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 - 15 January, 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coronation | 25 October, 1951 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Edward VII | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Successor | William VI | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Charles Frederick William Louis 15 January 1917 Haga Palace, Sweden | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 2 March 2011 (aged 94) Edinburgh Palace, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Burial | 5 March 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Lauren Bacall (m. 1947) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| House | Hanover | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Father | Edward VII | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mother | Victoria Louise of Prussia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Religion | Protestant | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Military service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Branch/service |  United States Air Force | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years of service | 1942-1945 (active service) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank | Air Commodore | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unit | 34th Fighter Squadron | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Battles/wars | Pacific War | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Charles III (Charles Frederick William Louis; 15 January, 1917 - 3 March, 2011) was King of the United Kingdom from 1951 to 1997. Known for his controversial marriage to the Jewish American actress Lauren Bacall, Charles was also known for his somewhat outspoken support for decolonisation, political and social liberalism, and his personal opposition against what he termed as American neocolonialism. His reign, which spanned throughout most of the second half of the 20th century saw a series of wide-ranging and dramatic reforms that effectively transformed Britain's political and social climate, all of which were either personally directed and orchestrated by Charles himself or his wife. Prior to and during the Second World War, Charles respectively worked first as an actor in Hollywood before subsequently enlisting in the United States Air Force for the Pacific War.
On January 15, 1997, following his 80th birthday, Charles formally abdicated his throne in favour of his son William VI on the grounds of "ill health" and "personal issues", becoming the first British monarch to do so. With both government and public approval, Charles was allowed to retain his title of King which lasted until his death in 2011. Following his death, he was posthumously given the epithet the Great, the second and first monarch in both English and British histories to be bestowed with the epithet, after his 9th century predecessor, Alfred the Great.
Early Life
Charles was born on the 15th of January, 1917 to the then Edward, Prince of Wales and Prince Victoria Louise of Prussia. A member of the ruling House of Hanover of the United Kingdom, Charles was also a prince of Prussia due to his mother's standing as the daughter of a German Emperor. However, following the implementation of the Royal Titles Revocation Act 1924 in the aftermath of the First World War, Charles's Prussian titles were accordingly deprived by his father as to placate British nationalists.
Although his given name, Charles had been of his father's choice, his middle names and surname had been that of his mother's whom, with her husband's approval, had named the young Charles after his Prussian ancestors, German Emperors Frederick III, and Wilhelm I.
Approximately four years prior to Charles's birth, in the year 1913, the former's parents had then been forced into exile in Sweden, a neutral country amidst prevailing tensions between the major superpowers of Europe which had subsequently produced a World War. Consequently, he was instead born in the Swedish royal residence of Haga Palace in the presence of the Swedish royal family. Subsequently, despite his foreign background, Charles and his family had been warmly received by the family of King Gustaf V who took an instant liking to the princely family, and were quick to assist them in the young prince's upbringing.
During his early years, Charles was given a form of private education, with both English and Swedish tutors employed to educate him and his brother in the general subjects. Having been brought up in a mixed cultural environment, the young prince was able to become gradually fluent in both his mother language and the Swedish language itself, made evident by his fluency in the Swedish language in his daily conversations with the Swedish royal family itself. In particular, Charles was said to had been particularly close to that of the king's granddaughter, Princess Ingrid whom, as she was seven years Charles's senior was often considered as the latter's sister figure as Ingrid herself voluntarily supported Charles in his upbringing, resulting in a close bond and even possible rumours of marriage once Charles himself had came of age, though this was never ultimately realised.
Prince of Wales
At the age of six, Charles's grandfather George V passed away, leading him to be subsequently created Prince of Wales as heir apparent to his father, the new King Edward VII. Upon their return to the United Kingdom, despite being mostly confined to the interiors of Buckingham Palace alongside his brother William and his adopted sister Ingrid, Charles's development as a young prince was relatively undeterred, with Ingrid in particular being a major figure behind his childhood development. While the young prince excelled in his academic subjects, Charles also proved to be adept in horseback riding, and was considerably versed in the arts of hunting, having at times accompanied his father on private hunting trips in both the United Kingdom and Canada on several occasions.
