Prince Charles Fast Facts
CNN Editorial Research
Here’s a look at the life of Prince Charles, heir apparent to the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Personal
Birth date: November 14, 1948
Birthplace: Buckingham Palace, London, England
Birth name: Charles Philip Arthur George Windsor
Father: Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh
Mother: Queen Elizabeth II
Marriages: Camilla Parker Bowles (April 9, 2005-present), Lady Diana Spencer (July 29, 1981-August 28, 1996, divorced)
Children: with Princess Diana: William (June 21, 1982), Henry “Harry” (September 15, 1984)
Education: Trinity College, Cambridge, UK, B.A., 1970, Royal Air Force College Cranwell, Lincolnshire, UK, 1971
Military: Royal Navy 1971-1976. In 2012, Queen Elizabeth appointed him honorary five-star ranks in the three military branches of army, navy and air force: He is Admiral of the Fleet, Field Marshal and Marshal of the Royal Air Force.
Other Facts
His full title is: His Royal Highness Prince Charles Philip Arthur George, Prince of Wales, KG, KT, GCB, OM, AK, QSO, PC, ADC, Earl of Chester, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland.
He is the longest serving British monarch-in-waiting.
Prince Charles is the first royal heir to earn a university degree.
He is president of The Prince’s Trust and the Royal Shakespeare Company. He is also president or patron of more than 400 charitable organizations.
He enjoys playing polo, skiing, fishing and hunting. His hobbies include gardening, painting and writing.
As a child, he acted in school productions, sang in the school choir, played the trumpet, the cello and the electric guitar.
His other interests include architecture and its effects on the environment, farming, alternative medicine and different religions.
Timeline
February 6, 1952 – Three-year-old Prince Charles becomes the heir apparent, when his grandfather dies and his mother ascends the throne.
July 26, 1958 – Is named Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester, by his mother before Parliament. He is the 21st Prince of Wales and the first since 1936.
July 1, 1969 – He is invested as the Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester during a televised ceremony at Caernavon Castle.
February 11, 1970 – Takes his seat in the House of Lords.
September 1971 – Earns his wings for jet aircraft flying at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell and joins the Royal Navy.
1974 – Qualifies as a helicopter pilot and joins the 845 Naval Air Squadron on the HMS Hermes. Two years later he completes his military service, taking command of a coastal minehunter, the HMS Bronington.
1976 – Founds The Prince’s Trust, a philanthropic venture to help disadvantaged youth.
July 29, 1981 – Weds Lady Diana Spencer at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
December 9, 1992 – Prime Minister John Major announces the separation of Charles and Diana.
1993 – Affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles becomes public when the transcript of a 1989 intimate phone conversation between the two is made public.
June 29, 1994 – A televised documentary, “Charles: The Private Man, the Public Role,” airs; in it he admits to adultery.
September 1997 – Charles accompanies the body of Princess Diana from Paris to London and during the funeral procession walks behind her coffin with his father, sons and Diana’s brother, the Earl of Spencer.
January 28, 1999 – First public appearance as a couple with Parker-Bowles, when they are seen leaving the Ritz Hotel in London after a party.
June 2000 – Formally introduces Parker-Bowles to Queen Elizabeth II at a party held at Highgrove, the prince’s country estate.
2003 – Clarence House becomes the official London residence of Prince Charles and his sons. The estate is the former home of the Queen Mother, Charles’ grandmother.
April 9, 2005 – In a civil ceremony at Guildhall in Windsor with a blessing at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, Charles and Camilla wed.
November 1-8, 2005 – Makes his first official visit to the United States since 1994.
October 2006 – Announces plans for second multi-faith coronation ceremony, if/when he is made king, to include all non-Christian faiths, and for Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, to be crowned Queen at the same time.
January 27, 2007 – Receives the Global Environmental Citizen Award from the Harvard Medical School Center for Health and the Global Environment, presented by former US Vice President Al Gore.
November 16, 2010 – Announces the engagement of eldest son, Prince William, to longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton.
December 9, 2010 – Student demonstrators breach security on the streets of London’s West End and attack the 1977 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI carrying the Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall to a performance at the London Palladium. The couple escapes any physical harm. The students are protesting the hike in tuition fees.
May 8, 2013 – Attends the opening of Parliament for the first time in 17 years. This is first time he and the Duchess of Cornwall have attended the opening together.
March 2015 – Visits the United States with Camilla. The trip includes a tour of Mount Vernon, a meeting with President Barack Obama and a festival in Louisville, Kentucky.
May 19, 2015 – Meets Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams. This is the first meeting between a member of the British Royal Family and the leader of Sinn Fein.
November 27, 2017 – Announces the engagement of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle.
April 20, 2018 – Leaders of the Commonwealth agree that Prince Charles will succeed Queen Elizabeth as the next head of Commonwealth.
May 19, 2018 – Walks his daughter-in-law Meghan down the aisle in her wedding ceremony to Prince Harry.
November 8, 2018 – A televised documentary, “Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70,” airs; in it he promises not to meddle in controversial affairs once he takes on the role of the monarch.
March 25, 2020 – Announces that he has tested positive for coronavirus and is self-isolating in Scotland.
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