King Vegeta Character Facts

King Vegeta looks a lot like his son Vegeta himself, only with a beard and brown hair and is much taller. He wears the Vegeta Royal Family Crest on the left side of his armor, as did Prince Vegeta as a child. He also has a large crest on the seat of his throne.
King Vegeta appears to be a stoic, level-headed and clever man, and a symbol of Saiyan pride. He is described by both King Kai and Dr. Raichi as having a brain equal to a Tuffle.[1] He was also a ruthless and merciless military commander who openly took enjoyment in the end of his opponents, traits he was more than happy to pass along to his son, personally bringing him along in at least one such battle. Although he is "king," he has come to terms with the fact that his people have no real freedom under Frieza, but he does not let this feeling on to his people.
King Vegeta became an important figure at the time when the Tuffles and the Saiyans lived together on Planet Plant. In Age 720, he alone was smart enough to rally and lead his people against the Tuffles in a conflict that raged for ten long years; this event was the Saiyan-Tuffle war. After the war's end in Age 730, the planet was renamed Planet Vegeta in his honor. 
Some time after, the Saiyans became space-farers, and eventually came under the dominance of Frieza. Though reluctantly, King Vegeta pledged his allegiance to Frieza, knowing the Saiyans were not powerful enough to defeat him. The Saiyans worked under Frieza for several years. King Vegeta and an Queen Angela bore his first child in Age 735, Prince Vegeta. The young prince would later be given to Frieza because Frieza knew Vegeta would grow up to be powerful and can do his dirty work with no problem , although King Vegeta intended to rebel before he would ever let Frieza gain his son. 
King Vegeta had a second son named Tarble, who lacked the fighting spirit of a Saiyan, and thus was sent away from Planet Vegeta as an infant.