Upon reaching the age of majority, Charles chose to pursue a career in the British Army, much to the subtle disapproval of his pacifist-minded father. However, Britain's financial situation at the time dimmed prospects of the prince in ever seeing military action. Nevertheless, he was made a Counsellor of State and was subsequently tasked with several state visits to the Commonwealth realms and British-allied countries. In the following July, Charles performed his first state visit to Iran under Reza Shah of the Pahlavi dynasty. Having said to had enjoyed a warm friendship with the Shah, he soon followed up with a visit to Kabul in Afghanistan, where he met the young Afghan king Mohammed Zahir Shah. A planned follow-up visit to British India however was unexpectedly dropped following rumours of Charles's alleged sympathy with the Indian masses.
Nevertheless, along with his father King Edward VII, the young Charles quickly became an outspoken opponent of Nazism, an ideology founded and popularised by the Nazi Party in neighbouring Germany. However, in contrast to his father whom was slightly more passive in his opposition, Charles, upon reaching the age of eighteen was said to had travelled back and forth to the German-majority state of Hanover on multiple occasions where in the presence of the German majority public there, he would then make fiery speeches condemning Nazism while emphasising the need for unity between the largely German state with the rest of the United Kingdom, during which the prince's various speeches, noted for its fiery and passionate tone was popularly compared to that of the Nazi leader's own speeches himself. Consequently, Charles was rumoured to had been a high-priority target by the Abwehr, the German military intelligence unit of the Nazi Party, though it was unclear regarding the Abwehr's actual intentions towards the prince, with suggestions claiming that the agency had been ordered to initially coerce the prince into secrecy, before ultimately engineering a fatal accident as a last resort.
Life in the United States
In mid-1938, hoping to escape the distressing anti-German sentiment back home, Charles voluntarily withdrew incognito to the United States, which he entered via Canada alongside a few trusted escorts of his own. Though the situation, in terms of anti-German sentiment proved somewhat indifferent, Charles, whom 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, he chose to take up acting instead as a means of making additional money. To that end, he took lessons at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where he considerably excelled in his lessons despite his distinctive accent, before gradually establishing himself as a rising actor in the Hollywood scene. As an actor, he was recognised for his distinguished "upper-class" persona and his unique Anglo-German accent.
Second World War:The Pacific
On May 1941, Charles received the news of the death of his brother, the Duke of Edinburgh whom had been killed in service during a naval confrontation ay the Denmark Strait. The revelation of his brother's death initially prompted Charles to abstain from enlisting for the Second World War, as it was deemed necessary for him to live in order to properly succeed his father, King Edward VII. Nevertheless, Charles himself remained heavily involved in the Allied war effort, as he would often address both the American and British public over NBC. Furthermore, the prince was said to had held almost daily discussions with the then United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt and several other Allied leaders whom had taken refuge in the United States.
Ultimately, on March 1942, despite having initially abstained from enlisting for the Second World War, Charles nevertheless enlisted as an officer in the United States Air Force, a decision that reportedly arose from the prince's own personal desire to fly both civilian and military aircrafts in his own lifetime. Subsequently, for the next two years, due to the overwhelming concerns surrounding his likelihood of survival when in direct combat, Charles was intentionally diverted from ever participating in the major battles in the Pacific, namely the battles of Midway and others, and was instead relegated to a defensive post in northern Australia, albeit after a much bitter compromise, where he partook in the defence of Australia alongside fellow Allied servicemen against Japanese air raids. Before being ultimately recalled back to the United States in February 1944, Charles was promoted to the rank of Colonel for his wartime efforts by his superiors before being subsequently promoted to the ranks of Lieutenant General and Air commodore in the British Army and Royal Air Force respectively.
Prior to his military service, having built both a relatively modest acting career of his own, the prince had came into contact with a new and upcoming actress, by the name of Lauren Bacall. Due to the glaring difference in their respective social standings, and the subsequent amount of controversy surrounding it, the two intially began a private off-screen relationship, with the prince serving as Bacall's private acting tutor, before it gradually developed and was subsequently formalised into a marriage in the year 1947 when Charles's father granted his consent for the union amidst much controversy and mixed reactions from Parliament MP's, with even Bacall herself expressing initial skepticism and concern, primarily over her future duties and responsibilities as a future queen consort.
