Prince Charles, Duke of Clarence and Avondale

Full name
	Charles Oscar Frederick William

Prince Charles
Prince Charles
Duke of Clarence and Avondale; Duke of Wolfsburg
British Ambassador to Jordan
In office	1952 - 1960
Preceded by	Sir Alec Kirkbride
Succeeded by	Sir Charles Wingfield
Monarch	Charles III
Born	Charles Oscar Frederick; 1 February 1927; Drottningholm Palace, Sweden
Died	11 November 2002 (aged 75); Reykjavík, Iceland
Burial	14 November 2002; Westminster Abbey, London
Spouse	Hedy Lamarr; (m. 1947; died 2000)
Issue; Detail	Charles II, Duke of Clarence and Avondale; Prince James, Duke of Wolfsburg; Prince William of Clarence and Avondale; Princess Hedy, Mrs Bennington;
Full name
Full name
	Charles Oscar Frederick William
House	Hanover
Father	Frederick, Duke of Clarence and Avondale
Mother	Astrid of Sweden
Religion	Protestant

Prince Charles, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (Charles Oscar Frederick William; 1 February 1927 - 11 November 2002) was a British prince and diplomat, who served as the British ambassador to Jordan, in which capacity he cultivated a strong friendship with the Jordanian monarch, King Hussein.

The eldest and only son of the notable Prince Frederick, Duke of Clarence and Avondale and Princess Astrid of Sweden, Charles and his two sisters subsequently inherited their parents' passion and interest in humanitarianism and international issues, as all three of them would later go on to become notable and successful diplomats in their own respective careers. Charles's heavily publicised marriage to the Jewish Austrian-American actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr in 1948, which coincidentally mirrored that of his cousin's to Lauren Bacall, also a Jewish American actress became a defining aspect of his overwhelmingly liberal character, cementing him as a celebrated figure of modern progressivism, then shared by his two sisters.

Early Life

Princess Fawzia Fuad of Egypt, daughter of King Fuad I of Egypt

Charles was born on February 1st, 1927 as the eldest child and only son of Prince Frederick, Duke of Clarence and Avondale and Princess Astrid of Sweden at the Swedish royal residence of Drottningholm Palace. By his mother's sole behest, Charles was named entirely off his Swedish ancestors which included his maternal grandfather, Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland, and his maternal great-grandfather, King Oscar II of Sweden, then followed by the names belonging to his own father, Frederick William.

Due to the relatively unstable political climate in the United Kingdom, Charles was ultimately brought up instead in Sweden, which had prior been his mother's birthplace. Around the time of his birth, his father had been entrusted with a diplomatic mission to Siam and as a result, the young prince and his mother would occasionally move to Stockholm Palace where Charles would live with his Swedish relatives during his father's periodical absentees. Nevertheless, both father and son were said to had generally retained a close paternal relationship, as the duke himself was described as being extremely attentive to his own family whenever he was relieved of his ambassadorial duties. Furthermore, in addition to hunting and several other common activities the two would indulge themselves in, Charles himself, beginning from the age of seven, was able to periodically accompany his father back to his workplace in Egypt, with its famed Giza pyramids being a particular favourite of the young prince, whom upon returning back to Sweden, would often reportedly describe his adventures in the Middle Eastern kingdom to his mother in a much spirited and enthusiastic manner, much to the latter's delight.

Growing up, Charles began to spoke his Swedish-taught language from the age of five, in which after just two years later, he was said to had possessed the "natural accent of an actual Swede" though by the insistence of his British relatives on the other end, he maintained a degree of fluency in the English language as well. Additionally, he was strictly taught by his mother in the arts of cooking and various household works which, despite its uncommon association with royal princes was seen by the former as an effective tool in moulding the young Charles into an "independent, and self-caring gentleman". He also took up lesssons from his own mother in horseback riding, swimming, and golfing, all of which he would later show proficiency in.

Prior to the onset of the Second World War, as his father had then assumed a gubernatorial position in Egypt, Charles became consequently exposed to the Egyptian and Muslim culture in the country led by kings Fuad I and later Farouk from 1936. Reportedly, during their occassional visits to the kingdom, a young Charles directly oversaw the hardship of the Egyptian peasantry which made up a sizable portion of the country's population. He was also reputedly close with the king's beautiful daughter Fawzia who was six years his senior, with Charles's own father Frederick having once jokingly suggested for a marriage between the two though due to obvious complications, this never materialised.

