Prince Charles was born in 1948 in London to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. He received a bachelor's degree from Cambridge University and pursued a career in the Royal Navy. In 1981, he married Lady Diana Spencer but they divorced in 1996. Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005. As Prince of Wales, Charles is involved in charitable work through his foundation, which supports initiatives in areas like youth opportunities and the environment. He remains first in line to the British throne.

1. Prince Charles of Wales
Benedict “Viktor” Gombocz

2. Early life
 Charles Philip Arthur George was born on 14 November
1948 to then Princess Elizabeth and her husband Philip at
Buckingham Palace.
 Right before midnight the same day, an official declaration
of his birth was released.
 He was baptized on 15 December in the music room at
Buckingham Palace by Dr. Geoffrey Fischer, Archbishop of
Canterbury.
 Charles became inheritor apparent in 1952 when his
mother became Queen Elizabeth II; he was only four
years old when he witnessed his mother’s coronation on 2
June 1953 at Westminster Abbey.

3. Education
 He became a roomer at a preparatory school in
Berkshire prior to attending Gordonstoun in
eastern Scotland.
 A bright student, Charles passed both his ‘O’ levels
and ‘A’ levels; he went on to read archaeology and
anthropology at Trinity College, Cambridge –
where he was honored a 2:2 degree.

4. Early career
 In 1969, 21-year-old Charles was invested as Prince
of Wales in an observance at Caernarfon Castle,
taking his seat in the House of Lords in 1970.
 During this time, he was taught to fly by the Royal Air
Force, before going on a naval career.
 Conducting his service on the helicopter HMS
Norfolk and two frigates, the prince qualified as a
helicopter pilot in 1974, joining the 845 Naval Air
Squadron.

5. Marriage and Divorce
 In 1981, 33-year-old Charles married Lady Diana
Spencer in St. Paul’s Cathedral.
 The fantasy wedding was watched by millions
worldwide.
 The couple’s children were born soon after: Prince
William (b. 1982) and Prince Harry (b. 1984).
 The royal couple kept to an occupied schedule of royal
duties and toured many nations.
 Nevertheless, the marriage was bound to end; in 1992,
PM John Major announced to the House of Commons
that Prince Charles and Princess Diana agreed to split,
and the marriage ended on 28 August 1996.

6. 1997 Death of Princess Diana
 In the wake of Princess Diana’s 1997 death in a car crash in Paris,
Prince Charles flew to France with Diana’s two sisters to return her
body to London.
 The Princess lay in state in the Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace
until the night before the funeral.
 On the same day as the funeral, the Prince of Wales escorted his two
sons, aged fifteen and twelve, respectively, at the time, as they
walked behind the casket from the Mall to Westminster Abbey; with
them were the Duke of Edinburgh and the Princess’ brother, Earl
Spencer.
 Prince Charles asked the media to respect his sons’ solitude and let
them lead an ordinary school life.
 In subsequent years, Princes William and Henry, who are,
respectively, second and third in line to the throne, escorted their
father on a restricted number of official engagements in the UK and
overseas.

7. Second marriage
 In February 2005, Clarence House proclaimed that the
marriage of the Prince of Wales and Mrs. Camilla Parker
Bowles would take place on 8 April 2005 at Windsor Castle.
 The Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were
joined by almost 800 guests at a Service of Prayer and
Dedication at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
 A reception which was hosted by Her Majesty The Queen
followed the Service.
 It is planned that the Duchess of Cornwell should bear the title
HRH the Princess Consort when the Prince of Wales assumes
the throne.

8. The Prince’s Trust
 The Prince of Wales has a vast range of interests and commits
much of his time to charity work, such as the Prince’s Trust
and the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment.
 Established in 1976, the Prince’s Trust assists 14 to 30-year-
olds who struggled at school, have been in care, have been
unemployed for quote some time, or have run into trouble with
the law; it also provides training and schooling for these
youngsters.
 The prince now serves as President of the ‘Prince’s Charities’,
which are 20 non-profit organisations, of which eighteen were
personally founded by Prince Charles; this group raises more
than £130 million every year.

9. Interests, Views and Criticism
 He is widely known for his interest in issues including the environment
and inner-city removal; it is believed he is a proponent of the neo-
traditional ideas of architects like Christopher Alexander and Leon Krier.
 In 1984, Charles strongly criticized the profession of architecture in a
speech delivered to the Royal Institute of British Architects.
 In spite of criticism from the mainstream architectural press, Charles has
continued to promote his views on traditional urbanism, human scale,
and green design.
 The Prince has also recently been known to take an interest in further
exploration of alternative medicine, drawing criticism from the medical
establishment and those who regard such complementary therapies to
be pseudoscience at best.
 Regardless, his charity, the Prince’s Foundation for Integrated Health,
has participated in a government drive to improve control and quality
standards in the segment.

10. Public Opinion
 In a recent survey carried out by YouGov for Prospect magazine, Prince
Charles was preferred over his son Prince William as the next British
monarch.
 The poll disclosed that 45 percent of those surveyed favoured Charles
ahead of Prince William as their preferred king; 37 percent chose
William for their heir to the throne.
 According to YouGov, this marked a rise in Prince Charles’ popularity
from five years before when only 37 percent selected him as their
favourite successor.
 The 2005 wedding of Charles to Camilla Parker Bowles was believed to
be caused by the unwillingness of some to select him as their favourite
future monarch.
 It appears that the public, in the main, is satisfied to see the status quo
move forward, as a vast majority (65 percent) indicated they believed
the Queen should remain monarch.
 Prince William married Kate Middleton on 29 April 2011.

11. Prince Charles’ houses in Transylvania

12. Harman Fortified Church in Sibiu, Transylvania,
visited by Prince Charles in 1998

13. Bibliography
 http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/
prince-charles.html

14. Other links
 Harman Fortified Church: http://www.transylvania-discovery-
tours.ro/en/Travel/daily-tours-in-transylvania/fortified-
churches-day-tour/
 Prince Charles’ Summer 2012 visit to Transylvania:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/05/transylvania-
prince-charles-visit_n_1648979.html