King of the United Kingdom
Despite Charles's return to the United Kingdom in the year 1949, it was at first deemed unlikely for Charles to succeed his father in the vicinity though at times, he would occasionally serve as a stand-in for the latter at public events. However, following a hunting incident which, despite leaving the King with only minor and non-worrisome injuries, Charles himself began to take up his role as Prince of Wales in a more frequent manner, as he then notably spearheaded efforts in further strengthening the Commonwealth of Nations, through several visits to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the Caribbean states including Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and The Bahamas respectively. Exactly two months before his ascension to the throne, Charles and his wife went on a visit to India where they exchanged brief, but friendly dialogues with the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, whom Charles greatly admired and somewhat sympathised with.
On July 7th 1951, King Edward VII died in his sleep. The princely couple, whom were then in the midst of a hunting trip at the Scottish Highlands was consequently informed of the king's death, leading them to immediately abort the hunting trip, followed by a return back to Edinburgh Palace before subsequently departing for London onboard the Royal Train. When asked by his private secretary Lord Davies regarding his regnal name, Charles immediately declared that he would be using his own given name, thereby becoming Charles the Third. When this was subsequently relayed to the government and ultimately to the public, it incurred a degree of controversy, largely due to the name's negative associations with its two previous respective holders. In response, just a few hours after his arrival in Buckingham Palace, Charles notably declared in a televised speech, his right to choose his own regnal name and his own starkly contrasting image to the two previous Charles's, during which he famously proclaimed, "I am neither an enemy to my own country like the first, and neither I am a philanderer like the second".
On October 25th 1951, Charles's coronation was held at the traditional site of Westminster Abbey. The ceremony, which saw the expected amount of various foreign dignitaries of multiple backgrounds was also the first to be televised by Charles's strict insistence though with the exception of the anointing and the communion processes. Prior to the coronation, upon discovering from the list of attendees that his mother-in-law, Natalie Bacall was to be excluded from the list as to not upstage the other attendees whom were mostly of nobility and royalty background led a reportedly outraged Charles to successfully pressure the then Duke of Norfolk, whom simultaneously holds the position of Earl Marshal, into whitelisting Bacall's mother instead. Ultimately, the older Bacall attended the coronation ceremony, where she was accompanied by the Duke and Duchess of Clarence and Avondale. She was was then promptly granted her own apartment in Buckingham Palace, where she primarily resided in until her own death in 1972. Furthermore, following the death of his mother-in-law, Charles himself personally oversaw the former's funeral arrangements during which, amidst much initial controversy, he was able to successfully have the older Bacall be buried in Westminster Abbey despite her own Jewish, as to not separate mother and daughter, for later on, Charles and Bacall themselves were also buried alongside the older Bacall in Westminster Abbey upon their respective deaths in the year 2011 and 2014.
Reign
With his ascension as King of the United Kingdom, Charles was simultaneously the ceremonial head of the United Kingdom and various other member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, which had arose from the gradual decolonisation process undertook by the British government. In 1952, Charles resumed his Commonwealth-oriented tour by hosting state visits to Pakistan, South Africa, Nigeria, and several other African countries with the likes of Sudan and Tanganyika. He also paid brief visits to Malaya, the island city of Singapore, and Brunei, becoming the second British monarch to do so after his great-grandfather, King William V whom had first visited the peninsula in 1875 by the invitation of the Sultan of Johor. During his visit to the peninsula, he held several exclusive, private dialogue sessions with local nationalist leaders, and purportedly escaped at least two assassination attempts by radical dissenters.
