HRH Prince Charles:
Introduction To The Prince Of Wales:
The Prince of Wales, eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, is heir apparent to the throne.Education:The Prince was born at Buckingham Palace on 14 November 1948, and was christened Charles Philip Arthur George.
When, on the accession of Queen Elizabeth in 1952, he became heir apparent, Prince Charles automatically became Duke of Cornwall under a charter of King Edward III dating back to 1337, which gave that title to the Sovereign's eldest son. He also became, in the Scottish Peerage, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick and Baron Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland. He was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester in 1958.
The Prince was educated at Cheam School and at Gordonstoun, Scotland. He spent part of the school year in 1966 as an exchange student at the Geelong Church of England Grammar School, Melbourne, Australia - the first member of the British Royal family to attend an overseas Commonwealth school.Military career:Between 1967 and 1970, the Prince read archaeology and anthropology and, for his last two years, history, at the University of Cambridge. He took an active part in undergraduate life, appearing in several college revues and gaining his University Colours ('half-Blue') for polo. In 1969 he spent one summer term in Aberystwyth at the University of Wales, before his formal investiture as Prince of Wales in Caernarvon Castle on 1 July 1969. He graduated from Cambridge with a BA (Honours) degree in 1970. The Prince took his seat in the House of Lords in the same year.
The Prince of Wales took up his first Service appointment in 1969 as Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Regiment of Wales. He became Colonel of the Welsh Guards in 1975, in succession to The Duke of Edinburgh, and now holds a number of Service appointments. In 1971 he spent six months at the Royal Air Force College at Cranwell learning to fly jet aircraft and obtaining his RAF wings. In the autumn of 1971 the Prince entered the Royal Navy. Following service on a guided-missile destroyer and two frigates, he qualified as a helicopter pilot in 1974 at the Royal Naval Air Station at Yeovilton in Somerset. Subsequently, the Prince joined 845 Naval Air Squadron on Commando flying duties, operating from the aircraft carrier HMS HERMES. In early 1976 he took command of the coastal minehunter HMS BRONINGTON. The Prince left the Royal Navy at the end of 1976. He currently holds the rank of Captain in the Royal Navy and Group Captain in the Royal Air Force.Marriage and family:
On 29 July 1981 The Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer in St Paul's Cathedral. The marriage of The Prince and Princess of Wales was dissolved on 28 August 1996. The Princess of Wales was killed in a car crash on 31 August 1997 in Paris.Activities and interests:Their two children, Prince William and Prince Henry, are second and third in line of succession to the throne.
Prince William Arthur Philip Louis was born on 21 June 1982 at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, in London. He was christened by the Archbishop of Canterbury at Buckingham Palace and he was confirmed by the Bishop of London at St George's Chapel in 1997.
Prince William is currently at Eton College, Windsor. He undertakes no official engagements on his own, although he attended the VE and VJ commemorations in 1995 in London with his family.
Prince Henry Charles Albert David was born on 15 September 1984 at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington. He was christened by the Archbishop of Canterbury in December 1984 in St George's Chapel, Windsor.
Prince Harry also attended the VE and VJ commemorations, and in November 1997 he accompanied the Prince of Wales to South Africa. He is currently at Ludgrove School.
The Prince of Wales takes a keen and, where possible, active interest in all areas of public life. Each year he undertakes a large number of public engagements both in Britain and overseas - some 290 in 1997. He is associated as a patron or president with around 200 organisations, covering a wide range of interests and activities - young people, the unemployed, the disabled, the elderly, the problems of the inner cities, education, medicine, the arts, conservation, national heritage, environment, architecture and sport. Not all of The Prince of Wales' work is carried out in public. There are frequent private meetings and discussions with Government Ministers, political figures, academics, experts and the business community, through which he has access to a wide range of opinion and thinking on national and international issues.Although most of Prince Charles's duties are cerimonial, he carries them out with all executiveness. Often Charles is the representative of the Queen and the Nation abroad. While at, when he is not with his children or working on personal interests, he is obsorbed by national duties. Frequently the prince performes such duties as participating in the Opening of Parliament and the investiture of national orders.
Overseas Visits:
The Prince of Wales undertakes a regular programme of official visits overseas, in all parts of the world. His visits combine a number of functions. They enable him to see for himself a wide range of international issues and to meet a great variety of heads of state, senior official figures and people from all walks of life who will become key figures in their own countries. He is able to use his visits to promote Britain, British interests and British business in the widest sense. His visits are also the means to pursue his working interests internationally. The Prince also occasionally represents The Queen at overseas events, such as the handover of Hong Kong in June 1997.
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