King Charles III: 12 unknowns

On November 14, 1948, Charles III was born at Buckingham Palace.

Queen Elizabeth with Prince Charles, at the time, in 1948.

He may be the last English monarch who was not born in a hospital. Both of his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, were born at St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London, in the Lindo Wing. Prince George, the current heir apparent, was also born at St. Mary’s Hospital.

Charles became the heir apparent to the kingdom at the age of three.

The crowning of Elizabeth II as queen.

The coronation of Queen Elizabeth occurred on February 6, 1952, following the death of her father, King George VI. She had just turned 25 at the time. Her eldest child, Charles, age 4, became the heir to the kingdom.

Charles ascended to the throne on September 8, 2022, after his mother’s passing. The longest-serving heir apparent in British history, he maintained the position for seventy years. Charles, at age 73, is also the oldest person to ascend to the British throne.

Charles did not have an easy childhood and was bullied at school because of his royal status.

In 1957, then-Prince Charles became King Charles.

Charles was the first apparent royal heir to be schooled away from the palace. The young prince attended Hill House School in London, where he interacted with fellow pupils. Later, he proceeded to Cheam Institution in Hampshire, a residential school attended by his father Prince Philip.

Charles, according to Vanity Fair, was homesick during his time away at school and sent weekly letters home. According to reports, he was also victimized at school by children who made fun of his large ears and weight. Charles, who was sensitive and not particularly athletically skilled, liked his own company and enjoyed painting and drawing.

Plums, hard-cooked eggs, and lamb with wild mushroom risotto are some of Charles’s favorite foods.

Hard-boiled eggs.

Getty

A former royal cook told Delish that the prince’s normal breakfast consists of granola and plums from his own garden. In addition, he mentioned that one of Charles’ favorite dishes is lamb with mushroom risotto.

Prior to their 1989 wedding, Charles and Diana barely met thirteen times.

In this February 24, 1981 file photo, King Charles (then Prince Charles) and Lady Diana Spencer pose at Buckingham Palace following the announcement of their engagement.

Ron Bell/AP

According to Town and Country, the majority of Charles and Diana’s initial interactions took place over the telephone. After less than a year of courting and 13 in-person encounters, then-Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer announced their engagement.

Charles and Diana were married on July 29, 1981, in a stunning televised wedding. It was called the “wedding of the century” at the time. In addition to the 600,000 people that lined the streets of London, about 750 million people in 74 countries tuned in to witness the couple exchange vows.

Charles broke with royal tradition by attending the births of his two children.

In July of 1986, King Charles (then Prince Charles), Princess Diana, Prince Harry, and Prince William were photographed at Highgrove.

Princess Diana was the first member of the royal family to give birth in a hospital; it was customary for royal family members to give birth at the palace. Charles was also there for the births of both of his sons, which was unprecedented for a monarch.

Diana and Charles reportedly debated on the name of their first child. According to Diana’s account in Andrew Morton’s book “Diana: Her True Story,” Charles planned to name William Arthur at first.

In 1970, Charles met his future wife Camilla at Windsor Castle during a polo match.

The monarch and his wife, Camilla Parker-Bowles.

Despite Camilla and Charles’ budding romance, their relationship ended in 1972 when he was posted to the Royal Navy. The future Princess Diana, whom he would marry in July 1981, was then courted.

Charles is the godfather and stepfather of the first son of Camilla and her ex-husband, Andrew Parker Bowles.

King Charles (then Prince Charles) and Camilla, about 1970; Camilla Shand and Captain Andrew Parker Bowles on their wedding day, 1973, leaving the Guards Chapel with an honor guard.

Camilla became engaged to Army cavalry officer Andrew Parker Bowles while Prince Charles served in the Royal Navy. They tied the knot in 1973, but remained close friends with the prince.

Camilla and Charles maintained a relationship over the years, which may have contributed to the collapse of both of their marriages. Charles and Camilla married on April 5, 2002, following years of courting.

King Charles has not escaped scandal. In November 1992, his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles made national headlines.

On June 7, 1992, Camilla Parker Bowles attended the Queen’s Cup polo tournament in Windsor.

As previously reported by Insider, a “private transcript of a 1989 telephone conversation” between Charles and Camilla was made public in November 1992. Charles reportedly joked that he would like to be changed into a pair of Parker Bowles’ “knickers” or her tampon during the scandalous and sexual chat.

He said, “I’ll simply live in your pants or whatever.” It would be far simpler.

Charles and Diana filed for divorce after 15 years of marriage in August 1996.

Charles came to Paris after the death of Princess Diana to carry her body back to England.

Flowers were left as a tribute to Princess Diana.

Alastair Grant/AP

In the early hours of August 31, 1997, Princess Diana, Dodi Fayed, and their driver Henri Paul were murdered in a car accident in Paris, France.

According to the Telegraph, both Fayed and Paul were killed on impact, while the Princess of Wales, who was 36 at the time, succumbed to injuries incurred in the crash several hours later in a French hospital. King Charles (then Prince Charles) immediately proceeded to Paris to fetch his ex-remains wife’s and return her to the United Kingdom.

Charles apparently abandoned preparations to declare Camilla as his official partner.

The United States Secret Service has assigned Charles the codename “unicorn.”

Agent of the secret service.

Prior to her death, Queen Elizabeth’s secret codename was “Kittyhawk” or “Redfern.”