In light of the revolution which overthrew the Egyptian King Farouk, Charles, on the advice of the then Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden initially offered asylum to the former Egyptian monarch in Buckingham Palace, under the premise of a possible restoration of the latter to the throne. However, Charles himself was reportedly reluctant, albeit partially towards such a decision over his concern for Farouk's known promiscuity. Nevertheless, despite a previously warm acceptance of the former king, Farouk himself was promptly evicted from the palace just three days later by the insistence of Queen Lauren who reportedly found the former king a "strikingly repulsive, dangerous and unruly" person. When Farouk later passed away almost a decade later in 1965 while staying at his own residence in England, Charles himself was said to had immediately abstained and to an extent, drastically forbade his own family members from attending the former king's funeral, with Lauren herself having reportedly said, "he [King Farouk] deserves no rights to our sympathy". In 1956, a tripartite invasion by Britain, France and Israel sought to topple popular Egyptian leader, Gamal Abdel Nasser under the pretext of Nasser's seizure of the Suez Canal held by the British and French governments. Despite Eden's claim that the King had been "considerably" in favour of the invasion, it was later revealed that the latter had instead been somewhat critical of the decision due to his own prior lack of knowledge regarding the invasion itself and his own opposition to what he saw as a "preservation of imperialism", though Charles himself reportedly chose to concede as to not cause a dangerous division between the monarchy and government.
Relations with left-wing leaders
As King of the United Kingdom, one of Charles's main obligations was hosting various state visits from foreign leaders and at the same time, Charles himself would undertake his own series of state visits to other countries aswell, with the most notable ones being that of his Commonwealth tour. Despite this, Charles would occasionally face intense scrutiny following his mostly private meetings with foreign leaders, particularly those of the left-wing political spectrum, with one particular example being that of his private meeting with Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro in Canada, which took place shortly after the latter had assumed power in Cuba. Reportedly, while Charles had commended Castro's anti-imperialist rhetoric, he urged however for the Cuban strongman to democratise his approach in the fallout of his successful coup, though this was never realised. Nevertheless, the two maintained some degree of communication through occasional, and highly private exchange of telephone calls well into their lives though the degree of their communication was said to had gradually decreased following the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan.
Moreover, his working relationship with the ideologically socialist Prime Minister Harold Wilson, whom Charles once referred to as "my greatest right hand man" brought much ire and skepticism, mostly from Conservative politicians egged on by the then ongoing Cold War conflict. Despite this, Charles himself was said to have had cordial relationships with foreign leaders of the right-wing political spectrum, such as United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower, King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, and the General Secretary of China, Hu Yaobang.
Charles & Hollywood
In addition to his relations with various political leaders around the world, Charles himself maintained a sizable degree of connections within the Hollywood industry, as a consequence of him and his wife's prior acting careers. For instance, Charles was generally close to the likes of former actresses, Hedy Lamarr and Grace Kelly, both of whom had married into European royalty. However, Charles was generally known for his particularly close friendship with the American singer and actor, Frank Sinatra, the latter having been initially employed as one of the main musicians at Charles's wedding before being invited to perform both publicly and privately in London by Charles's own behest on several occassions. Furthermore, the two were said to had frequented various private resorts alongside their respective wives, and were also reported to had particularly enjoyed a game of golf at every opportunity. Notably enough, upon the birth of Charles's firstborn son, the later King William VI in the year 1950, Charles himself personally included Sinatra's own first name and middle name in the naming of his firstborn son.
Among other names include actors Marlon Brando, Orson Welles, Elvis Presley, and actresses Rita Hayworth, Katharine Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn, the famed Marilyn Monroe (whom Charles was briefly associated with through generally malicious rumours at the time), and others.
Marriage
In contrast to his father King Edward VII, following the death of his great-grandfather William V, Charles's future marital prospects were left entirely to his own parents by his grandfather George V whom, due to the complications surrounding the aftermath of the First World War desired for the young Charles to be married off to a Scandinavian princess instead as to exhibit a more neutral image surrounding the future king. Initially, such prospects were deemed likely following rumours of a possible engagement between Charles and the much older Princess Ingrid whom, following the death of her mother Princess Margaret when she was only ten years old was adopted by the princely couple through a private arrangement with Ingrid's father Prince Gustaf Adolf and was entrusted in looking after the young Charles and his brother William who were in turn taught with a strong sense of self-discipline and various household skills by Ingrid herself. Consequently, Charles himself proved quick to grow fond of the Swedish princess whom he generally came to saw as his principal sister figure, as he would often spend much of his daily time with the latter while occasionally seeking assistance from the much older Ingrid regarding household chores and at times, his daily loads of homework given to him by his private tutors. Furthermore, Ingrid herself is related to the Prince of Wales as his fourth cousin, since they both shared a common third great grandfather, namely the late King George III.
