Armed Forces . In October 1967 , the Prince was admitted to Trinity College , Cambridge University , where he read anthropology , archaeology , and history . During his second year , Charles attended the University College of Wales in Aberystwyth , studying Welsh history and language for a term . He graduated from Cambridge with a 2 : 2 Bachelor of Arts on 23 June 1970 , the first heir apparent to earn a university degree . On 2 August 1975 , he was subsequently awarded a Master of Arts degree from Cambridge , per the university ' s tradition . Created Prince of Wales . Charles was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester on 26 July 1958 , though his investiture as such was not conducted until 1 July 1969 , when he was crowned by his mother in a televised ceremony held at Caernarfon Castle , and gave his replies and speech in both Welsh and English . The following year he took his seat in the House of Lords , and later in the decade became the first member of the Royal Family since King George I to attend a British Cabinet meeting , having been invited by Prime Minister James Callaghan so that the Prince might see the workings of the British government and Cabinet at first hand . Charles also 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 , the Prince expressed an interest in serving as Governor - General of Australia ; Commander Michael Parker explained : " The idea behind the appointment was for him to put a foot on the ladder of monarchy , or being the future King and start learning the trade . " However , because of a combination of nationalist feeling in Australia and the dismissal of the government by the Governor - General in 1975 , nothing came of the proposal . Charles accepted the decision of the Australian ministers , if not without some regret ; he reportedly stated : " What are you supposed to think when you are prepared to do something to help and you are told you are not wanted ? " Charles is the oldest Prince of Wales since it became the title granted to the heir apparent to the English throne , and the third - longest serving Prince of Wales , behind George IV and Edward VII , whose record he will surpass on 9 September 2017 . If he became monarch at present he would be the oldest person to do so ; the previous record holder was William IV . Military training and career . Following royal tradition , Charles served in the navy and air force . After requesting and receiving Royal Air Force training during his second year at Cambridge , on 8 March 1971 , he flew himself to the Royal Air Force College Cranwell to train as a jet pilot . Following the passing - out parade that September , he embarked on a naval career , enrolling in a six - week course at the Royal Naval College Dartmouth and then serving on the guided missile destroyer ( 1971 – 1972 ) and the frigates ( 1972 – 1973 ) and ( 1974 ) . He also qualified as a helicopter pilot at RNAS Yeovilton in 1974 , just prior to joining 845 Naval Air Squadron , operating from . On 9 February 1976 , he took command of the coastal minehunter for his last ten months serving actively in the navy . He learned to fly on a Chipmunk basic pilot trainer , a BAC Jet Provost jet trainer , and a Beagle Basset multi - engine trainer ; he then regularly flew the Hawker Siddeley Andover , Westland Wessex and BAe 146 aircraft of The Queen ' s Flight . Early romances . In his youth , Charles was linked to a number of women . His great - uncle Lord Mountbatten advised him : " In a case like yours , the man should 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 . " Charles ' s female friends included Georgiana Russell , daughter of the British Ambassador to Spain ; Lady Jane Wellesley , daughter of the 8th Duke of Wellington ; Davina Sheffield ; Lady Sarah Spencer ; and Camilla Shand , who later became his second wife and Duchess of Cornwall . Early in 1974 , Mountbatten began corresponding with 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 , to which she replied approvingly , though suggesting that a courtship with the not yet 16 - year - old girl was premature . Four years later Mountbatten arranged for himself and Amanda to accompany Charles on his 1980 tour of India . Both fathers , however , objected ; Philip feared that Charles would be eclipsed by his famous uncle ( who had served as the last British Viceroy and first Governor - General of India ) , while Lord Brabourne warned that a joint visit would concentrate media attention on the cousins before they could decide on becoming a couple . However , in August 1979 , before Charles would depart alone for India , Mountbatten was killed by the IRA . When Charles returned , he proposed to Amanda , but in addition to her grandfather , she had lost her paternal grandmother and youngest brother Nicholas in the bomb attack and was now reluctant to join the Royal Family . In June 1980 , Charles officially turned down Chevening House , placed at his disposal since 1974 , as his future residence . Chevening , a stately home in Kent , was bequeathed , along with an endowment , to the Crown by the last Earl Stanhope , Amanda ' s childless great - uncle , in the hope that Charles would eventually occupy it . In 1977 , a newspaper report mistakenly announced his engagement to Princess Marie - Astrid of Luxembourg . First marriage . Although Charles first met Lady Diana Spencer in 1977 — while visiting her home , Althorp , as the companion of her elder sister , Sarah — he did not consider her romantically until mid - 1980 . While sitting together on a bale of hay at a friend ' s barbecue in July , he mentioned Mountbatten ' s death , to which Diana replied that Charles had looked forlorn and in need of care during his uncle ' s funeral . Soon , according to Charles ' s chosen biographer , Jonathan 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 ( Amanda ' s eldest brother ) , and his wife told Charles that Diana appeared awestruck by his position and that he did not seem to be in love with her . Meanwhile , the couple ' s continued courtship attracted intense press and paparazzi attention . 