Was He Really Born to Be King?
From day one, Prince Charles was a man of firsts and would often break the royal mold. In November 1948, a young Princess Elizabeth gave birth to Charles, with newspapers reporting at the time that he was a “lovely boy, a really splendid baby.”
Amazingly, the newborn prince was the first royal baby to be born at Buckingham Palace in the 20th century. While he didn’t have to grow up during the first or second world war, Charles would have his own battles as the years progressed…
Passing of the Crown
6 February, 1952, marked a bittersweet time in the history of the British monarchy. King George VI, Charles’s grandfather, was diagnosed with coronary thrombosis and ultimately passed away. This meant two important things. Firstly, George’s daughter, Elizabeth, immediately became the Queen of England.
Subsequentially, at just three years and three months of age, Charles was now the first in line for the throne. This would begin one of the longest periods that any royal has had as heir…
The Little Prince Charles
As the years went on, Charles was given and more and more titles. However, one of his most important titles came in July 1958, when his mother Queen Elizabeth II named him Charles Prince of Wales. It made sense, seeing that the nine-year-old was a male heir to the throne.
Over a decade later, Charles was officially crowned as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle. Despite his royal duties building up, Prince Charles was still determined to have some sort of normality in his life…
Like Any Other Student
As he grew into his adolescence, Prince Charles continued to break royal norms, determined to have some sort of “normal” life, whatever that might mean. In October 1967, he became the very first royal heir to attend university.
He studied at Trinity College, Cambridge until finally graduating in 1970 with a 2:2 in anthropology, archaeology, and history. Many casual fans wondered why a member of the British royal family wasn’t able to graduate with a first. Some speculate that it was for the following reason…
“Ladies’ Man”
While Prince Charles’s personal life spiraled out of control later on in life, it seems like the royal family was unforgiving towards him long before he ever tied the knot with anyone. Relatives portrayed him as a bit of a rebel, with some members of the family telling the press that he was something of a “ladies’ man.”
However, Charles was quick to deny such claims and was deeply hurt by such accusations. While future relationships didn’t help his case, Charles has since spoken up…
The Saga Begins…
1971 was the year when Prince Charles’s personal life started to take some significant twists and turns. It was the year that he first met Camilla Shand and it wouldn’t take long before the two started dating. By all accounts, it seemed like a match made in heaven.
However, the couple ended up breaking things off when Camilla started to see Andrew Parker Bowles. They tied the knot in 1973 and Charles was back to square one. He turned his attentions elsewhere…
In the Navy
Around the same time that Prince Charles was entangled with Camilla, he started a six-month training program as a jet pilot with the Royal Air Force. With time, the young prince moved on to the Royal Navy, where he would serve on a number of ships and even train as a helicopter pilot.
During the last ten months of his service in the navy, Charles took command of the HMS Bronington. Many years later, his flying days would come to an end after crashing a BAe 146 in the Hebrides.
The First of Many Charities
In 1976, Charles put his navy days behind him and started to map out what he was going to do next with his life. Shortly after his service came to an end, the Prince of Wales used the $8000 he accumulated from his military pension to establish The Prince’s Trust.
This charity aims to help young people who are struggling. The Prince’s Trust was the first of over 25 charities that Prince Charles has either established or had a part to play in over the years.
He Once Dated Princess Diana’s Sister
It is common knowledge that Prince Charles was once married to the late Princess Diana. However, many aren’t aware that the Prince of Wales reportedly dated her older sister, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, despite already meeting her sister.
In 1977, it is believed that the two saw each other for about nine months. However, the relationship didn’t last and this was in part due to an embarrassing interview Sarah gave about Charles. She allegedly claimed that she wouldn’t marry him “if he were the dustman or t
The King of England.”
His Early Days With Diana
As previously mentioned, Charles had already met Diana Spencer in 1977. However, it wasn’t until 1980 that the Prince of Wales would consider dating her. According to biographer Jonathan Dimbleby, Diana had been supportive of Charles after he lost his uncle Lord
“Without any apparent surge in feeling, he began to think seriously of her as a potential bride”, he wrote. As the media was skeptical about whether or not Charles actually had feelings for Diana, Prince Phillip pressured Charles into making a decision about their future, sooner rather
“Without any apparent surge in feeling, he began to think seriously of her as a potential bride”, he wrote. As the media was skeptical about whether or not Charles actually had feelings for Diana, Prince Phillip pressured Charles into making a decision about their future, sooner rather than later…
Prince Charles Makes His Decision
When Prince Charles did propose to Diana, it was right before she embarked on a trip to Australia. He wanted to give her that time away to think about this big decision – one that would come with so many changes to her everyday life, for the rest of her life.
