King Charles
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms.[note 1]
Charles III
Head of the Commonwealth
Photograph of Charles III
Charles III in 2023
King of the United Kingdom
and other Commonwealth realms[note 1]
Reign
8 September 2022 – present
Coronation
6 May 2023
Predecessor
Elizabeth II
Heir apparent
William, Prince of Wales
Born
Prince Charles of Edinburgh
14 November 1948 (age 75)
Buckingham Palace, London, England
Spouses
Diana Spencer
(m. 1981; div. 1996)
Camilla Parker Bowles
(m. 2005)
Issue
Detail
William, Prince of Wales
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
Names
Charles Philip Arthur George[note 2]
House
Windsor
Father
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Mother
Elizabeth II
Religion
Protestant[note 3]
Education
Gordonstoun School
Alma mater
Trinity College, Cambridge (MA)
Military career
Allegiance
United Kingdom
Service/branch
Royal Navy
Royal Air Force
Years of active service
1971–1976
Rank
Full list
Commands held
HMS Bronington
Charles III's voice
Duration: 2 minutes and 54 seconds.2:54
Speech to the Scottish Parliament following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II
Recorded 12 September 2022
Charles was born in Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and became heir apparent when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, acceded to the throne in 1952. He was created Prince of Wales in 1958 and his investiture was held in 1969. He was educated at Cheam School and Gordonstoun, and later spent six months at the Timbertop campus of Geelong Grammar School in Victoria, Australia. After completing a history degree from the University of Cambridge, Charles served in the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy from 1971 to 1976. In 1981, he married Lady Diana Spencer. They had two sons, William and Harry. Charles and Diana divorced in 1996, after they had each engaged in well-publicised extramarital affairs. Diana died as a result of injuries sustained in a car crash the following year. In 2005, Charles married his long-term partner, Camilla Parker Bowles.
As heir apparent, Charles undertook official duties and engagements on behalf of his mother. He founded the Prince's Trust in 1976, sponsored the Prince's Charities, and became patron or president of more than 800 other charities and organisations. He advocated for the conservation of historic buildings and the importance of architecture in society. In that vein, he generated the experimental new town of Poundbury. An environmentalist, Charles supported organic farming