History UsefulNotes / CharlesIII

'''His Majesty Charles III, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith''' (born Charles Philip Arthur George, 14 November 1948 at Buckingham Palace, UsefulNotes/{{London}}) is the current King of the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom, having acceded to the throne on the death of his mother, Queen UsefulNotes/ElizabethII, on September 8, 2022. His father was Elizabeth's Consort Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

See also: UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily (for the current members), UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfWindsor (for the more historical members).

He became something of a regent in last two years of his mother's reign, taking over important ceremonial duties such as the opening of Parliament and Trooping the Colour as his mother became more frail.

The prospect of his actually assuming the throne was viewed with some ambivalence. For one thing, he's shown a certain taste for political meddling -- nothing major, but enough to qualify as overstepping, mostly along the lines of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_spider_memos writing letters to government ministers]] expressing his opinions on various matters at a time when monarchs with strong political views tend to be viewed with suspicion (though almost twenty years later, opinions which, for the most part, express strong environmental concern are perhaps more welcome and pertinent). For another, he's just not as beloved as his mother was (who's had many decades to refine her CoolOldLady factor) and his sons (who inherited Diana's charm and benefit from her halo of sainthood). Because of this, there was a relatively mild, but persistent, question of whether to skip him and go straight to William when the Queen died. There have even been plays written about it, and when ''Series/TheVicarOfDibley'' finished up, Richard Curtis didn't want to strike the sets, saying (rather presumptuously) that "Britain might need some cheering up when Charles becomes King." This apparently significantly irritated Charles as, by all accounts, he ''really'' wanted to be King. Frankly, you can't really blame him for having angsted over it; he was over 70 years old at the time, an age when most people have already retired, but was still an apprentice waiting to take on his ''real'' job -- which in many respects he was born to do, and which he could only have when his mother died; wanting a job that can only be taken upon the death of a parent after so long waiting for it and knowing that that's what it will take to finally have it must be a stressor almost unique in the modern world. He was the oldest ever heir apparent in British history and the oldest person ever to ascend the throne.[[note]]He wasn't the oldest ever first in line -- that would be Sophia, Electress of Hanover, who was Heiress Presumptive from the accession of Queen Anne in 1702 until her (Sophia's) death in 1714 at age 83. (Sophia could at any point have been superseded by a legitimate child of Queen Anne, though as a practical matter Anne was done having children by 1700, but the technical possibility allowed Charles to claim the title of oldest heir apparent, i.e. nobody could take his first spot in line while he lives.) The Queen would have had to have lived to be 105 for him to beat that record -- which was a distinct possibility, as Her Majesty seemed to be unstoppable even beyond Prince Philip's death, and death came upon her seemingly abruptly.[[/note]]

* The Netflix series ''Series/TheCrown2016'', which dramatises the reign of his mother, focuses on his relationship with Diana in Series 3, 4 and 5. In Series 3 and 4 he's played by Creator/JoshOConnor, and in Series 5 he's set to be played by Creator/DominicWest.

'''His Majesty Charles III, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith''' (born Charles Philip Arthur George, 14 November 1948) is the current King of the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom, having acceded to the throne on the death of his mother, Queen UsefulNotes/ElizabethII, on September 8, 2022. His father was Elizabeth's Consort Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

* Although he's only named by title, it's clearly he, along with his then-wife Diana and the then-infant Prince William who Jack Ryan saves from an IRA attack in the novel ''Literature/PatriotGames ''.

'''His Majesty Charles III, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith''' (born Charles Philip Arthur George, 14 November 1948) is the current King of the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom, having acceded to the throne on the death of his mother, Queen UsefulNotes/ElizabethII, on 8 September 2022. His father was Elizabeth's Consort Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

'''His Majesty Charles III, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith''' (born Charles Philip Arthur George, 14 November 1948) is the current King of the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom, having acceded to the throne on the death of his mother, Queen UsefulNotes/ElizabethII, on 8 September 2022.

