King Charles III (born Charles Philip Arthur George; 14 November 1948) is the King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, after having served as the longest-serving heir apparent in British history. Born at Buckingham Palace as the first child of Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh (later Queen Elizabeth II), and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Charles was three years old when his mother became Queen in 1952. As the sovereign’s eldest son, he immediately became heir apparent and assumed the traditional titles of Duke of Cornwall and, in the Scottish peerage, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland. He was formally created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester on 26 July 1958, though his investiture did not occur until 1 July 1969 at Caernarfon Castle. His education followed a path that broke with previous royal traditions of private tutoring. He attended Hill House School in London and Cheam School in Berkshire, before moving to Gordonstoun in Scotland, the school his father attended. He also spent two terms at the Timbertop campus of Geelong Grammar School in Australia. In 1967, he enrolled at Trinity College, Cambridge, to study archaeology and anthropology before switching to history, becoming the first British monarch to hold a university degree. During his time at Cambridge, he spent a term at the University College of Wales in Aberystwyth learning the Welsh language. Charles pursued a military career, serving in the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy from 1971 to 1976. He qualified as a jet pilot at RAF Cranwell and subsequently served on the guided missile destroyer HMS Norfolk and two frigates. He also trained as a helicopter pilot before taking command of the coastal minehunter HMS Bronington for his final naval service. During his tenure as Prince of Wales, Charles became widely known for his charitable and philanthropic endeavors. In 1976, he founded The Prince’s Trust (now The King’s Trust), an organization dedicated to supporting disadvantaged young people. Over decades, he established numerous other charitable foundations—now collectively known as The King’s Charities—that focus on areas such as the built environment, sustainability, rural communities, and the arts. He has been a long-standing advocate for environmental conservation, organic farming, and sustainable architecture, often voicing these views decades before they gained widespread mainstream attention. In his personal life, Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 at St Paul’s Cathedral. The couple had two sons, William, Prince of Wales, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. The marriage ended in divorce in 1996. In 2005, he married Camilla Parker Bowles, who became Queen upon his accession to the throne. Charles became King at the age of 73, making him the oldest person to ever accede to the British throne. His coronation, conducted as a religious service at Westminster Abbey, took place on 6 May 2023. As monarch, he continues to fulfill constitutional duties, maintain diplomatic relationships, and support various causes through his charitable patronages. While his reign has included significant challenges—including a widely publicized cancer diagnosis in 2024—he remains active in his role, balancing traditional royal ceremonial duties with a modern approach to leadership and advocacy.