Charles III of the United Kingdom
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King of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth Realms
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| Reign | 7 July, 1951 - 11 June, 1985 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coronation | 10 December, 1951 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Edward VII | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Successor | William VI | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| King of Hanover | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reign | 7 July, 1951 - 30 January, 1957 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coronation | 10 December, 1951 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Edward VII | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Successor | Incorporation into the United Kingdom through the Kingdom of Hanover Act 1957 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Charles Frederick William Louis 15 January 1917 Haga Palace, Sweden | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 11 June 1985 (aged 68) Edinburgh Palace, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Burial | 19 June 1985 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Lauren Bacall (m. 1947) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| House | Hanover | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Father | Edward VII | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mother | Victoria Louise of Prussia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Religion | Protestant | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Charles III (Charles Frederick William Louis; 15 January, 1917 - 11 June, 1985) was King of the United Kingdom from 1951 to 1985, and King of Hanover from 1951 to 1957. Throughout his three decades long reign, he oversaw various events during the tumultuous period of the Cold War and notably spearheaded several series of far-reaching reforms in his lifelong effort of liberalising the royal institution of the United Kingdom.
Early Life
Charles was born on the 15th of January, 1917 to the then Prince of Wales Edward, and German princess Victoria Louise. As a result of his parents' choice to seek refuge in the neutral country of Sweden due to rampant Germanophobia in both the German Empire and the United Kingdom, which had been his parents' respective birthplaces, he was born in the Swedish royal residence of Haga Palace in Stockholm.
Despite undergoing his first few years in exile, Charles cultivated a strong bond with the Swedish royal family, as he was noted to had been particularly close to that of Ingrid, the granddaughter of Gustaf V. As a result, he was also exposed to the Swedish language and in the following years was even able to fluently speak in Swedish itself. In 1918, Charles was joined by his brother illiam, who would be his only brother and sibling.
In 1919, the young Charles accompanied his parents to the Netherlands in an unscheduled stop as the rampant Germanophobia deterred the princely family from immediately returning to Britain. However, three years later, the princely family did finally returned to Britain, immediately settling in Buckingham Palace.
Prince of Wales
At the age of six, upon the passing of his grandfather George V, a seven-year old Charles was formally proclaimed as Prince of Wales and heir apparent to his father.
Though he, alongside his brother were confined to the interior of Buckingham Palace as protection against public hostility, Charles's development as a young prince was relatively undeterred. While the young prince excelled in his academic subjects, Charles also proved to be an adept in horse riding, and was considerably versed in the arts of hunting, having at oftentimes accompanied his father on private hunting trips.
In 1930, much to the reluctance of his pacifist-minded father, Charles attended the Royal Military College as an army cadet. Though the young prince excelled in his written examinations and showed much potential as a future soldier, the economical situation at the time however severed the possibility of him being deployed for active duty.
Life in the United States
Hoping to escape the distressing anti-German sentiment back home, Charles voluntarily withdrew incognito to the United States, which he entered via Canada in 1935, alongside a few trusted escorts of his own. Though the situation, in terms of anti-German sentiment proved somewhat indifferent, the prince, who had been travelling under the alias of "Robert Clarke" chose to acquire a residence of his own in the north-eastern state of New York. At the same time, in a rather unconventional manner, Charles began to take up acting, all the while remaining under his assumed alias, establishing himself as a wealthy American citizen born to British immigrants. At the same time, in 1941, Charles received in private the news about the death of his brother, the Duke of Edinburgh whom had been killed in service during a naval confrontation in the Atlantic Sea. This loss would ultimately confine the prince from ever enlisting for the Second World War, largely due to the need for him, as the only living descendant of his parents to survive the war.
In 1943, having built a relatively successful career of his own, the prince unexpectedly came into contact with a new and upcoming actress, Lauren Bacall. Subsequently, due to possible hostility in light of their relationship, the two began a private off-screen relationship, until it was formalised through a marriage three years later, when Charles's father granted his consent for the union, amidst much controversy and mixed reactions from Parliament MP's. In 1949, the couple departed back for Britain onboard the royal yacht, HMS Sophia.
King of the United Kingdom
Following his return, it was initially deemed unlikely for Charles to succeed his father at the time being given the relatively stable condition of the latter, added with the latter's frequent travel trips. To that end, the princely couple were also recommended to undertake a series of state visits on their own, then began by a 1950 state visit to Jordan, where they were hosted by the Jordanian king Abdullah I. Finding solace in this, the princely couple soon began undertaking subsequent state visits at a steady pace, followed by trips to Canada and Australia in the respective months of February and April in 1950 and a trip to India in July of the same year, in celebrating the newly sworn and very first President of India, Rajendra Pasad. This however would be the last visit conducted by the couple before their subsequent ascension as king and queen in the following year.
On July 1951, king Edward died in his sleep in the wee hours of the morning. When this was relayed to the royal couple who had been staying at the Balmoral Palace in Scotland, the princely couple immediately began relocating to Buckingham Palace via flight, where they oversaw a spectacularly large public march in honour of the late king, a testimony to the late Edward's popularity.
With public hostility having greatly subsided, there was however intense speculation of the preferred regnal name of the new king. With the name "Charles" embedded in controversy due to its past holders, the Prince of Wales was expected to assume a different regnal name instead, with the possibility of even assuming a double-styled regnal name, being either that of "Charles Frederick" or "Frederick William", with the latter having been used by the Prussian monarchs, Frederick Wilhelm I and Frederick Wilhelm II of Prussia as to honour his mother's Prussian ancestry. However, the subsequent proclamation confirmed the new king as "Charles III".
Personal Information
Titles & Honours
- 15 January 1917 - 5 January 1923 His Royal Highness Prince Charles of Cambridge
- 5 January 1923 - 7 July 1951 His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales
- 7 July 1951 - 11 June 1985 His Majesty The King
Honours
Ancestry
| Ancestors of Charles III of the United Kingdom |
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