[[/folder]]

The prospect of his actually assuming the throne was viewed with some ambivalence. For one thing, he's shown a certain taste for political meddling -- nothing major, but enough to qualify as overstepping, mostly along the lines of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_spider_memos writing letters to government ministers]] expressing his opinions on various matters at a time when monarchs with strong political views tend to be viewed with suspicion (though almost twenty years later, opinions which, for the most part, express strong environmental concern are perhaps more welcome and pertinent). For another, he's just not as beloved as his mother was (who's had many decades to refine her CoolOldLady factor) and his sons (who inherited Diana's charm and benefit from her halo of sainthood). Because of this, there was a relatively mild, but persistent, question of whether to skip him and go straight to William when the Queen died. There have even been plays written about it, and when ''Series/TheVicarOfDibley'' finished up, Richard Curtis didn't want to strike the sets, saying (rather presumptuously) that "Britain might need some cheering up when Charles becomes King." This apparently significantly irritated Charles as, by all accounts, he ''really'' wanted to be King. Frankly, you can't really blame him for having angsted over it; he was over 70 years old at the time, an age when most people have already retired, but was still an apprentice waiting to take on his ''real'' job -- which in many respects he was born to do, and which he could only have when his mother died; wanting a job that can only be taken upon the death of a parent after so long waiting for it and knowing that that's what it will take to finally have it must be a stressor almost unique in the modern world. He was the oldest ever heir apparent in British history and the oldest person ever to accede the throne.[[note]]He wasn't the oldest ever first in line -- that would be Sophia, Electress of Hanover, who was Heiress Presumptive from the accession of Queen Anne in 1702 until her (Sophia's) death in 1714 at age 83. (Sophia could at any point have been superseded by a legitimate child of Queen Anne, though as a practical matter Anne was done having children by 1700, but the technical possibility allowed Charles to claim the title of oldest heir apparent, i.e. nobody could take his first spot in line while he lives.) The Queen would have had to have lived to be 105 for him to beat that record -- which was a distinct possibility, as Her Majesty seemed to be unstoppable even beyond Prince Philip's death, and death came upon her seemingly abruptly.[[/note]]

* Charles briefly appeared AsHimself in a 2000 LiveEpisode of Series/CoronationStreet, appearing meeting Audrey Roberts on a TV screen. The footage had been filmed earlier in the day when Charles visited the set of the show, and was presented with Audrey's actress Sue Nicholls.

See also: UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily (for the current members), UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfWindsor (for the more historical members).

'''His Majesty Charles III, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith''' (born Charles Philip Arthur George, 14 November 1948) is the current King of the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom, having acceded to the throne on the death of his mother, Queen UsefulNotes/ElizabethII, on 8 September 2022. Prior to his accession, Charles served as the Prince of Wales from 1958 to 2022, and as the Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay from 1952 to 2022 (The latter two titles are automatically given to the heir to the throne, while the Principality of Wales is invested at the Sovereign's discretion, usually when the heir to the throne comes of age). [[note]]He was briefly Prince Charles of Edinburgh, as his mother was not yet queen when he was born -- and technically, he was ''not'' entitled to the style His Royal Highness or the title of Prince because he was a female-line grandson of the Sovereign, but George VI issued letters patent circumventing this, as it was very clear by this point that Elizabeth would be Queen. He was in fact eligible to be Prince of Wales as soon as his mother became Queen, but she held off on the investiture until his 21st birthday, as a way of ensuring he knew what he was committing to.[[/note]]

He became Prince Regent in all but name in last two years of his mother's reign, taking over important ceremonial duties such as the Opening of Parliament and Trooping the Colour as his mother became more frail.

'''His Majesty Charles III, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith''' (born Charles Philip Arthur George, 14 November 1948) is the current King of the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom, having acceeded to the throne on the death of his mother, Queen UsefulNotes/ElizabethII, on 8 September 2022. Prior to his accession, Charles served as the Prince of Wales from 1958 to 2022, and as the Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay from 1952 to 1958. [[note]]He was briefly Prince Charles of Edinburgh, as his mother was not yet queen when he was born -- and technically, he was ''not'' entitled to the style His Royal Highness or the title of Prince because he was a female-line grandson of the Sovereign, but George VI issued letters of patent circumventing this, as it was very clear by this point that Elizabeth would be Queen. He was in fact eligible to be Prince of Wales as soon as his mother became Queen, but she held off on the investiture until his 21st birthday, as a way of ensuring he knew what he was committing to.[[/note]]

He's best known for his love life and the two women in it. His {{first love}} was Camilla Shand (later Parker Bowles), but he couldn't marry her at the time because she [[GoodBadGirl wasn't "appropriate"]] (read: a sheltered, blue-blooded English virgin), having committed the [[FelonyMisdemeanor heinous sin]] of sleeping with someone to whom she wasn't married. He instead married the far younger Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 in what was, [[FlameBait for all intents and purposes]], an ArrangedMarriage and certainly a celebrity marriage, to the point that in some circles, he's more famous as Diana's husband than as the Queen's son. He and Diana had two children, but he constantly pined after Camilla (and Diana was no stranger to affairs herself); that, along with their age difference[[note]]Almost thirteen years. At the time of their marriage, Diana was barely twenty and Charles was thirty-two. The difference only got larger over time as Charles became more settled in middle age at the same time as Diana became more outgoing and expressive.[[/note]] and growing incompatibility led to their divorce in 1996. He took a very public hit for that, as the public ''adored'' Diana, and that emotion exploded when Diana was killed in a car accident in 1997. But since then, he has gradually worked himself into the public's good graces, especially after his rather touching speech at the close of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee concert. He finally married Camilla in 2005, and their relationship has also undergone a positive change in the public's eye (which some attribute to the "Will and Kate effect").

