King Charles III will be crowned on Saturday, May 6, at London's Westminster Abbey, following in a tradition that dates back some 1,000 years. He became a monarch at the age of 73 when his mother died.
Born on November 14, 1948, at Buckingham Palace, Charles was only 4 years old when his mother was crowned as Queen Elizabeth II.
Interesting Facts About UK's New Monarch
Education
He is the first monarch to have gone to school, as all his predecessors were educated by private tutors, according to a Reuters report.
He went to Hill House school in West London before becoming a boarder at Cheam School in Berkshire, which was attended by his late father Prince Philip and where he was later head boy.
He was then sent to Gordonstoun, a tough boarding school in Scotland where Philip had also studied. As part of his education, he spent two terms at Geelong Church of England Grammar School in Melbourne, Australia.
He went to Trinity College, Cambridge, to study archaeology and physical and social anthropology but later changed to history. He also spent a term at the University College of Wales in Aberystwyth learning Welsh.
Sporty
As a young prince, Charles loved skiing, surfing, and scuba diving. He was a keen polo player for more than 40 years until he finally retired from the sport in 2005, aged 57, Reuters reported.
He played competitively until 1993, once suffering a double fracture to his right arm after a fall which required surgery and a bone graft. Another tumble in 2001 also landed him in hospital.
He also rode as an amateur jockey in six races in 1980-81, coming second on two occasions but also being unseated twice.
Love For Art And Music
The monarch is passionate about the arts and has often quoted Shakespeare in the aftermath of succeeding his mother Queen Elizabeth.
Not just that, at school, he learned to play the piano, trumpet and cello and appeared in a number of theatrical productions including the lead in a production of Shakespeare's "Macbeth". He is a lover of opera and classical music, but also cites Leonard Cohen as one of his favourites, according to the Royal Family website.
Among the songs he selected for a special hospital radio programme in 2021 were tracks by The Three Degrees, Diana Ross, Barbra Streisand and Edith Piaf, Reuters reported.
As Prince of Wales in 2000, he also revived a tradition of having an official harpist.
The King is a keen painter and had a watercolour displayed in the Royal Academy's 1987 summer exhibition after it was submitted anonymously, the Royal Family website reported.
Family life
The former Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer, who became the Princess of Wales, on July 29, 1981. The couple had two sons, William and Harry. They later separated and their marriage was dissolved in 1996. On 31 August 1997, the princess was killed in a car crash in Paris, BBC reported.
On April 9, 2005, Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles. When Charles became King, she became Queen Consort, as per the wishes of Queen Elizabeth II.
However, Queen Consort Camilla will officially be named Queen Camilla at King Charles III's coronation on Saturday 6 May 2023 at Westminster Abbey in London.
No Lunch For Charles
The monarch does not eat lunch, and he loves Darjeeling tea with honey and milk.
Champion of environmental issues
The King first spoke publicly about his concerns about pollution and plastics and their impact on the natural world in 1970.
The King often carries out tree-planting ceremonies during engagements. After planting each tree, His Majesty gives a branch a friendly shake to wish them well.
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