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 realizing 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 . Engagement and wedding . Prince Charles proposed to Diana in February 1981 and they married in St Paul ' s Cathedral on 29 July . Upon his marriage , Charles reduced his voluntary tax contribution from the profits generated by the Duchy of Cornwall from 50 % to 25 % . The couple made their homes at Kensington Palace and at Highgrove House , near Tetbury , and had two children : Princes William ( born 21 June 1982 ) and Henry ( known as " Harry " ) ( born 15 September 1984 ) . Charles set precedent by being the first royal father to be present at his children ' s births . Persistent suggestions that Harry ' s father is not Charles but James Hewitt , with whom Diana had an affair , have been based on a physical similarity between Hewitt and Harry . However , Harry had already been born by the time the affair between Hewitt and Diana began . Separation and divorce . Within five years , the couple ' s incompatibility and age difference ( almost 13 years ) , as well as Diana ' s concern about Charles ' s previous girlfriend , Camilla Parker Bowles , became visible and damaging to their marriage . Their evident discomfort in each other ' s company led to them being dubbed " The Glums " in the press . Diana exposed Charles ' s affair with Camilla in a book by Andrew Morton , " Diana , Her True Story " . Tapes of her own extramarital flirtations also surfaced . In December 1992 , the British Prime Minister , John Major , announced their formal separation in Parliament . That same year , the British press published bugged recordings of a passionate private 1989 telephone conversation between Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles . Charles and Diana divorced on 28 August 1996 . When Diana died in a car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997 , Charles flew there , with Diana ' s sisters , to accompany her body back to Britain . Second marriage . The engagement of Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles was announced on 10 February 2005 ; he presented her with an engagement ring which had belonged to his grandmother . 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 announced its decision that the Queen ' s Privy Council for Canada was not required to meet to give its consent to the marriage , as the union would not result in offspring and would have no impact on the succession to the Canadian throne . Charles is the first member of the Royal Family to have a civil , rather than religious , wedding in England . Government documents from the 1950s and 1960s , published by the BBC , stated that such a marriage was illegal , though these were dismissed by Charles ' s spokesman , and explained to be obsolete by the sitting government . The marriage was to take place in a civil ceremony at Windsor Castle , with a subsequent religious blessing at St George ' s Chapel . However , because a civil marriage at Windsor Castle would oblige the venue to be available to anyone wishing to be married there , the location was changed to Windsor Guildhall . On 4 April the originally scheduled date of 8 April was postponed by one day , 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 perhaps arising from her position as Supreme Governor of the Church of England . The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh did attend the service of blessing , and held a reception for the newlyweds at Windsor Castle afterwards . The blessing , by the Archbishop of Canterbury , Rowan Williams , at St George ' s Chapel , Windsor Castle , was televised . Social interests . Philanthropy and charity . Since founding The Prince ' s Trust in 1976 , Charles has established sixteen more charitable organisations , and now serves as president of all of those . 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 £100million 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 . " In 2010 , The Prince ' s Charities Canada was established in a similar fashion to its namesake in the UK . Charles is also patron of over 350 other charities and organisations , and carries out duties related to these throughout the Commonwealth realm s ; for example , he 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 . In Canada , Charles has supported humanitarian projects , for example taking part , along with his two sons , in the ceremonies marking the 1998 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination . In 2013 , Charles donated an unspecified sum of money to the British Red Cross Syria Crisis appeal and DEC Syria appeal , which is run by 14 U . K charities to help victims of Syria ' s ongoing humanitarian crisis . Charles was one of the first world leaders to express strong concerns about the human rights record of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu , initiating objections in the international arena , and subsequently supported the FARA Foundation , a charity for Romanian orphans and abandoned children . Built environment . The Prince of Wales has openly expressed his views on architecture and urban planning , asserting 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 : His book and BBC documentary " A Vision of Britain " ( 1987 ) was 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 ) 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 Prince Charles and in line with his philosophy . 