In 1921, when his parents obligingly returned to the United Kingdom due to his grandfather George V's worsening condition, an initially hesitated Charles was said to had been immensely overjoyed upon learning that Ingrid, with her grandfather's permission was allowed to accompany him, a decision supported by Charles's own parents who both saw the princess as a vital companion of the young Prince of Wales. Thus, throughout the succeeding years until Ingrid's own marriage to Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark in 1935, both Charles and Ingrid continued to grow up together at the royal family's primary residence of Buckingham Palace. When Ingrid herself turned eighteen years old, an adolescent Charles was often seen accompanying the princess on her usual drive around London, where the two would occasionally stop at the local shops to run their respective errands. Occasionally, Charles and Ingrid would also compete against each other in various sports, with tennis in particular being a favourite of the two. Reportedly, around a year prior to Ingrid's marriage to Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark, both Charles and Ingrid were said to had unanimously brushed off proposals of a marriage between them, stating that the two felt more like "a brother and a sister, rather than a husband and a wife". Ultimately, for reasons most likely due to Ingrid's own departure, aside from the rampant Germanophobia at the time compelled a twenty-one year old Charles to secrelty withdraw to the United States alongside a small entourage, after having decided against initially exiling himself to Denmark instead as to not burden his adoptive sister. Nevertheless, in early 1939, just a few months prior to the Second World War, Charles himself was briefly reunited with Ingrid when the latter visited the United States, to which she then subsequently chose to reside alongside the prince in his private residence for her month-long visit.
Prior to his own self-exile to the United States, Charles, despite being somewhat socially ostracised due to his family's German connections, was said to had nevertheless enjoyed some degree of attraction from the women of the upper-class gentry, albeit in secrecy. Reportedly, at the age of eighteen, Charles was to experience his first romantic relationship when he was spontaneously introduced to Jessica Mitford, the second youngest of the infamous Mitford sisters. Furthermore, amidst reputed reservations held by Charles's parents as a result of Mitford's older sisters' affiliations with tbe British Union of Fascists and Nazi Party respectively, the two were said to had been somewhat cordial in their relationship, though it was recorded as being "generally chaste and innocent, yet flirtatious at times". Regardless, the couple separated in early 1938 when Mitford unexpectedly chose to elope with her second cousin, Esmond Romilly instead, whom had prior served in the Spanish Civil War on the side of the Republicans, whose professed communist beliefs bringing much concern from the King and Queen. Nevertheless, soon after the abrupt separation, Charles, now twenty one years of age, was quick to find himself a new romantic partner when he was successively introduced to the eighteen year old Sarah Baring, whose lack of affliation with politics that was prevalent in Charles's previous romantic partner proved reassuring for Charles's parents whom, sensing the two's closeness and mutual affection generally encouraged their relationship. At the same time, Baring herself was rumoured to had also been in a relationship with Charles's younger brother William, though this did not seemingly materialised prior to Charles's departure for the United States. Later on, around the end of the Second World War, Baring was briefly suggested, to which she enthusiastically accepted to be the alternative wife for Charles himself, replacing Charles's then new romantic interest, the American actress, Lauren Bacall. Eventually, despite Charles's own refusal to reciprocate Baring's intentions, the two were said to had remained friends throughout their respective lives.
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Following his retreat to the United States, Charles did not initially chose on immediately seeking a new love interest of his own, having opted instead towards building an acting career under the guise of his pseudonym. While posing as a British-American actor under the alias of Robert Clarke, he met and subsequently fell in love with an upcoming actress, namely Lauren Bacall whom prior to their relationship, had starred together with the prince in several films of considerable success, some of which were directed by Charles himself under his pseudonym. The two's off-screen relationship gradually amassed attention from the American media and was later consistently compared to that of Charles's own cousin's relationship with fellow Jewish American actress Hedy Lamarr that developed several years later. At the same time, just prior to his deployment for the Pacific War, Bacall herself moved in together with the prince at the latter's estate in New York, which had been built years prior with financing from both of Charles's earnings in the United States and royal funds shipped from London.
