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On November 14, King Charles III of Great Britain will turn 74 years old. It is at this age – May 6, 2023 – that he will be crowned to the throne after a record-breaking long wait for his turn to the crown of St. Edward. We talked in detail about the biography of the new monarch in the October issue of Hello! And in honor of his birthday, we collected little-known facts about him in the weekly column HELLO!
1) The first and main fact is that the current King Charles III was born on November 14, 1948 at 09.14 in the morning at Buckingham Palace. And he became the last heir to the throne, who was not born in a medical institution. His eldest son Prince William, and later grandson George, were born in a private ward at St Mary’s State Hospital in London.
2) But in some ways he was the first. In 1967, Prince Charles entered Trinity College at the University of Cambridge and graduated in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude. So for the first time in history, the heir to the British throne received a higher education.
3) Charles III knows Welsh. He began studying it in 1969 in preparation for his investiture, after which he officially became the Prince of Wales. The king still speaks it when he visits this country or makes addresses to its inhabitants.
4) While serving in the army in 1971-1976, the king learned to pilot jet planes and military helicopters, and in the navy he became a good diver. He even explored sunken ships such as the Mary Rose, the flagship of the English navy under King Henry VIII Tudor, which sank in 1545 in the northern English Channel.
5) He paints beautifully with watercolors and writes books. In 1991, an album was released in one of the British publishers, which was called: “Watercolors of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.” Karl’s literary debut was the children’s story The Old Man of Lochnagar, published in November 1980. It was about an elderly man who lives in a cave in the rocks surrounding Lake Kori. There is Mount Lochnagar, which offers a beautiful view of Balmoral – the estate of the royal family in Scotland. It was there that during the summer holidays, young Charles came up with the incredible adventures of the old man to entertain his younger brothers Andrew and Edward. Charles is the author of several dozen books, some of which he wrote himself or co-authored, and for some he selected illustrations or prepared a preface.
6) As a child, Karl learned to play the trumpet and piano. His debut as a trumpeter took place at the age of 15, when he studied at the private school Gordonstone in Scotland. He performed in the student orchestra of St. Giles Cathedral. And as a student, the king played the cello in the university orchestra. True, relations with this instrument did not work out. In an interview, he modestly described himself as “hopeless”, and admitted: “I played in the orchestra at Trinity College with pleasure, albeit quite badly.”
7) As the Prince of Wales, he founded about two dozen charities that annually raise a total of 140 million pounds for good causes. Carl is also concerned about environmental pollution and has been urging the British to think green since the 1970s. Following the principle of “start with yourself”, he moved behind the wheel of an electric car a long time ago. By the way, his favorite car – a rare version of Aston Martin presented by his parents for the 21st anniversary of the Volante – was the name of the convertible. In total, 140 of them were produced, and in addition to the heir to the British throne, such a car was driven, for example, by Mick Jagger and Paul McCartney. In 2008, this Aston Martin was converted to biofuel, as Karl himself jokes, from English wine and cheese. In addition, the king is known for planting trees during royal events.
8) Charles III is the monarch of 14 countries of the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the Bahamas. True, in recent years more and more countries have declared their desire to get out of the jurisdiction of the British kings. On November 30 last year, Charles was present at the official declaration of Barbados as a republic and the farewell of this island state to the monarchs who ruled it for almost 400 years. By the way, since he became king, he is the only person in the UK who can travel without a passport and drive a car without a driver’s license.
9) The monarch often appears in front of television cameras, and not only as an interviewed VIP person. He took part in the filming of the British TV series Coronation Street, and in the spring of this year, together with his wife Camilla, he starred in the TV series EastEnders, a series dedicated to the platinum anniversary of Elizabeth II. He even happened to present the weather forecast on the BBC.
one0) In 1975, when the future king was 27 years old, he became a member of the Magic Circle Society of Acting Magicians. a participant in this An unusual professional community founded in London in 1905 can only be established by showing a trick. Carl passed this test by demonstrating the “Cups and Balls” trick. The props he used are on display at the Magic Circle Museum in the British capital.
Source: Hellomagazine
Jason Root is a writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth coverage of famous people in entertainment, sports, and politics. He has a passion for uncovering the stories behind the headlines and bringing readers an inside look at the lives of the famous. He has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Journalism from UC Berkeley.