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 , the Prince 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 . From 1997 , the Prince of Wales has visited Romania to view and highlight the destruction of Orthodox monasteries and Transylvanian Saxon villages during the Communist rule of Nicolae Ceauşescu . Charles is patron of the Mihai Eminescu Trust , a Romanian conservation and regeneration organisation , and has purchased a house in Romania . Historian Tom Gallagher wrote in the Romanian newspaper " România Liberă " in 2006 that Charles had been offered the Romanian throne by monarchists in that country ; an offer that was reportedly turned down , but Buckingham Palace denied the reports . Charles also 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 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 " . Subsequently , Rogers was removed from the project and The Prince ' s Foundation for the Built Environment was appointed to propose an alternative . 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 the Prince ' 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 . In 2010 , The Prince ' s Foundation for the Built Environment decided to help reconstruct and redesign buildings in Port - au - Prince , Haiti after the capital was destroyed by the 2010 Haiti earthquake . The foundation was approached by the Haitian government for assistance . The foundation is known for refurbishing historic buildings in Kabul , Afghanistan and in Kingston , Jamaica . The project has been called the " biggest challenge yet " for the Prince ' s Foundation for the Built Environment . Livery company commitments . The Worshipful Company of Carpenters installed Charles as an Honorary Liveryman " in recognition of his interest in London ' s architecture . " The Prince of Wales 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 Member of the Court of Assistants of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths , and a Royal Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Gardeners . Natural environment . Since the early 1980s , Charles has promoted environmental awareness . Upon moving into Highgrove House , he 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 , as of 2010 ) are donated to The Prince ' s Charities . Documenting work on his estate , Charles co - authored ( with Charles Clover , environment editor of " The Daily Telegraph " ) " Highgrove : An Experiment in Organic Gardening and Farming " , published in 1993 , and offers his patronage to Garden Organic . Along similar lines , the Prince of Wales became involved with farming and various industries within it , regularly meeting with farmers to discuss their trade . Although the 2001 foot - and - mouth epidemic in England prevented Charles from visiting organic farms in Saskatchewan , he met the farmers at Assiniboia town hall . In 2004 , he founded the Mutton Renaissance Campaign , which aims to support British sheep farmers and make mutton more attractive to Britons . His organic farming has attracted media criticism : According to " The Independent " in October 2006 , " the story of Duchy Originals has involved compromises and ethical blips , wedded to a determined merchandising programme . " Clarence House announced in December 2006 that the Prince of Wales would make his household ' s travel arrangements more eco - friendly , and Charles ' s annual accounts in 2007 , contained details of his own carbon footprint , as well as targets for reducing his household ' s carbon emissions . That same year , he received the 10th annual Global Environmental Citizen Award from the Harvard Medical School ' s Center for Health and the Global Environment , the director of which , Eric Chivian , stated : " For decades the Prince of Wales has been a champion of the natural world . . . He has been a world leader in efforts to improve energy efficiency and in reducing the discharge of toxic substances on land , and into the air and the oceans " . Charles ' s travels by private jet drew criticism from Plane Stupid ' s Joss Garman . In 2007 , Charles launched The Prince ' s May Day Network , which encourages businesses to take action on climate change . Speaking to the European Parliament on 14 February 2008 , he called for European Union leadership in the war against climate change . During the standing ovation that followed , Nigel Farage , the leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party ( UKIP ) , remained seated and went on to describe Charles ' s advisers as " naive and foolish at best . " In a speech to the Low Carbon Prosperity Summit in a European Parliament chamber on 9 February 2011 , Charles said that climate change sceptics are playing " a reckless game of roulette " with the planet ' s future and are having a " corrosive effect " on public opinion . He also articulated the need to protect fisheries and the Amazon rain forest , and to make low - carbon emissions