Charles III: Difference between revisions

Charles
Prince of Wales (more)
The Prince of Wales in 2021
Born	Prince Charles of Edinburgh (1948-11-14) 14 November 1948 (age 75) Buckingham Palace, London, England
Spouses	Lady Diana Spencer ​ ​ (m. 1981; div. 1996)​ Camilla Parker Bowles ​ ​ (m. 2005)​
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
Names Charles Philip Arthur George[fn 1]
House	Windsor
Father	Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Mother	Elizabeth II
Signature	Charles's signature
Education	Gordonstoun University of Cambridge(B.A.)
Military career
Allegiance	See list
Commands held	HMS Bronington

Royal family of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms
The King The Queen The Prince of Wales The Princess of Wales Prince George of Wales Princess Charlotte of Wales Prince Louis of Wales The Duke of Sussex The Duchess of Sussex Prince Archie of Sussex Princess Lilibet of Sussex The Princess Royal The Duke of York Princess Beatrice Princess Eugenie The Duke of Edinburgh The Duchess of Edinburgh The Duke of Gloucester The Duchess of Gloucester The Duke of Kent The Duchess of Kent Princess Alexandra Prince Michael of Kent Princess Michael of Kent
v t e

Charles, Prince of Wales (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948), is the

Charles was born in Buckingham Palace on 14 November 1948, during the reign of his maternal grandfather

As was customary for upper-class children at the time, a governess, Catherine Peebles, was appointed and undertook his education between the ages of five and eight. Buckingham Palace announced in 1955 that Charles would attend school rather than have a private tutor, making him the first heir apparent to be educated in that manner.^[18] On 7 November 1956, Charles commenced classes at Hill House School in west London.^[19] He did not receive preferential treatment from the school's founder and headmaster, Stuart Townend, who advised the Queen to have Charles train in football because the boys were never deferential to anyone on the football field.^[20] Charles then attended two of his father's former schools, Cheam Preparatory School in Berkshire, England,^[21] from 1958,^[19] followed by Gordonstoun in the north-east of Scotland,^[22] beginning classes there in April 1962.^[19]

In his 1994 authorised biography by

Charles was created

Charles served in the Royal Air Force and, following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather and two of his great-grandfathers, in the Royal Navy. During his second year at Cambridge, he requested and received Royal Air Force training, learning to fly the Chipmunk aircraft with Cambridge University Air Squadron. On 8 March 1971, he flew himself to the Royal Air Force College Cranwell to train as a jet pilot.^[44][45] After the passing-out parade that September, he embarked on a naval career and enrolled in a six-week course at the Royal Naval College Dartmouth. He then served on the guided-missile destroyer HMS Norfolk (1971–1972) and the frigates HMS Minerva (1972–1973) and HMS Jupiter (1974). In 1974, he qualified as a helicopter pilot at RNAS Yeovilton, and then joined 845 Naval Air Squadron, operating from HMS Hermes.^[46] He gave up flying after crash landing a BAe 146 in the Hebrides in 1994, for which he was found negligent by a board of inquiry.^[47][48]

On 9 February 1976, Charles took command of the coastal minehunter HMS Bronington for his last ten months of active service in the navy.^[46]

Official duties

In 2008, The Daily Telegraph described Charles as the "hardest-working member of the royal family."^[49] He carried out 560 official engagements in 2008,^[49] 499 in 2010,^[50] and over 600 in 2011.

As Prince of Wales, Charles undertakes official duties on behalf of the Queen. He officiates at

In 1970, Charles visited Bermuda to mark the Parliament of Bermuda's 350th anniversary. In his speech to parliament, Charles said "Bearing in mind I am the first Charles to have anything to do with a Parliament for 350 years, I might have turned nasty and dissolved you".^[54] Charles also represented the Queen at the independence celebrations in Fiji in 1970,^[55] the Bahamas in 1973,^[56] Papua New Guinea in 1975,^[57] Zimbabwe in 1980,^[58] and Brunei in 1984.^[59]

