Charles, Prince of Wales Biography

Prince Charles, the oldest son of Queen Elizabeth II, is the heir apparent to the British throne. This biography of Prince Charles provides detailed information about his childhood, life, achievements, works & timeline

Quick Facts

Birthday: November 14, 1948

Nationality: British

Famous: British Men Trinity College, Cambridge

Age: 70 Years, 70 Year Old Males

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Also Known As: Charles Philip Arthur George

Born in: Buckingham Palace

Famous as: Prince of Wales

Height: 1.78 m

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Camilla, Diana, Duchess of Cornwall, Princess of Wales

father: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

mother: Elizabeth II

siblings: Anne, Duke of York, Earl of Wessex, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Princess Royal

children: Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Prince William

City: London, England

Founder/Co-Founder: The Prince's Regeneration Trust, The Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health, Mutton Renaissance Campaign, The Prince's Trust, Duchy Originals from Waitrose, International Business Leaders Forum, Royal Drawing School

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education: Trinity College, Cambridge, Royal Air Force College Cranwell, Cheam School, Aberystwyth University, Gordonstoun, Geelong Grammar School, University of Cambridge, Britannia Royal Naval College, Hill House School

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Prince Charles, the oldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip is the heir apparent to the British throne. His mother is the Queen of 16 of the 53 member states in the Commonwealth of Nations, and also the Head of the Commonwealth and Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Charles became the heir apparent in 1952 after his grandfather King George VI died and Elizabeth ascended the throne. Being Queen Elizabeth’s oldest son, Charles became the heir apparent to the British throne and received the title of Duke of Cornwall. After a few years, he was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester in 1958, becoming the first Prince of Wales since 1936. As a student, Charles was good at academics and studied archaeology, anthropology and history at Trinity College, part of the University of Cambridge. Along with his studies, he also participated in various other activities and was known to be a smart young man. He embarked on a military career post his graduation and served as a helicopter pilot and even commanded a ship during his service years. As a public figure, his personal life has often been under scrutiny. His troubled marriage to Diana and his extra-marital affairs have often made it to the tabloids

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Charles, Prince of Wales

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Childhood & Early Life

He was born as Charles Philip Arthur George on 14 November 1948 to Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, as their first child. His maternal grandfather, King George VI was the King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Princess Elizabeth was his eldest daughter.
King George VI died in 1952 and his elder daughter Princess Elizabeth became Queen. Prince Charles, aged three, now became the heir apparent to the throne. His new status made him the Duke of Cornwall and he was also automatically given the Scottish titles Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland.
He started attending Hill House School in West London in 1956 before moving to boarding school at the Cheam School the following year. He changed schools again in 1962 and went to Gordonstoun in Scotland.
He enrolled at the Trinity College, Cambridge, to study anthropology, archaeology, and history in 1967. He attended the University College of Wales in Aberystwyth for a while during his second year.
Prince Charles became the first heir apparent to earn a university degree when he graduated from Cambridge with a Bachelor of Arts in 1970.
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Later Life

Prince Charles began his military career in the Armed Services in 1971. He received his Royal Air Force training and was awarded his RAF wings at Cranwell on 20 August 1971.
He then embarked on a naval career and enrolled in a six-week course at the Royal Naval College Dartmouth in September 1971. Over the next few years he served on the guided missile destroyer HMS Norfolk (1971–1972) and the frigates HMS Minerva (1972–1973) and HMS Jupiter (1974).
After he completed a lieutenant’s course at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, he went on to command his own ship, the minehunter HMS Bronington, for the final ten months of his active service in the Royal Navy. His active service ended in December 1976.
In 1976, Prince Charles, along with Frederick John Pervin founded the Prince's Trust to help disadvantaged young people. The trust runs a number of training programmes, provides mentoring support and offers financial grants to build the confidence and motivation of disadvantaged young people. Over the years has established 16 more charitable organizations.
He founded the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation in 1979. It is one of the largest independent foundations in the UK. It supports a wide range of causes like responsible business and enterprise, young people and education, and global sustainability. The Foundation has three subsidiary companies, PCF Social Enterprises Ltd - a holding company for A. G. Carrick Ltd and Duchy Originals Ltd, Prince's Charities Events Ltd, and Golden Jubilee Events Ltd.
In addition to his own charities, Prince Charles is a patron of over 350 other charities and organizations. He supports humanitarian projects all over the world, leading to the establishment of the Prince's Charities Canada and the Prince Charities Australia.

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Awards & Achievements

He received the 10th annual Global Environmental Citizen Award from the Harvard Medical School's Center for Health and the Global Environment in 2007.
In 2011, he was presented with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Medal for his engagement with the environment.

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Personal Life & Legacy

Prince Charles had been romantically involved with several women as a young man. He met Diana Spencer in 1977 and the couple became romantically involved in 1980; their courtship culminated in marriage in 1981. The couple had two sons, William and Henry.
The marriage, however, ran into trouble soon as the couple was incompatible on several grounds. Charles was still in contact with a former girlfriend, Camilla Parker Bowles, which further strained the relations between Charles and Diana. The couple separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996. Diana was killed in an unfortunate car accident in 1997.
Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles on April 9, 2005.

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