55 Things You Need to Know About King Charles III

20.
On July 29, Charles and Diana married at St Paul’s Cathedral. They had only met 13 times beforehand.

21.
In May 1984, Charles had something to say about a proposed extension of London’s National Portrait Gallery at the 150th anniversary of the Royal Institute of British Architects: “What is proposed is like a monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend.”

22.
Diana gave birth to William in 1982 and Harry in 1984. Charles broke royal precedent by being present at the children’s births.

23.
In 1993, construction began in Poundbury, Charles’ planned community based on the principles of New Urbanism. The site now has a population of around 4,200.

24.
Student David Kang fired two blank shots from a starting pistol at Charles during an awards ceremony in Sydney, Australia, in January 1994. Kang was protesting the plight of Cambodian boat people and had written to Charles the prior month arguing that some had been detained for four years.

25.
In August 1996, Charles and Diana’s divorce was finalized.

26.
On Aug. 31, 1997, Diana was killed in a car crash. Charles flew to Paris to accompany Diana’s body back to England.

27.
A teenage girl slapped Charles in the face with a red carnation during the prince’s tour of Riga, Latvia in November 2001 in protest of Britain’s role in the Afghanistan war. The 16-year-old, Alina, said that “Britain’s the enemy of the world” as she was escorted to a police van by armed guards.

28.
In 2003, Charles sent a bottle of scotch to recovering alcoholic Ozzy Osbourne following the singer’s quad bike crash.

29.
Charles is the Patron or President of over 400 organizations.

30.
On April 9, 2005, Charles and Camilla became the first British royals to marry in a civil, rather than a church, ceremony. Elizabeth and Philip were not present, but attended a later blessing at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

31.
Charles announced he would give the $25,000 sum he received as winner of the Vincent Scully Prize for architecture to Hurricane Katrina victims in November 2005. Charles said that he and Camilla had been “absolutely horrified” by the destruction they had witnessed on television.

32.
Charles was given the Harvard Medical School Global Environmental Citizen Award in 2007. He was presented the honor by Al Gore, who had previously won the award.

33.
In 2009, Charles placed first on Esquire UK’s best dressed list, beating Barack Obama, who placed fourth.

34.
Charles’ U.S. Secret Service codename is “Unicorn.”

35.
In 2012, an Ecuadorean stream frog was named “Hyloscirtus princecharlesi” in recognition of Charles’ conservation efforts.

36.
In 2015, a released cache of memos written by Charles to government ministers showed the prince’s lobbying on subjects ranging from the Iraq War, to the nutritional content of school meals, to fishing.

37.
Charles shook hands with Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams in Galway, Ireland, in May 2015, marking the first meeting between a royal and a leader of the nationalist party since the founding of the Irish state in 1921. Adams had once justified the murder of Charles’ great-uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten, by the Provisional IRA.

38.
Charles’ Aston Martin runs on surplus English white wine and whey from cheese processing.

39.
In 2017, Paradise Papers revealed that Charles’ private estate bought shares worth $113,500 in a Bermuda company, Sustainable Forestry Management. Charles has since campaigned on climate policy without disclosing this financial interest, though his interest in the environment predates the investment.

40.
Charles usually has fruit — often plums from the garden — and granola for breakfast, according to a former royal chef. Charles is also a fan of boiled eggs, and one of his favorite meals is lamb with wild mushroom risotto.

41.
At the 2020 World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Charles launched the Sustainable Markets Initiative, an effort to push businesses towards sustainable practices.

42.
Charles refrains from eating meat and fish two days a week and dairy products one day a week.

43.
Charles, though fully vaccinated, caught Covid-19 twice.

44.
Charles and Camilla undertook 356 engagements in the 2021-2022 fiscal year, 348 in 2020-2021, 580 in 2019-2020 and 638 in 2018-2019.

45.
Charles is a Burnley Football Club fan.

46.
Charles traveled to Barbados, a former British colony, to attend events marking the country’s transition to a republic in November 2021. In a speech there, he acknowledged “the appalling atrocity of slavery.”

47.
In February 2022, it was announced the Metropolitan Police would investigate claims that Saudi businessman Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz was offered help obtaining a knighthood in exchange for a significant cash donation to The Prince’s Foundation.

48.
Charles spoke at COP21, COP26 and the 2021 G20 summit, encouraging leaders to take action on climate change.

49.
Charles doesn’t travel light: He reportedly sends a truck to his friends’ country houses the day before he is due to arrive for visits with his orthopedic bed, a lavatory seat, and landscapes of the Scottish Highlands among other personal items.

50.
In June 2022, it was reported that Charles had privately criticized the UK government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, calling it “appalling.” One senior cabinet minister warned that political interference from Charles as King would “present serious constitutional issues.”