In 1983, Christopher John Lewis, who had fired a shot with a .22 rifle at the Queen in 1981, attempted to escape a psychiatric hospital in order to assassinate Charles, who was visiting New Zealand with Diana and William.^[60] While Charles was visiting Australia on Australia Day in January 1994, David Kang fired two shots at him from a starting pistol in protest of the treatment of several hundred Cambodian asylum seekers held in detention camps.^[61][62] In 1995, Charles became the first member of the royal family to visit the Republic of Ireland in an official capacity.^[63][64] In 1997, Charles represented the Queen at the Hong Kong handover ceremony.^[65][66] At the ceremony, he read the Queen's message to Hong Kongers, which said: "Britain is part of Hong Kong's history and Hong Kong is part of Britain's history. We are also part of each other's future".^[67]

In 2000, Charles revived the tradition of the Prince of Wales having an

In 2010, Charles represented the Queen at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.^[74] He attends official events in the United Kingdom in support of Commonwealth countries, such as the Christchurch earthquake memorial service at Westminster Abbey in 2011.^[75][76][77] From 15 to 17 November 2013, he represented the Queen for the first time at a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, in Colombo, Sri Lanka.^[78][79]

In 2013, Charles donated an unspecified sum of money to the British Red Cross Syria Crisis appeal and DEC Syria appeal, which is run by 14 British charities to help victims of the

Letters sent by Prince Charles to government ministers during 2004 and 2005 – the so-called black spider memos – presented potential embarrassment following a challenge by The Guardian newspaper to release the letters under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. In March 2015, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom decided that the Prince's letters must be released.^[85] The letters were published by the Cabinet Office on 13 May 2015.^[86][87][88] Reaction to the memos upon their release was largely supportive of Charles, with little criticism of him.^[89] The memos were variously described in the press as "underwhelming"^[90] and "harmless"^[91] and that their release had "backfired on those who seek to belittle him",^[92] with reaction from the public also supportive.^[93] In 2015, it was revealed that Prince Charles had access to confidential UK cabinet papers.^[94]

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall made their first joint trip to the Republic of Ireland in May 2015. The trip was called an important step in "promoting peace and reconciliation" by the British Embassy.

On 7 March 2019, the Queen hosted a Buckingham Palace event to mark the 50th anniversary of Charles's investiture as the Prince of Wales. Guests at the event included the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prime Minister Theresa May and Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford.^[110] The same month, at the request of the British government, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall went on an official tour to Cuba, making them the first British royalty to visit the country. The tour was seen as effort to form a closer relationship between the UK and Cuba.^[111]

In January 2020, the Prince of Wales became the first British patron of the International Rescue Committee, a charity which aims to help refugees and those displaced by war, persecution, or natural disaster.^[112] In April 2021 and following a surge in COVID-19 cases in India, Charles issued a statement, announcing the launch of an emergency appeal for India by the British Asian Trust, of which he is the founder. The appeal, called Oxygen for India, helped with buying oxygen concentrators for hospitals in need.^[113]

On 25 March 2020, it was announced that Charles had contracted COVID-19 during the pandemic. He and his wife subsequently isolated at their Birkhall residence. Camilla was also tested, but returned a negative result.^{[114][115][116]} Clarence House stated that he showed "mild symptoms" but "remains in good health". They further explained, "It is not possible to ascertain from whom the prince caught the virus owing to the high number of engagements he carried out in his public role during recent weeks."^[115] Several newspapers were critical that Charles and Camilla were tested promptly at a time when many NHS doctors, nurses and patients had been unable to be tested expeditiously.^[117][118] On 30 March 2020, Clarence House announced that Charles had recovered from the virus, and that, after consulting his doctor, he was no longer isolating.^[119][120] Two days later, he stated in a video that he would continue to practice social distancing.^[121]

In October 2020, a letter sent by Prince Charles to Governor-General Sir John Kerr after the 1975 dismissal from office of the Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam was released as a part of the collection of palace letters regarding the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis.^[122] In the letter, Charles appeared to be supportive of Kerr's decision, writing that what Kerr "did last year was right and the courageous thing to do – and most Australians seemed to endorse your decision when it came to the point," adding that he should not worry about "demonstrations and stupidities" that arose following his decision.^[122]

In November 2021, Charles attended the ceremonies held to mark Barbados's transition into a parliamentary republic, which removed the Queen as Barbadian head of state.^[123] The Prince was invited by Prime Minister Mia Mottley as the future head of the Commonwealth,^[124] and it was the first time that a member of the royal family attend the transition of a realm to a republic.^[125]