In late 1945, Charles personally telegraphed his father Edward for the latter's permission to marry Bacall, in which he wrote: "For Ingrid is my beloved sister, and this woman is my dearest wife". While the king and queen unanimously chose not to oppose their son's decision out of fear of disappointing the latter, prospects of the prince's marriage with an American commoner however became the subject of a heated debate among Parliament members, with several of them arguing that such a marriage would be "wholly unacceptable" to the British public, then compounded by anti-British riots led by Zionist militias in Mandatory Palestine. Nevertheless, since moving in together a few years prior, the couple made their first formal public appearance together at a state dinner on April 20th that year, hosted by the then newly inaugurated President, Harry Truman.
A few months later, a private emissary was sent to New York by the British Foreign Secretary in order to convince the couple to abandon any pretext of a marriage, while citing "irreconcilable differences" as a cover-up. However, neither side were able to reach a common agreement, with Charles himself adamantly refusing to give up his romantic interest and concede to the proposed alternatives. In an immediate follow-up to the event, Charles and Bacall then promptly embarked on a four country trip to the four Dominion countries, namely Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa where the approval of their respective Prime Ministers' were fundamental in securing legitimacy for Charles's proposed marriage. Ultimately, all four of the Prime Ministers that the royal couple personally sought for agreed to support their marriage, with the New Zealand Prime Minister, Peter Fraser being the last to do so due to his country being the most distant from the United Kingdom.
In light of Churchill's electoral defeat that year, the succeeding Prime Minister Clement Attlee promptly declared his support for the marriage while arguing that Bacall's status as a non-divorcee would not conflict with the Church's laws though he admitted that the latter's Jewish faith was "politically compromising". At one point, rumours of Bacall allegedly serving as a spy for Zionist militant groups in Mandatory Palestine, then followed by anonymous claims regarding her alleged infidelity during Charles's absence for the war briefly circulated among both the British public and government, though these were promptly rebuked by Charles himself before being discredited by government officials themselves. A subsequent private meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury in September that year brought the Church's support for the union which susbsequently led to an engagement in February 1946, though the couple was advised to wait for at least a year until a formal marriage ceremony could be done. During the months leading up to their marriage, by King Edward VII's advice, the couple embarked on a series of international tours meant to better their image among both the British and global populace. Beginning with a state visit to Turkey where the couple briefly discussed with Turkish President İsmet İnönü regarding the Soviet threat, the couple then furthered their tour to the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq before travelling next to Kuwait, where they were hosted by the Kuwaiti ruler Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Approximately a week later, the couple departed from Kuwait for a five months long tour comprising Australia, New Zealand, and the Oceanian island countries, where they were said to had particularly enjoyed immense popularity among the locals, specifically in Tonga where they were said to had struck a cordial friendship with the Tongan Queen Sālote Tupou III. Before returning back to the United States, the couple briefly met with Charles's family at their residence in Buckingham Palace though the meeting itself was initially discouraged due to public disaffection against the Princess of Wales in particular. In a follow-up to the tense meeting, the couple also paid an unscheduled visit to Denmark, which was done so by Charles's own insistence in surprising his longtime adopted sister, the now Crown Princess Ingrid of Denmark.
On March 1947, the couple were married in an Anglican ceremony in New York. The ceremony saw the attendance of members of the United States government led by President Truman, alongside members of foreign royalties, including the British royal family, led by Queen Louise, Charles's own mother. The then incumbent Prime Minister Clement Attlee whom had been unable to attend the event was instead represented by Ernest Bevin, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whom attended the event alongside some of Attlee's cabinet members. The newlywed couple were then treated to a state tour, where they were joined by President Truman and the First Lady. Upon concluding a follow-up state dinner at the White House, the royal couple was initially coerced into returning back to Britain as to accustom themselves, particularly that of Bacall's to their future life in the country. Nevertheless, the couple chose to remain at their New York residence until 1949 though this was mixed with periodical visits to the United Kingdom.