affordable and competitive . In 2011 , Charles received the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Medal for his engagement with the environment , such as the conservation of rainforests . On 27 August 2012 , the Prince of Wales addressed the International Union for Conservation of Nature - World Conservation Congress , supporting the view that grazing animals are needed to keep soils and grassland productive : " I have been particularly fascinated , for example , by the work of a remarkable man called Allan Savory , in Zimbabwe and other semi arid areas , who has argued for years against the prevailing expert view that is the simple numbers of cattle that drive overgrazing and cause fertile land to become desert . On the contrary , as he has since shown so graphically , the land needs the presence of feeding animals and their droppings for the cycle to be complete , so that soils and grassland areas stay productive . Such that , if you take grazers off the land and lock them away in vast feedlots , the land dies . " Alternative medicine . Charles has controversially championed alternative medicine . The Prince ' s Foundation for Integrated Health attracted opposition from the scientific and medical community over its campaign encouraging general practitioner s to offer herbal and other alternative treatments to National Health Service patients , and in May 2006 , Charles made a speech at the World Health Assembly in Geneva , urging the integration of conventional and alternative medicine and arguing for homoeopathy . In April 2008 , " The Times " published a letter from Edzard Ernst , Professor of Complementary Medicine at the University of Exeter , which asked the Prince ' s Foundation to recall two guides promoting alternative medicine , saying " the majority of alternative therapies appear to be clinically ineffective , and many are downright dangerous . " A speaker for the foundation countered the criticism by stating : " We entirely reject the accusation that our online publication " Complementary Healthcare : A Guide " contains any misleading or inaccurate claims about the benefits of complementary therapies . On the contrary , it treats people as adults and takes a responsible approach by encouraging people to look at reliable sources of information . . . so that they can make informed decisions . The foundation does not promote complementary therapies . " 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 . The Prince ' s Duchy Originals produce a variety of CAM products including a " Detox Tincture " that Edzard Ernst has denounced as " financially exploiting the vulnerable " and " outright quackery " . In 2009 , the Advertising Standards Authority criticised an email that Duchy Originals had sent out to advertise its Echina - Relief , Hyperi - Lift and Detox Tinctures products saying that it was misleading . The Prince 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 , a former official at the foundation and his wife were arrested for fraud believed to total £300 , 000 . Four days later , the foundation announced its closure , claiming that it " has achieved its key objective of promoting the use of integrated health . " The charity ' s finance director , accountant George Gray , was convicted of theft totalling £253 , 000 and sentenced to three years in prison . The Prince ' s Foundation was re - branded and re - launched later in 2010 as " The College of Medicine " . Religious and philosophical interests . The Prince of Wales was confirmed at age 16 by Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey at Easter 1965 , 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 , he was appointed as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland . The Prince of Wales has visited ( amid some secrecy ) Orthodox monasteries several times on Mount Athos as well as in Romania . Charles is also patron of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies at the University of Oxford . Sir Laurens van der Post became a friend of Charles in 1977 ; he was dubbed his " spiritual guru " and was godfather to Charles ' s son , Prince William . From van der Post , the Prince of Wales developed a focus on philosophy , especially that of Asian and Middle Eastern nations . He has praised Kabbalistic artworks , and wrote a memorial for Kathleen Raine , the Neoplatonist poet who died in 2003 . Official duties . In 2008 , " The Daily Telegraph " declared Charles the " hardest - working member of the royal family . " He carried out 560 official engagements in 2008 , 499 in 2010 , and over 600 in 2011 . As Prince of Wales , Charles undertakes official duties on behalf of his mother and the Commonwealth realm s . He officiates at investiture s and attends the funerals of foreign dignitaries . At the funeral of Pope John Paul II , Charles unintentionally caused controversy when he shook hands with Robert Mugabe , the President of Zimbabwe , who had been seated next to him . Charles ' s office subsequently released a statement saying : " The Prince of Wales was caught by surprise and not in a position to avoid shaking Mr . Mugabe ' s hand . The Prince finds the current Zimbabwean regime abhorrent . He has supported the Zimbabwe Defence and Aid Fund which works with those being oppressed by the regime . The Prince also recently met Pius Ncube , the Archbishop of Bulawayo , an outspoken critic of the government . " Both Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall travel abroad on behalf