The prospect of his actually assuming the throne was viewed with some ambivalence. For one thing, he's shown a certain taste for political meddling -- nothing major, but enough to qualify as overstepping, mostly along the lines of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_spider_memos writing letters to government ministers]] expressing his opinions on various matters at a time when monarchs with strong political views tend to be viewed with suspicion (though almost twenty years later, opinions which, for the most part, express strong environmental concern are perhaps more welcome and pertinent). For another, he's just not as beloved as his mother was (who's had many decades to refine her CoolOldLady factor) and his sons (who inherited Diana's charm and benefit from her halo of sainthood). Because of this, there was a relatively mild, but persistent, question of whether to skip him and go straight to William when the Queen died. There have even been plays written about it, and when ''Series/TheVicarOfDibley'' finished up, Richard Curtis didn't want to strike the sets, saying (rather presumptuously) that "Britain might need some cheering up when Charles becomes King." This apparently significantly irritated Charles as, by all accounts, he ''really'' wanted to be King. Frankly, you can't really blame him for having angsted over it; he was over 70 years old at the time, an age when most people have already retired, but was still an apprentice waiting to take on his ''real'' job -- which in many respects he was born to do, and which he could only have when his mother died; wanting a job that can only be taken upon the death of a parent after so long waiting for it and knowing that that's what it will take to finally have it must be a stressor almost unique in the modern world. He was the oldest ever heir apparent in British history and the oldest person ever to accede the throne.[[note]]He wasn't the oldest ever first in line -- that would be Sophia, Electress of Hanover, who was Heiress Presumptive from the accession of Queen Anne in 1702 until her (Sophia's) death in 1714 at age 83. (Sophia could at any point have been superseded by a legitimate child of Queen Anne, though as a practical matter Anne was done having children by 1700, but the technical possibility allowed Charles to claim the title of oldest heir apparent, i.e. nobody can take his first spot in line while he lives.) The Queen would have had to live to be 105 for him to beat that record -- which was a distinct possibility, as Her Majesty seemed to be unstoppable even beyond Prince Philip's death, and death came upon her seemingly abruptly.[[/note]]

'''His Majesty ''The King'' His Majesty Charles III, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith''' (born Charles Philip Arthur George, 14 November 1948) is the current King of the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom, having been appointed following the death of his mother, Queen UsefulNotes/ElizabethII, on 8 September 2022. Prior to his acension, Charles served as the Prince of Wales from 1958 to 2022, and as the Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay from 1952 to 1958. [[note]]He was briefly Prince Charles of Edinburgh, as his mother was not yet queen when he was born -- and technically, he was ''not'' entitled to the style His Royal Highness or the title of Prince because he was a female-line grandson of the Sovereign, but George VI issued letters of patent circumventing this, as it was very clear by this point that Elizabeth would be Queen. He was in fact eligible to be Prince of Wales as soon as his mother became Queen, but she held off on the investiture until his 21st birthday, as a way of ensuring he knew what he was committing to.[[/note]]

King Charles III (born Charles Philip Arthur George, 14 November 1948) is the current King of the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom, having been appointed following the death of his mother, Queen UsefulNotes/ElizabethII, on 8 September 2022. Prior to his acension, Charles served as the Prince of Wales from 1958 to 2022, and as the Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay from 1952 to 1958.

It was widely conjectured that when he became King, he would not use ‘Charles’ as his regnal name. There's a widespread stigma attached to the name, as Charles I was a highly unpopular monarch (he was even executed, an event which marked the end of the UsefulNotes/EnglishCivilWar); "Charles III" was also the regnal name of [[UsefulNotes/HanoverStuartWars the Jacobite pretender also known as "Bonnie Prince Charlie"]]. The rumour was that he would take the name George VII, in honour of his grandfather. In the end he went with Charles III, probably because after his mother's 70 years on the throne it was the only name people knew him by.