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Here's a look at the life of Charles III, king of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth kingdoms.
Birthdate: November 14, 1948
Place of birth: Buckingham Palace, London, England
Birth name: Carlos Felipe Arturo Jorge Windsor
Father: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Mother: Queen Elizabeth II
Marriages: Camilla Parker Bowles (April 9, 2005–present), Lady Diana Spencer (July 29, 1981–August 28, 1996, divorced)
Children: with Princess Diana: William (June 21, 1982), Henry “Harry” (September 15, 1984)
Education: Trinity College, Cambridge, United Kingdom, BA, 1970, Royal Air Force College Cranwell, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom, 1971
Military: Royal Navy 1971-1976. In 2012, Queen Elizabeth appointed him to honorary five-star ranks in all three military branches of the army, navy and air force: he is admiral of the fleet, field marshal and marshal of the Royal Air Force.
Britain's longest-serving monarch-in-waiting.
First royal heir to obtain a university degree.
President or patron of more than 400 charities.
He likes to play polo, skiing, fishing and hunting. His hobbies include gardening, painting and writing.
As a child he performed in school productions, sang in the school choir, played trumpet, cello and electric guitar.
His other interests include architecture and its effects on the environment, agriculture, alternative medicine and different religions.
February 6, 1952 – Three-year-old Prince Charles becomes heir apparent when his grandfather dies and his mother ascends the throne.
July 26, 1958 – He is named Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester by his mother before Parliament. He is the twenty-first Prince of Wales and the first since 1936.
July 1, 1969 – He is invested as Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester during a televised ceremony at Caernavon Castle.
February 11, 1970 – He takes his seat in the House of Lords.
September 1971 – He earns his wings to fly jets at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell and joins the Royal Navy.
1974 – He qualifies as a helicopter pilot and joins 845 Naval Air Squadron on HMS Hermes. Two years later he completes his military service and takes command of a coastal minesweeper, HMS Bronington.
1976 – He founded The Prince's Trust, a philanthropic venture to help disadvantaged young people.
July 29, 1981 – He marries Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral.
December 9, 1992 – Prime Minister John Major announces the separation of Charles and Diana.
1993 – The affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles becomes public when the transcript of an intimate telephone conversation between the two in 1989 is made public.
June 29, 1994 – A television documentary, “Charles: The Private Man, the Public Role” is broadcast; In it he admits to having committed adultery.
September 1997 – Charles accompanies Princess Diana's body from Paris to London and during the funeral procession walks behind her coffin with his father, his children and Diana's brother, the Earl of Spencer.
January 28, 1999 – First public appearance as a couple with Parker-Bowles, when they are seen leaving the Ritz Hotel in London after a party.
June 2000 – He formally introduces Parker-Bowles to Queen Elizabeth II at a party at Highgrove, his estate.
2003 – Clarence House becomes the official London residence of Charles and his children. The estate is the former home of the Queen Mother, Charles's grandmother.
April 9, 2005 – In a civil ceremony at the Guildhall in Windsor with a blessing in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, Charles and Camilla were married.
November 1 to 8, 2005 – He made his first official visit to the United States since 1994.
October 2006 – Announces plans for a second multi-faith coronation ceremony, if/when he is named king, to include all non-Christian faiths, and for Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, to be crowned Queen at the same time.
January 27, 2007 – He receives the Global Environmental Citizen Award from the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School, presented by former US Vice President Al Gore.
November 16, 2010 – Announces the engagement of eldest son, Prince William, to his long-time girlfriend, Kate Middleton.
December 9, 2010 – Student protesters breach security on the streets of London's West End and attack the 1977 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI carrying Charles and Camilla to a performance at the London Palladium. The couple escapes any physical harm. Students protest rising tuition fees.
May 8, 2013 – Attends the opening of Parliament for the first time in 17 years. This is the first time he and the Duchess of Cornwall have attended the opening together.
March 2015 – Visit the United States with Camilla. The trip includes a tour of Mount Vernon, a meeting with President Barack Obama and a festival in Louisville, Kentucky.
May 19, 2015 – Meet Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams. This is the first meeting between a member of the British Royal Family and the leader of Sinn Féin.
November 27, 2017 – Announces Prince Harry's engagement to Meghan Markle.
April 20, 2018 – Commonwealth leaders agree that Prince Charles will succeed Queen Elizabeth as the next head of the Commonwealth.
May 19, 2018 – He walks his daughter-in-law Meghan down the aisle at her wedding ceremony with Prince Harry.
November 8, 2018 – A television documentary, “Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70” is broadcast; In it he promises not to meddle in controversial matters once he assumes the role of monarch.
March 25, 2020 – He announces that he has tested positive for coronavirus and is isolating himself in Scotland.
September 8, 2022 – Queen Elizabeth II dies and Charles ascends the throne.
September 10, 2022 – He is officially proclaimed King of the United Kingdom.
October 11, 2022 – Buckingham Palace announces that Charles' coronation is scheduled for May 6, 2023.
May 6, 2023 – Charles's coronation takes place in Westminster Abbey.
January 17, 2024 – Buckingham Palace announces that Charles will go to hospital for treatment for an enlarged prostate.
Current line of succession:
1. The Prince of Wales, Prince William, son of King Charles (1982)
2. Prince George of Wales, son of Prince William (2013)
3. Princess Charlotte of Wales, daughter of Prince William (2015)
4. Prince Louis of Wales, son of Prince William (2018)
5. The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, son of King Charles (1984)
6. Prince Archie of Sussex, son of Prince Harry (2019)
7. Princess Lilibet of Sussex, daughter of Prince Harry (2021)
8. The Duke of York, son of Queen Elizabeth II (1960)
9. Princess Beatrice of York, daughter of Prince Andrew (1988)
10. Miss Sienna Mapelli Mozzi, daughter of Princess Beatrice (2021)