of the United Kingdom . The Prince has been regarded as an effective advocate of the country , with his visit to the Republic of Ireland , where he delivered a personally researched and written speech on Anglo - Irish affairs that was warmly received by Irish politicians and the media , being cited as an example . Prince Charles makes regular tours of Wales , fulfilling a week of engagements in the principality each summer , and attending important national occasions , such as opening the Senedd . In 2000 , Charles revived the tradition of the Prince of Wales having an official harpist , in order to foster Welsh talent at playing the harp , the national instrument of Wales . He and the Duchess of Cornwall also spend one week each year in Scotland , where the Prince is patron of several Scottish organisations . His service to the Canadian Armed Forces permits him to be informed of troop activities , and allows him to visit these troops while in Canada or overseas , taking part in ceremonial occasions . For instance , in 2001 , the Prince placed a specially commissioned wreath , made from vegetation taken from French battlefields , at the Canadian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier , and in 1981 he became the patron of the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum . In 2010 , he represented the Queen at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi , India . He attends official events in the United Kingdom in support of Commonwealth countries , such as the Christchurch earthquake memorial service at Westminster Abbey in 2011 . On 16 November 2011 , he attended a special service at Westminster Abbey celebrating the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible in the presence of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh . The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall attended the enthronement of the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby at Canterbury Cathedral on 21 March 2013 . In May 2013 , Buckingham Palace announced that the Prince of Wales will represent the Queen for the first time at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2013 , which will take place at Colombo , Sri Lanka from 15 to 17 November 2013 . The six Trustees of the Royal Collection Trust meet three times a year under his chairmanship . Hobbies and personal interests . Sports . From his youth the Prince was an avid player of competitive polo until 1992 , breaking his arm in 1990 , and becoming briefly unconscious after a fall in 2001 . He then played for charity until 2005 . Charles also frequently took part in fox hunting , before the sport was banned in the United Kingdom in 2005 . By the late 1990s , as opposition to the activity was growing , the Prince ' s participation was viewed as a " political statement " by those opposed to it , such as the League Against Cruel Sports , which launched an attack against Charles after he took his sons on the Beaufort Hunt in 1999 , when the government was trying to ban hunting with hounds . The Prince has been a keen salmon angler since youth , and supports Orri Vigfússon ' s efforts to protect the North Atlantic salmon . Charles 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 . Visual , performing and contemporary arts . The Prince is President or Patron of more than 20 performing arts organisations , including the Royal College of Music , the Royal Opera , the English Chamber Orchestra , the Philharmonia Orchestra , Welsh National Opera , and the Purcell School . In 2000 , he revived the tradition of appointing harpists to the Royal Court , by appointing an Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales . As an undergraduate at Cambridge he played cello , and has sung with the Bach Choir twice . He is a fan of Canadian singer - songwriter Leonard Cohen . He founded The Prince ' s Foundation for Children and The Arts in 2002 , to help more children experience the arts first - hand . He is President of the Royal Shakespeare Company and attends performances in Stratford - Upon - Avon , supports fundraising events and attends the company ' s annual general meeting . He enjoys comedy , and is interested in illusionism , becoming a member of The Magic Circle after passing his audition in 1975 by performing the " cups and balls " effect . A keen and accomplished watercolour ist , Charles has exhibited and sold a number of his works , and published books on the subject . In 2001 , 20 lithographs of his watercolour paintings illustrating his country estates were exhibited at the Florence International Biennale of Contemporary Art . The six Trustees of the Royal Collection Trust meet three times a year under his chairmanship . He was awarded the 2011 Montblanc de la Culture Arts Patronage Award by the Montblanc Cultural Foundation for his support and commitment to the arts , particularly in regard to young people . Publications . A published author of several books reflecting his own interests , Charles has also contributed a foreword or preface to books by other writers . His works include : Television documentaries and presenting . He has written and presented two documentary films : He narrated and presented : Media image . Since his birth , Prince Charles has undergone close media attention , which increased as he matured . It has been an ambivalent relationship , largely impacted by his marriage to Diana and its aftermath . Impact of marriage to Diana . He was presented as the world ' s