On 10 February 2022, it was announced that Charles had tested positive for COVID-19 for a second time and was self-isolating.^[126] His wife later also confirmed contracting the virus, followed by the Queen herself 10 days after Charles's second diagnosis.^[127] Charles and his wife received doses of a COVID-19 vaccine in February 2021.^[128]

In May 2022, Charles attended the

Charles was one of the first world leaders to express strong concerns about the human rights record of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu, initiating objections in the international arena,^[138] and subsequently supported the FARA Foundation,^[135] a charity for Romanian orphans and abandoned children.^[139]

Built environment

The Prince of Wales has openly expressed his views on architecture and

The Worshipful Company of Carpenters installed Charles as an Honorary Liveryman "in recognition of his interest in London's architecture."^[165] The Prince of Wales is also Permanent Master of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights, a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Drapers, an Honorary Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Musicians, an Honorary Member of the Court of Assistants of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, and a Royal Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Gardeners.^[166]

Natural environment

Since the 1970s, Charles has promoted environmental awareness.

In 2007, he received the tenth annual Global Environmental Citizen Award from the Harvard Medical School's Center for Health and the Global Environment, the director of which, Eric Chivian, stated: "For decades the Prince of Wales has been a champion of the natural world ... He has been a world leader in efforts to improve energy efficiency and in reducing the discharge of toxic substances on land, and into the air and the oceans".^[179] Charles's travels by private jet drew criticism from Plane Stupid's Joss Garman.^[180][181] In 2007, Charles launched

On 27 August 2012, the Prince of Wales addressed the International Union for Conservation of Nature – World Conservation Congress, supporting the view that grazing animals are needed to keep soils and grassland productive:

I have been particularly fascinated, for example, by the work of a remarkable man called

feedlots, the land dies.^[185]

Charles has controversially championed alternative medicine.^[208] He first expressed his interest in alternative medicine publicly in December 1982 in an address to the British Medical Association.^[209] The Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health attracted opposition from the scientific and medical community over its campaign encouraging general practitioners to offer herbal and other alternative treatments to National Health Service patients,^[210][211] and in May 2006, Charles made a speech at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, urging the integration of conventional and alternative medicine and arguing for homeopathy.^[212][9]

In April 2008,

The Prince's Duchy Originals produce a variety of complementary medicinal products including a "Detox Tincture" that Edzard Ernst has denounced as "financially exploiting the vulnerable" and "outright quackery".^[215] In 2009, the Advertising Standards Authority criticised an email that Duchy Originals had sent out to advertise its Echina-Relief, Hyperi-Lift and Detox Tinctures products saying that it was misleading.^[215] The Prince personally wrote at least seven letters^[216] to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) shortly before they relaxed the rules governing labelling of such herbal products, a move that has been widely condemned by scientists and medical bodies.^[217] In October 2009, it was reported that Charles had personally lobbied the Health Secretary, Andy Burnham, regarding greater provision of alternative treatments in the NHS.^[215] In 2016, Charles said in a speech that he used homeopathic veterinary medicines to reduce antibiotic use at his farm.^[218]

In April 2010, following accounting irregularities, a former official at the Prince's Foundation and his wife were arrested for fraud believed to total £300,000.

Prince Charles was confirmed at age 16 by Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey at Easter 1965, in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.^[225] He attends services at various Anglican churches close to Highgrove,^[226] and attends the Church of Scotland's Crathie Kirk with the rest of the royal family when staying at Balmoral Castle. In 2000, he was appointed as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Charles has visited (amid some secrecy) Orthodox monasteries several times on Mount Athos^[227] as well as in Romania.^[148] Charles is also patron of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies at the University of Oxford, and in the 2000s, he inaugurated the Markfield Institute of Higher Education, which is dedicated to Islamic studies in a plural multicultural context.^{[155][228][229]}

Sir

Plans have been made for Charles's coronation under the code name Operation Golden Orb.[242] The committee is chaired by Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk, who holds the hereditary title of Earl Marshal. The operation is made up of leading members of the aristocracy and other dignitaries, and is constitutionally separate from the private offices of Charles or the Queen.^[243] Reports suggest that Charles' coronation ceremony will be simpler and more scaled-down than his mother's in 1953.^[244]