But she surprised him, and the world, by saying “yes” right away. In 1981, their engagement was announced; he was 31, she 19. But when asked if they are in love, his reply was, “Whatever ‘in love’ means.”
The Controversial Pair Get Married
His answer concerned many people, including both Diana and the reporter present. Those close to him explained that it had to do with the pressure put on him to pick a “smart match” to both spend his life with and bring into the Royal family, rather than a mere reflection of his love.
But even today, many believe it was foreshadowing of what was to come. Nonetheless, the couple was married at St Paul’s cathedral on the 29th of July, 1981.
William and Harry Are Born
One of the many priorities of the Royal family is to have many little Royal children, so it wasn’t long before the new couple became new parents as well. By June 21st of 1982, just a year later, Charles and Diana welcome Prince William of Wales into the family.
The early years of their marriage saw more good times, and their first child was followed by a second: Prince Harry, born on September 15th, 1984. But it wasn’t long before difficulties in their relationship became apparent.
The Downward Spiral Started
Whether it was merely clashing personalities or their 13-year age difference, the world may never know. But just five years after their marriage, the relationship was in
Diana, for one, had barely entered the most formative years of her life; years when the average person changes drastically, and quickly. Years later, a video surfaced of Diana saying on record that she had been “deeply in love” with someone who worked close to the family by 1986.
Charles Reunites With Camilla: Ex-Girlfriend and Future Wife
Coincidentally – or not – royal family policeman Barry Mannakee was transferred that year to another position (the Diplomatic Protection Squad) that would keep him farther away from Diana. It was that very same year when Charles reunited with an old flame: Camilla Parker Bowles.
They had briefly dated before his relationship with Diana began, but in order to pursue Diana with commitment, he cut off contact with her. When asked in the years to come what sparked their reconnection, Prince Charles admitted that his marriage was all but broken by that time.
Diana Takes a Lover
Meanwhile, Diana seemed more interested in protecting her own heart than protecting her reputation. It seemed like no secret to her that the Prince’s rekindled friendship with his old flame Camilla was far from just friendly. A transcript from a conversation between her and her horseback riding teacher, James Gilbey, occurred around the same time that was only released years later in 1992; when Charles and Diana were still married, but far from together.
In it, Gilbey professes his love to Diana and calls her by a pet name, “Squidgy,” 53 times – which gave their scandal the nickname, “Squidgygate.”
Prince Charles Has His Own Leaked Call
Shortly following Diana’s leaked phone call, another transcript was leaked – this time, of a conversation between Prince Charles and his “friend” Camilla, who herself was unhappily married. Rumors had already been widely circulating, but this conversation was proof enough for the masses.
One particularly convincing point was a comment Charles made to Camilla about turning into a tampon. Well, it’s no surprise that he and Diana announced their separation just a few months later.
Charles Talks to the Press
In the years to come, author Jonathan Dimbleby was given full access to the Prince along with his papers and diaries while working on a book about him, which was finally published in the 1994 publication The Prince of Wales.
In it, details are revealed of the Prince’s infidelity, along with personal accounts that present Diana as mentally unstable. Either way, the strains of their relationship became much clearer to the public. In Charles’ own words, he was “faithful and honorable” during the marriage, “until it became irretrievably broken down, us both having tried.”
Diana Speaks for Herself
It was only a matter of time before Princess Diana was given a voice in this, or perhaps gave herself one. On November 20th of 1995, Diana hosted Panorama for an interview in which she blamed Bowles for the demise of her own relationship with Prince Charles, describing her marriage as ‘crowded’.
“Well there were three of us in this marriage so it was a bit crowded,” she said very publicly to the 23 million people who watched the program.
From Separation to Official Divorce
Although they’d been separated for years, the widespread knowledge of the state of their relationship led Prince Charles and Princess Diana to take the next step in separating, and make their divorce official. In 1996 it was finalized.
It was the first time in history that an heir apparent and descendent to the throne was allowed to divorce, which would be followed by another major first: his permission to remarry, and even more shockingly, to another divorcee.
The Worst Was Yet to Come
Their English subjects were bewildered, to say the least. Three consecutively broken rules left them asking, do the rules actually matter anymore?
But before long, their concerns over time and tradition were put aside by a tragedy no one saw coming that shook not only England but the entire world: just one year after their divorce, Princess Diana was killed in a car crash while in Paris on the 31st of August, 1997. Despite their differences and separation, this would be very bad news for Prince Charles.
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