The Untold Stories of King Charles III: 7 Surprising Facts That You Haven't Heard About the Monarch
Here's looking into the life of King Charles III
Following Queen Elizabeth II's death on September 8, 2022, at the age of 96, King Charles III became the occupant of the British throne. Some royal family titles have changed since Charles became King, such as Camilla Parker Bowles becoming Queen Consort and Prince William becoming Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, and Cambridge. The duties of the former Prince of Wales (Charles) have also changed, as he is now the Head of State. But it's worth noting that Charles spent years working behind the scenes to promote charities and carry out his responsibilities as a prominent member of the royal family, despite all the very public events of his life that have played out on the global stage, such as his marriage to and divorce from Princess Diana, his long-term relationship with Camilla, and his tense relationship with his father. Here are a few other interesting facts about Charles that very few people know about.
1. King Charles III became the Prince of Wales when he was only nine years old
Only a male heir apparent may be named Prince of Wales, yet this title is not bestowed upon them automatically. Following his grandfather's death in 1952, Charles moved up to the second position in line for the throne, but it wasn't until 1958, at the age of nine, that he was given the titles of Prince of Wales as well as the Earl of Chester. Even though Wales is a part of their legal title, some people believe that individuals who have held the title in the past have not had a strong connection to the country. However, those who have held the title recently have been to Wales extensively and, in certain situations, have studied the language. In addition to taking Welsh classes at Aberystwyth University, King Charles often gave remarks in Welsh while serving as Prince of Wales, most notably at the 1999 ceremonial opening of the Welsh Assembly.
2. His nickname for the Secret Service
The Secret Service often assigns visiting dignitaries a code name, as was the case during King Charles's journey to the US. His moniker, 'Unicorn,' was strangely appropriate given that the unicorn is Scotland's national animal and has been a part of the country's coat of arms for more than 600 years. When the animal was incorporated into the arms and entrance of Rothesay Castle on the Scottish island of Bute in the late 1300s, it was seen as a sign of power. Ironically, Duke of Rothesay was one of King Charles' first titles, bestowed upon him at the age of five.
3. He was the first royal child in the 20th-century to be born in Buckingham Palace
On November 14, 1948, Princess Elizabeth, then 22 years old, gave birth to Charles Philip Arthur George, six days before his parents' first wedding anniversary. Although CBC's Matthew Halton reminded listeners that the child wouldn't become king anytime soon, newspapers described him as 'a lovely boy, a really splendid baby.' Halton said, "He may well be 50 or 60 years old before he ascends the throne if his grandfather, the king, and his mother, the princess, both live the full span of life."
4. The coronation of King Charles III took a few months after the Queen's demise
After Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022, the British succession rules gave the crown automatically to her oldest son and heir, Charles, now the former Prince of Wales. The Accession Council convened at St. James' Palace on September 10, two days after Queen Elizabeth II passed away, to formally declare King Charles III the new head of state of Great Britain. From that point on, the various phases of transitioning into a king started, including the required trips to Wales and Northern Ireland. A new sovereign's coronation "follows some months after his or her accession, following a period of mourning and as a result of the enormous amount of preparation required to organize the ceremony," according to the British monarchy's official website. As such, he was officially coronated on May 6, 2023.
5. Charles inspired the name of a species of frogs
Charles has been a strong supporter of preserving the world's rainforests. In an effort to increase public understanding of both the advantages that tropical forests provide and the part deforestation plays in climate change, he launched the Prince's Rainforest Project in 2007. He was so passionate about the environment that eventually, a species of frog was named in his honor. The Prince Charles Magnificent Tree Frog, or Hyloscirtus Princecherlesi, was named by Dr. Luis A. Coloma in 2008 after he saw it in a museum. The frog is indigenous to Ecuador and has orange dots all over its black body, but it is endangered.
6. The King has published a children's book titled The Old Man of Lochnagar
The Old Man of Lochnagar, a children's book written by King Charles III back in 1980, is based on tales the monarch told his younger brothers, Princes Andrew and Edward. Later, the book was made into an animated short film with the king narrating. There are six sections in the book itself, and the story revolves around an elderly guy who goes to the caverns close to Balmoral in search of a peaceful spot to have a hot bath, only to turn into an authentic tale of adventure, where the vivacious and carefree Old Man sets off on a mission to protect the Scottish pixies known as the Gorms from the terrifying Giant Gormless.
7. He met Lady Diana when he was courting her elder sister
Charles and Diana did not fall in love right away. In reality, he was actually courting his elder sister, Sarah, when the future Princess of Wales was first introduced to the then-heir to the throne in November 1977 while on a grouse hunt at the Spencer family estate, Althorp. The book The Diana Chronicles also alleged that although her older sister might not have been infatuated, 16-year-old Diana seemed to have a different opinion about the royal. She joked with her friends that she would one day wed Charles and called him 'the one man on the planet who is not allowed to divorce me.'