There has been speculation as to what regnal name the prince would choose upon his succession to the throne. If he uses his first name, he would be known as Charles III. However, it was reported in 2005 that Charles has suggested he may choose to reign as George VII in honour of his maternal grandfather, and to avoid association with the Stuart kings Charles I (who was beheaded) and Charles II (who was known for his promiscuous lifestyle),^[245] as well as to be sensitive to the memory of Bonnie Prince Charlie, once a Stuart pretender to the English and Scottish thrones, who was called "Charles III" by his supporters.^[245] Charles's office responded that "no decision has been made".^[246]

Relationships and marriages

Bachelorhood

In his youth, Charles was amorously linked to a number of women. His great-uncle Lord Mountbatten advised him:

In a case like yours, the man should sow his wild oats and have as many affairs as he can before settling down, but for a wife he should choose a suitable, attractive, and sweet-charactered girl before she has met anyone else she might fall for ... It is disturbing for women to have experiences if they have to remain on a pedestal after marriage.^[247]

Charles's girlfriends included Georgiana Russell, the daughter of

Early in 1974, Mountbatten began corresponding with Charles about a potential marriage to

Charles first met

Within five years, the marriage was in trouble due to the couple's incompatibility and near 13-year age difference.[264]^[265] In a videotape recorded by Peter Settelen in 1992, Diana admitted that by 1986, she had been "deeply in love with someone who worked in this environment."^[266][267] It is thought she was referring to Barry Mannakee,^[268] who was transferred to the Diplomatic Protection Squad in 1986 after his managers had determined that his relationship with Diana had been inappropriate.^[267][269] Diana later commenced a relationship with Major James Hewitt, the family's former riding instructor.^[270] Charles and Diana's evident discomfort in each other's company led to them being dubbed "The Glums" by the press.^[271] Diana exposed Charles's affair with Camilla in a book by Andrew Morton, Diana, Her True Story. Audio tapes of her own extramarital flirtations also surfaced.^[271] Persistent suggestions that Hewitt is Prince Harry's father have been based on a physical similarity between Hewitt and Harry. However, Harry had already been born by the time Diana's affair with Hewitt began.^[272][273]

Legal separation and divorce

In December 1992, British prime minister John Major announced the couple's legal separation in Parliament. Earlier that year, the British press had published transcripts of a passionate bugged telephone conversation between Charles and Camilla from 1989, which was dubbed Camillagate by the press.^[274][275] Prince Charles sought public understanding in a television film, Charles: The Private Man, the Public Role, with Jonathan Dimbleby that was broadcast on 29 June 1994. In an interview in the film, he confirmed his own extramarital affair with Camilla, saying that he had rekindled their association in 1986 only after his marriage to Diana had "irretrievably broken down".^{[276][277][278]} This was followed by Diana's own admission of marital troubles in an interview with the BBC current affairs show Panorama, broadcast on 20 November 1995.^[279] Referring to Charles's relationship with Camilla, she said: "Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded." She also expressed doubt about her husband's suitability for kingship.^[280] Charles and Diana divorced on 28 August 1996,^[281] after being formally advised by the Queen in December 1995 to end the marriage.^[282] Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris on 31 August of the following year; Charles flew to Paris with Diana's sisters to accompany her body back to Britain.^[283]

Marriage to Camilla Parker Bowles

The engagement of Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles was announced on 10 February 2005; he presented her with an engagement ring that had belonged to

Charles was the only member of the royal family to have a civil rather than a church wedding in England. Government documents from the 1950s and 1960s, published by the BBC, stated that such a marriage was illegal,^[287] though these were dismissed by Charles's spokesman,^[288] and explained to be obsolete by the sitting government.^[289]

The marriage was scheduled to take place in a civil ceremony at

From his youth until 1992, Prince Charles was an avid player of competitive polo. He continued to play informally, including for charity, until 2005.^[294] He was occasionally injured after falling off horses,^[295] and underwent two operations in 1990 to fix fractures in his right arm.^[296][297] Charles also frequently took part in fox hunting until the sport was banned in the United Kingdom in 2005. By the late 1990s, opposition to the activity was growing when Charles's participation was viewed as a "political statement" by those who were opposed to it. The League Against Cruel Sports launched an attack against Charles after he took his sons on the Beaufort Hunt in 1999. At that time, the government was trying to ban hunting with hounds.^[298][299] In 2001, he broke a small bone in his left shoulder while hunting in Derbyshire.^[300][301]

