Prince Charles Prince Charles was born Charles Philip Arthur George Mountbatten-Windsor on November 14, 1948, at Buckingham Palace, London, England. At age ten he took on the title of Prince of Wales; and four years later, his mother assumed the throne to become Queen Elizabeth II. In keeping with royal tradition, Charles was raised by a governess, who was responsible for taking care of and educating the Prince from age five to eight. He then attended Hill House School in West London, followed by the Cheam Preparatory School in Berkshire, and eventually, Gordonstoun, a private boarding school in Scotland. Later in life, the Prince would recall this as an unhappy period in his life, as he was away from his family and also the target of school bullies.
After finishing school, Charles studied anthropology and archaeology at Trinity College, Cambridge, making him the first member of the British royal family to earn a degree as traditionally, members of the Royal Family went to military school. The Prince continued to break from tradition in his early 20s, when he became the first member of the royal family since King George I to attend a British cabinet meeting. In 1980, thirty-two-year-old Charles began dating nineteen-year-old Diana Spencer, whom he had known for years through their family connections, and also because he had previously dated Diana’s sister, Lady Sarah. After years of bachelorhood, Charles was under pressure from his family to marry and produce an heir to the throne; and on July 29, 1981, he married Diana in one of the most high-profile weddings in history. After less than one year of marriage, the Prince and Princess of Wales welcomed the birth of first son and heir to the throne of England, Prince William of Wales. A second son soon followed, Prince Henry of Wales (Prince Harry), in 1984.
By the late 80s, the Prince and Princess of Wales’ marriage had dissolved, with the prince living in Highgrove and the Princess residing in Kensington Palace. In 1992, the Prince’s extra-marital affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles became public following a published tabloid transcript of their phone conversations, and the Prince and Princess of Wales formally separated. One year after their divorce was finalized, Diana was tragically killed in a car crash in Paris, France. At this time, the Prince, now a single father, regained much of the public sympathy that he had lost due to his past infidelities. By 2000, the Prince and Camilla Parker-Bowles had remained a couple after several decades of attempting to keep their affair low-profile. At this time, Camilla finally met the Queen, and three years later, she moved into Charles' homes at Highgrove and Clarence House. Eventually, on April 9, 2005, the Prince of Wales married Camilla Parker-Bowles, making her Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall. As the president of sixteen charities, the Prince of Wales has raised over £100 million for charity. He founded The Prince's Trust, an organization that works mainly with youth and often holds concerts to raise funds for charity. In July 2007, The Prince’s Trust will hold a concert in memory of the ten year anniversary of the death of Princess Diana, and will feature performances by Elton John, Joss Stone, Pharrell Williams, and Andrew Lloyd Webber. In addition to painting, writing, and playing polo, the future King of England also enjoys organic gardening. YUDDY |