most eligible bachelor on the cover of " Time " , but was subsequently overshadowed by Diana . After her death , the media regularly breached Charles ' s privacy and printed " exposés " . In 2006 , the Prince 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 " . Mark Bolland , his ex - private secretary , declared in a statement to the High Court that Charles " would readily embrace the political aspects of any contentious issue he was interested in . . . He carried it out in a very considered , thoughtful and researched way . He often referred to himself as a ' dissident ' working against the prevailing political consensus . " Jonathan Dimbleby reported that the Prince " has accumulated a number of certainties about the state of the world and does not relish contradiction . " Others formerly connected with the Prince have betrayed his confidence . An ex - member of his household handed the press an internal memo in which Charles commented on ambition and opportunity , and which was widely interpreted as blaming meritocracy for creating a combative atmosphere in society . Charles responded : " In my view , it is just as great an achievement to be a plumber or a bricklayer as it is to be a lawyer or a doctor " . Reaction to press treatment . 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 reporter , Nicholas Witchell , Charles muttered : " " These bloody people . I can ' t bear that man . I mean , he ' s so awful , he really is . " 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 . " Guest appearances on television . The Prince of Wales has occasionally guested as himself on television . In 1984 , he read his children ' s book " The Old Man of Lochnagar " for the BBC ' s " Jackanory " series . The UK soap opera " Coronation Street " featured an appearance by Charles during the show ' s 40th anniversary in 2000 , as did the New Zealand young adult cartoon series " bro ' Town " ( 2005 ) , after he attended a performance by the show ' s creators during a tour of the country . His saving of the Scottish stately home Dumfries House was the subject of Alan Titchmarsh ' s documentary " Royal Restoration " in 2012 . Charles was interviewed with Princes William and Harry by Ant & Dec to mark the 30th anniversary of The Prince ' s Trust in 2006 . On 10 May 2012 , Charles tried his hand at being a weather presenter for the BBC , reporting the forecast for Scotland as part of their annual week at Holyrood Palace . He injected humour in his report , asking , " Who the hell wrote this script ? " as references were made to royal residences . Residences and finance . Clarence House in London is the Prince of Wales ' s current official residence . Previously , he had an apartment at St James ' s Palace . Charles also has two private estates : Highgrove House in Gloucestershire and Birkhall near Balmoral Castle . Both Clarence House and Birkhall were previously the residences of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother . His primary source of income is 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 . In 2007 the Prince purchased a 192 - acre property ( 150 acres of grazing and parkland , and 40 acres of woodland ) in Carmarthenshire , and applied for permission to convert the farm into a Welsh home for him and the Duchess of Cornwall , to be rented out as holiday flats when the royal couple is not in residence . A neighbouring family said the proposals flouted local planning regulations , and the application was put on hold temporarily while a report was drafted on how the alterations would affect the local bat population . Charles and Camilla first stayed at the new property , called " Llwynywermod " , in June 2008 . In December 2012 , Her Majesty ' s Revenue and Customs were asked to investigate alleged tax avoidance by the Duchy of Cornwall . Titles , styles , honours and arms . Titles and styles . Charles has held titles throughout his life , as the grandson of the monarch , the son of the monarch and in his own right . There has been speculation as to what regnal name the Prince will choose upon his succession to the throne . If he keeps his current first name , he will be known as " Charles III " . However , it was reported in 2005 that Charles has suggested he may choose to reign as " George VII " in honour of his maternal grandfather , and to avoid association with the Stuart kings Charles I ( who was beheaded ) and Charles II ( who was known for his playboy lifestyle ) , as well as to be sensitive to the memory of Bonnie Prince Charlie , who was called " Charles III " by his supporters . Charles ' s office responded that " no decision has been made " . Honours and military appointments . On 16 June 2012 , the Queen awarded the Prince of Wales honorary five - star rank in all three branches of the British Armed Forces , " to acknowledge his support in her role as Commander - in - Chief . " He became a field marshal , an admiral of the fleet and a marshal of the Royal Air Force . He has held substantive ranks in the armed forces of a number of countries since he was made a flight lieutenant in the Royal Air Force in 1972 . Since 2009 , Charles holds the second - highest ranks in all three branches of the Canadian Forces . Charles ' s first honorary appointment in the armed forces was as Colonel - in - Chief of the Royal Regiment of Wales in 1969 ; since then , the Prince 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 . He 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 .