With the coronation fast approaching, I decided that it was only right that we get to know Charles III, so here is a crash course guide on 10 things you should know about our new monarch.
- As the name suggests, Charles III is the third king to have the name Charles. He is preceded by Charles I, who had one of the most turbulent rules of any other monarch in Britain. Not only was he forbidden to marry his first wife, the Infanta of Spain, due to parliamentary refusal to have a Catholic Queen consort, but his rule also saw an Irish rebellion, and the bishops’ wars in Scotland. After attempting to dissolve parliament, who increasingly hard to control, England fell to Civil War. Charles I was eventually captured, and executed over charges of treason, with accusations of tyranny.
- Charles II, the second monarch to bear the monicker, as well as the original Charles, ascended the throne in 1660, after the restoration, when parliament voted to proclaim him king, after the disastrous rule of Oliver Cromwell’s son, Richard. His rule was also troubled, disrupted by not only the Plague, but also the Great Fire of London, where he helped his subjects in becoming a temporary firefighter. But, like Charles III, he was a keen believer in the importance of science, and even installed a laboratory into Whitehall palace. He also founded the Mathematical School at Christ’s Hospital in 1673 and, two years later, following concerns over French advances in astronomy, he founded the Royal Observatory at Greenwich.
- Charles III was born in 1948. Unlike his mother, he was in formal education from a very young age beginning under his governess Catherine Peebles, before attending Cheam School and then, like his father, Gordonstoun. Despite being bullied, he took French and History A-Levels, and even became head boy. He is also the first member of the Royal Family to receive a university degree, with a history degree from Cambridge, a Masters, and a diploma in anthropology and archaeology.
- Charles III served in the RAF. The first plane he learnt to fly was called the ‘chipmunk,’ but he is also qualified as a helicopter pilot, and became the colonel-in-chief of the Parachute Regiment.
- Using his severance pay from Navy, Charles founded The Prince’s Trust in 1976, but has since established sixteen more charities, forming “The Prince’s Charities,” which raise over £100 million annually and specifically support young people in education, as well being active in in environmental sustainability and responsible business and enterprise. Thanks to the charity he has helped over 1,000,000 young people turn their lives around, created 125,000 entrepreneurs, and given business support to 395,000 people in the UK.
- King Charles is an avid gardener, who loves not only caring for his plants, but also talking to them. He is major advocate for organic farming, with his own brand ‘Duchy Originals’ which sells over two hundred sustainably produced products, and whose profits are also donated to the Prince’s Trust. He is also a flexitarian, practising both vegetarian and vegan diets for parts of his week and he banned foie gras from royal properties.
- Although he is a devout Anglican, like his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, he has rejected the title initially given to Henry VIII as ‘Defender of the Faith.’ Instead, he has stated that he wants to be seen as the ‘Defender of Faith’ to reflect the multi-cultural nature of Britain, which was reflected in his first Christmas message in 2022.
- Charles plays three instruments, the cello, piano and the trumpet.
- Charles is an avid lover of sports, fond of skiing, surfing, scuba diving, polo (which he played professionally despite two falls that landed him in hospital) as well as riding as an amateur jockey.
- Charles drives an Aston Martin, a birthday present from 1969. He has even adapted it to run on bioethanol fuel – using wine and cheese!
