With the Coronation of King Charles III fast approaching, we will be featuring different aspects of His Royal Highness and the Coronation ceremony over the coming weeks. We begin this Coronation series with 12 fun facts about King Charles III.
1. He became King on 8 September 2022
Charles was 73 when he acceded to the throne and had been heir apparent since he was three years of age. This will make him the oldest monarch ever crowned in British history on 6 May 2023.
2. He studied history at Trinity, Cambridge
This makes him the first monarch in UK history to have a university degree.
3. A Welsh speaker
As part of preparing to become the Prince of Wales in 1969, King Charles learnt Welsh and still speaks it today on his visits to Wales.
4. A pilot and a diver
As part of his military service, King Charles III trained as a jet and helicopter pilot . He is also an accomplished diver and spent 47 minutes immersed in the Solent, exploring the shipwreck of King Henry VIII’s The Mary Rose.
5. A writer, painter and musician
He has authored over 20 books, plays the cello and had one of his watercolours displayed at the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition in 1987 (anonymously, of course)
6. A King of causes
King Charles has spent decades advocating for causes from urban planning, architecture and conservation to alternative medicine and the environment. He has founded nearly 20 charities which together raise £140 million each year for good causes.
7. Kingly privileges
As King, he is the the only person in the UK who can travel without a passport and drive without a licence.
8. TV personality & magician
He has starred in the UK’s longest running TV soap opera – Coronation Street, presented the BBC weather forecast and in 1975 he became a member of the Magic Circle.
9: Not too keen on lunch
He invariably skips lunch and much prefers a cup of Darjeeling with honey and milk.
10. Dracula connections?
He is a descendant of Vlad the Impaler – the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
11. Keeper of the Cows
He was named Keeper of the Cows in Tanzania in 2011 for his farming work.
12. The Prince Charles stream tree frog
King Charles III has a rare Ecuadorean frog named after him, Hyloscirtus princecharlesi.
A Royal Tour of London is a must for visitors! Learn all about the the pageantry, the ceremony, the working and private lives of the Royals. Step into the history of royalty in the UK – the hunting grounds, the residences, the regalia and customs – with your very own private Blue or Green Badge Tourist Guide.
Photo credit: Public domain
Tanks for the memories
Happy birthday, Sir Joshua Reynolds!
The Making of a King Part 2: The Coronation Ceremony
A Coronation Anomaly: The Crowning of King Henry III
400 Hundred Years of Shakespeare’s First Folio