Charles has been a keen salmon angler since youth and supports Orri Vigfússon's efforts to protect the North Atlantic salmon. He frequently fishes the River Dee in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, while he claims his most special angling memories are from his time in Vopnafjörður, Iceland.^[302] Charles is a supporter of Burnley Football Club.^[303]

Visual, performing and contemporary arts

Prince Charles is president or patron of more than 20 performing arts organisations, which include the

Charles was awarded the 2011 Montblanc de la Culture Arts Patronage Award by the Montblanc Cultural Foundation for his support and commitment to the arts, particularly in regard to young people.[312] On 23 April 2016, Charles appeared in a comedy sketch for the Royal Shakespeare Company's Shakespeare Live! at the

Prince Charles is an author of several books that reflect his own interests. He has also contributed a foreword or preface to books by other writers and has also written, presented and has been featured in documentary films.^{[315][316][317][318]}

Media image

Since his birth, Prince Charles has received close media attention, which increased as he matured. It has been an ambivalent relationship, largely impacted by his marriages to Diana and Camilla and its aftermath, but also centred on his future conduct as king, such as the 2014 play King Charles III.^[319] Known for expressing his opinions, when asked during an interview to mark his 70th birthday whether this would continue in the same way once he is king, he responded "No. It won't. I'm not that stupid. I do realise that it is a separate exercise being sovereign. So, of course, you know, I understand entirely how that should operate".^[320]

Described as the "world's most eligible bachelor" in the late 1970s,^[321] Prince Charles was subsequently overshadowed by Diana.^[322] After her death, the media regularly breached Charles's privacy and printed exposés. In 2003, Diana's butler Paul Burrell published a note that he claimed had been written by Diana in 1995, in which there were allegations that Charles was "planning 'an accident' in [Diana's] car, brake failure and serious head injury" so that he could marry again.^{[323][324][325]} When questioned by the Metropolitan Police inquiry team as a part of Operation Paget, Charles told the authorities that he did not know about his former wife's note from 1995 and could not understand why she had these feelings.^[326]

Other people who were formerly connected with the prince have betrayed his confidence. In 1995, he obtained an injunction that prevented a former housekeeper's memoirs from being published in the United Kingdom, although they eventually sold 100,000 copies in the United States.^[327] Later, an ex-member of his household handed the press an internal memo in which Charles commented on ambition and opportunity, and which was widely interpreted as blaming meritocracy for creating a combative atmosphere in society. Charles responded: "In my view, it is just as great an achievement to be a plumber or a bricklayer as it is to be a lawyer or a doctor".^[328]

Charity donations

In 2021 and 2022, two of Charles's charities,

Reaction to press treatment

In 1994, German tabloid Bild published nude photos of Charles that were taken while he was vacationing in Le Barroux.^[348] They were reportedly put up for sale for £30,000.^[348] Buckingham Palace reacted by stating that it was "unjustifiable for anybody to suffer this sort of intrusion".^[349]

In 2002, Charles, "so often a target of the press, got his chance to return fire" when addressing "scores of editors, publishers and other media executives" gathered at St Bride's Fleet Street to celebrate 300 years of journalism.^[350][351] Defending public servants from "the corrosive drip of constant criticism", he noted that the press had been "awkward, cantankerous, cynical, bloody-minded, at times intrusive, at times inaccurate and at times deeply unfair and harmful to individuals and to institutions."^[351] But, he concluded, regarding his own relations with the press, "from time to time we are probably both a bit hard on each other, exaggerating the downsides and ignoring the good points in each."^[351]

Charles's anguish was recorded in his private comments to

Prince William, caught on a microphone during a press photo-call in 2005 and published in the national press. After a question from the BBC's royal correspondent, Nicholas Witchell, Charles muttered: "These bloody people. I can't bear that man. I mean, he's so awful, he really is."^[352]

In 2006, the prince

transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong to China in 1997, in which Charles described the Chinese government officials as "appalling old waxworks".^[353] Mark Bolland, his ex-private secretary, declared in a statement to the High Court that Charles "would readily embrace the political aspects of any contentious issue he was interested in ... He carried it out in a very considered, thoughtful and researched way. He often referred to himself as a 'dissident' working against the prevailing political consensus."^[353] Jonathan Dimbleby reported that the prince "has accumulated a number of certainties about the state of the world and does not relish contradiction."^[354]