For their honeymoon tour, the couple embarked on a notably four months long visit to the island countries of Seychelles and Tonga, which were reportedly preferred due to their remote nature and beautiful scenery. Beginning with a flight from New York, the couple momentarily stopped in Egypt before proceeding further south to South Africa where from there, Charles and Bacall arrived in Seychelles via a ship, where they were subsequently received by the then Governor of Seychelles, Sir Percy Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke. After about a two months long stay, the couple returned back to South Africa before proceeding further east to a stop in India, then Singapore, and subsequently Australia and New Zealand where the couple departed for Tonga from.
While residing in the island country for approximately two months long, similar to that of the length of their stay in Seychelles, the royal couple engaged in a multitude of activities alongside the Tongan community, whilst being mostly unguarded by their accompanying entourage. Subsequently, their general openness and closeness with the local Tongan further reinforced their solid popularity among the local people, that had arose from their visit to the country just a year prior.
Personal Information
Titles & Honours
- 15 January 1917 - 5 January 1923 His Royal Highness Prince Charles of Cambridge
- 5 January 1923 - 20 January 1923 His Royal Highness The Duke of Cornwall
- 20 January 1923 - 7 July 1951 His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales
- 7 July 1951 - 3 March 2011 His Majesty The King
Honours
National & Commonwealth
Foreign
Military Appointments
United Kingdom
13 February 1935 - 30 January 1936: Officer Cadet, British Army
30 January 1936 - 11 November 1936: Second Lieutenant, British Army
11 November 1936 - 5 March 1937: Lieutenant, British Army
5 March 1937 - 11 December 1937 : Major, British Army
11 December 1937 - 22 January 1940: Colonel, British Army
22 January 1940 - 17 May 1944: Brigadier, British Army
17 May 1944 - 16 March 1947: Lieutenant General, British Army
16 March 1947 - 7 July 1951: Field Marshal, British Army
7 July 1951 - 15 January 1997: Commander-in-Chief of the British Armed Forces
15 January 1997 - 3 March 2011: Field Marshal, British Army
5 March 1936 - 11 December 1936: Lieutenant Commander, Royal Navy
11 December 1936 - 2 January 1938: Captain, Royal Navy
2 January 1938 - 13 July 1943: Commodore, Royal Navy
13 July 1943 - 16 March 1947: Commodore, Royal Navy
16 March 1947 - 7 July 1951: Admiral of the Fleet, Royal Navy
7 July 1951 - 15 January 1997: Lord High Admiral, Royal Navy
15 January 1997 - 3 March 2011: Admiral of the Fleet, Royal Navy
17 May 1944 - 15 March 1947: Air commodore, Royal Air Force
15 March 1947 - 7 July 1951: Air Marshal, Royal Air Force
7 July 1951 - 3 March 2011: Marshal of the Royal Air Force
Canada
7 July 1951 - 3 March 2011: Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Army
7 July 1951 - 3 March 2011: Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Navy
7 July 1951 - 3 March 2011: Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Air Force
Australia
7 July 1951 - 3 March 2011: Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Army
7 July 1951 - 3 March 2011: Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Australian Navy
7 July 1951 - 3 March 2011: Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Australian Air Force
New Zealand
7 July 1951 - 3 March 2011: Commander-in-Chief of the New Zealand Army
7 July 1951 - 3 March 2011: Commander-in-Chief of the Royal New Zealand Navy
7 July 1951 - 3 March 2011: Commander-in-Chief of the Royal New Zealand Air Force
United States
22 March 1941 - 4 March 1942: Officer Cadet, United States Air Force
4 March 1942 - 11 December 1942: Second Lieutenant, United States Air Force
11 December 1942 - 4 March 1943: Captain, United States Air Force
4 March 1943 - 17 May 1944: Colonel, United States Air Force
Ancestry
| Ancestors of Charles III of the United Kingdom |
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