In 2015, The Independent noted that Charles would only speak to broadcasters "on the condition they have signed a 15-page contract, demanding that Clarence House attends both the 'rough cut' and 'fine cut' edits of films and, if it is unhappy with the final product, can 'remove the contribution in its entirety from the programme'."^[355] This contract stipulated that all questions directed at Charles must be pre-approved and vetted by representatives of Charles.^[355]

Guest appearances on television

The Prince of Wales has occasionally appeared on television. In 1984, he read his children's book The Old Man of Lochnagar for the BBC's Jackanory series. The UK soap opera Coronation Street featured an appearance by Charles during the show's 40th anniversary in 2000,^[356] as did the New Zealand young adult cartoon series bro'Town (2005), after he attended a performance by the show's creators during a tour of the country.^[357][358] Charles was interviewed with Princes William and Harry by Ant & Dec to mark the 30th anniversary of The Prince's Trust in 2006^[359] and in 2016 was interviewed by them again along with his sons and the Duchess of Cornwall to mark the 40th anniversary.^[360]

His saving of the Scottish stately home Dumfries House was the subject of Alan Titchmarsh's documentary Royal Restoration, which aired on TV in May 2012.^[361] Also in May 2012, Charles tried his hand at being a weather presenter for the BBC, reporting the forecast for Scotland as part of their annual week at Holyrood Palace alongside Christopher Blanchett. He injected humour in his report, asking, "Who the hell wrote this script?" as references were made to royal residences.^[362] In December 2015, Channel 4 News revealed that interviews with Charles were subject to a contract that restricts questions to those previously approved, and gives his staff oversight of editing and the right to "remove the contribution in its entirety from the programme". Channel 4 News decided not to proceed with an interview on this basis, which some journalists believed would put them at risk of breaching the Ofcom Broadcasting Code on editorial independence and transparency.^[363]

Residences and finance

Clarence House, previously the residence of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, has been Charles's official London residence since 2003 after being renovated at a cost of £4.5 million.^[364][365] He previously shared Apartments 8 and 9 at Kensington Palace with his wife Diana, before moving to York House, St James's Palace, which remained his principal residence until 2003.^[365] His primary source of income is generated from the Duchy of Cornwall, which owns 133,658 acres of land (around 54,090 hectares), including farming, residential, and commercial properties, as well as an investment portfolio. Highgrove House in Gloucestershire is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, having been purchased for his use in 1980, and which Prince Charles rents for £336,000 per annum.^[366] The Public Accounts Committee published its 25th report into the Duchy of Cornwall accounts in November 2013 noting that the duchy performed well in 2012–13, increasing its total income and producing an overall surplus of £19.1 million.^[367]

In 2007, the prince purchased a 192-acre property (150 acres of grazing and parkland, and 40 acres of woodland) in Carmarthenshire, and applied for permission to convert the farm into a Welsh home for him and the Duchess of Cornwall, to be rented out as holiday flats when the couple is not in residence.^[368] A neighbouring family said the proposals flouted local planning regulations, and the application was put on hold temporarily while a report was drafted on how the alterations would affect the local bat population.^[369] Charles and Camilla first stayed at the new property, called Llwynywermod, in June 2008.^[370] They also stay at Birkhall for some holidays, which is a private residence on the Balmoral Castle estate in Scotland, and was previously used by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.^{[371][372][373]}

In 2016, it was reported that his estates receive £100,000 a year in European Union agricultural subsidies.

Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs were asked to investigate alleged tax avoidance by the Duchy of Cornwall.^[376] The Duchy of Cornwall is named in the Paradise Papers, a set of confidential electronic documents relating to offshore investment that were leaked to the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. The papers show that the Duchy invested in a Bermuda-based carbon credits trading company run by one of Charles's Cambridge contemporaries. The investment was kept secret but there is no suggestion that Charles or the estate avoided UK tax.^[377]

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Main article:

List of titles and honours of Charles, Prince of Wales

See also:

List of awards received by Charles, Prince of Wales

Titles and styles

• 14 November 1948 – 6 February 1952: His Royal Highness Prince Charles of Edinburgh^[378]
• 6 February 1952 – present: His Royal Highness The Duke of Cornwall
  • in Scotland: 6 February 1952 – present: His Royal Highness The Duke of Rothesay
• 26 July 1958 – present: His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales

Honours and military appointments

Charles has held substantive ranks in the armed forces of a number of countries since he was made a

Canadian Forces and, on 16 June 2012, the Queen awarded him the highest honorary rank in all three branches of the British Armed Forces, "to acknowledge his support in her role as Commander-in-Chief", installing him as Admiral of the Fleet, Field Marshal and Marshal of the Royal Air Force.^{[380][381][382]}

He has been inducted into seven orders and received eight decorations from the Commonwealth realms, and has been the recipient of 20 different honours from foreign states, as well as nine honorary degrees from universities in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

Arms

Coat of arms of the Prince of Wales

Notes The royal coat of arms of Scotland . Crest Upon the royal helm the coronet of the Prince of Wales, thereon a lion statant guardant Or crowned with the coronet of the Prince of Wales Escutcheon Quarterly first and fourth tressure flory counterflory third Azure a harp Or stringed Argent overall an inescutcheon quarterly Or and Gules four lions passant guardant counterchanged, ensigned by the coronet of his degree. Supporters fleurs de lys a chain affixed thereto passing between the forelegs and reflexed over the back also Or Motto ICH DIEN (German for I serve) Orders Garter ribbon. Honi soit qui mal y pense (French for Shame be to him who thinks evil of it) Other elements The whole differenced by a plain label of three points Argent, as the eldest child of the sovereign Badge Three ostrich feathers encircled by a gold coronet Symbolism As with the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom. The first and fourth quarters are the arms of England, the second of Scotland, the third of Ireland.

Banners, flags, and standards

The banners used by the prince vary depending upon location. His Personal Standard is the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom differenced as in his arms with a label of three points Argent, and the escutcheon of the arms of the Principality of Wales in the centre. It is used outside Wales, Scotland, Cornwall, and Canada, and throughout the entire United Kingdom when the prince is acting in an official capacity associated with the UK Armed Forces.^[383]

The personal flag for use in Wales is based upon the Royal Badge of Wales (the historic arms of the Kingdom of Gwynedd), which consist of four quadrants, the first and fourth with a red lion on a gold field, and the second and third with a gold lion on a red field. Superimposed is an escutcheon Vert bearing the single-arched coronet of the Prince of Wales.^[383]

In Scotland the personal banner used since 1974 is based upon three ancient Scottish titles:

High Steward of Scotland and Lord of the Isles. The flag is divided into four quadrants like the arms of the Chief of Clan Stewart of Appin; the first and fourth quadrants comprise a gold field with a blue and silver checkered band in the centre; the second and third quadrants display a black galley on a silver field. The arms are differenced from those of Appin by the addition of an inescutcheon bearing the tressured lion rampant of Scotland; defaced by a plain label of three points Azure to indicate the heir apparent.^[383]

In Cornwall, the banner is the arms of the Duke of Cornwall: "Sable 15 bezants Or", that is, a black field bearing 15 gold coins.^[383]

In 2011, the

Arms of Canada defaced with both a blue roundel of the Prince of Wales's feathers surrounded by a wreath of gold maple leaves, and a white label of three points.^[384]

• 
  Banner of arms
• 
  Standard for Wales
• 
  Standard for Scotland
• 
  Banner of arms of the Duke of Cornwall
• 
  Standard of the Prince of Wales for personal use in Canada

Issue

Name	Birth	Marriage		Children
		Date	Spouse
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge	21 June 1982	29 April 2011	Catherine Middleton	Prince Louis of Cambridge
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex	15 September 1984	19 May 2018	Meghan Markle	Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor

Ancestry

Ancestors of Charles III Princess Mary of Teck
	3. Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
							14. Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
				7. Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
							15. Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck

See also

• List of current heirs apparent

Notes

1. ^ As a member of the royal family entitled to be called His Royal Highness, Charles does not usually use a family name. But when one is needed, it is Mountbatten-Windsor.^[1]
2. ^
   honorary appointments
   in the armed forces of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea as well as the United Kingdom.
3. Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven (his paternal great-grandmother); the Lady Brabourne (his cousin); and the Hon David Bowes-Lyon (his maternal great-uncle).^[15]

References