Second World War

By his father's insistence, Charles and his family were to strictly remain in Sweden while the former instead chose to serve in the British Army against the Axis Powers, much to the dismay of Charles's mother who feared for her husband's safety. As the young prince gradually learned about the horrors of the war, he consistently prayed for his father's safety alongside his mother and his two sisters. At the same time, Charles and his family members courageously worked in providing safe haven for Jews fleeing persecution, primarily those from Germany itself, in addition to Denmark and Norway. In the midst of doing so, the princely family also paid visits and unscheduled tours to Allied war camps set up in Sweden by exiled soldiers from Nazi-occupied Denmark and Norway.

Career

Kings Talal and Hussein of Jordan

Following in the footsteps of his father, then a renowned British diplomat, a young Charles was personally taught in the arts of diplomacy and relations by the former, who had wished for a continuation of his involvement in diplomatic affairs to be passed down through his descendants. Additionally, the tense Cold War atmosphere itself offered the young prince a valuable opportunity in serving in the United Kingdom's field of ambassadors, coupled with the personal encouragement by Charles's own cousin, the newly coronated Charles III.

To that end, he was subsequently assigned to the Middle Eastern kingdom of Jordan, an essential British ally under the reign of its fairly liberal King Hussein, whom in turn had inherited the kingdom following the forced abdication of his predecessor, King Talal.

On August 11, 1952, the twenty five year old Charles first met with the then seventeen year old Hussein whom, as a result of not being a legal adult under Islamic law (which places the legal age at 18), ruled under a regency council made up of the then Prime Minister and the leaders of Jordan's bicameral legislative chambers. Reportedly, upon conversing with the new king for the first time, Charles was said to had immediately commended the former, praising Hussein as an "hopeful figure of Arabian modernity and progressivism".

Marriage

Fawzia Fuad of Egypt

While the marital prospects of Charles's cousin, the then Prince of Wales had generated a degree of controversy as the latter had wished to marry a commoner and actress of Jewish American descent, a decision that was met with significant opposition by the British nobility and government, Charles's own marital prospects however were generally given little care of or attention to, though his mother Astrid of Sweden generally advised her son to seek a wife of his own choice, having promised full support in such an event.

Sometime in the year 1931, Charles's father, then the governor of Egypt once suggested, albeit in a joking manner to the then King Fuad I for the four year old Charles to be betrothed to the eleven year old Princess Fawzia, the eldest daughter of the king's marriage with his second wife. While it was never realised due to the obvious legal and religious complications present, Charles himself, throughout the years gradually became more acquainted and close to the young and beautiful princes, with the palace aides often describing their relationship as a "platonic-natured friendship". Additionally, due to their considerable age disparity, Fawzia herself was often said to had acted as Charles's supposed older sister, with the princess often guiding and spending much time together with the much younger prince. However, following the sudden decision to leave Egypt by Charles's father Frederick in 1936, direct contact between the two ceased immediately though with the technology present at the time, both Charles and Fawzia were able to maintain communication throughout the succeeeding years. In June 1938, having accompanied his father on a brief return visit to Egypt, Charles once more proved eager to reconnect with his close friend Fawzia, whom he soon learned to had been engaged to the then Crown Prince of Iran. Nevertheless, the two spent most of their time together in both inside and outside of the royal palace, where on one occasion, the princess reportedly brought the eleven year old Charles to personally see the Giza pyramids. Regardless, just a week later, Charles himself was forced to return back to Sweden alongside his father.

While his father's subsequent enlistment in the British Army and the Second World War kept Charles confined to his home country, he nevertheless maintained a consistent degree of communication with Fawzia through various communication methods, which were said to had peaked during the latter's unhappy marriage to the then crown prince and later Shah of Iran following his father's overthrow in 1941, with Charles himself generally acting as the princess's close confidante. By war's end however, Charles himself was once more reunited with the now divorced Fawzia in a post-war Egypt where due to the complications surrounding the princess's then recent divorce from her husband, allowed Charles to spend more time with Fawzia on a much more personal level, which supposedly amounted to a secret engagement though this was quickly proven otherwise. Nevertheless, following a month long stay, Charles once more departed back for Sweden, but not before wishing Fawzia well in what he termed as her "new and happy marriage", which was said to had brought the princess to tears.

Hedy Lamarr

On March 1946, having accompanied his father to the United States in order to attend the marriage of Charles's cousin to the Jewish American actress, Lauren Bacall, Charles took up temporary residence in his father's estate in New York which had been bought by the duke just two years prior. Nevertheless, while attending the wedding ceremony, Charles was introduced to the actress, Hedy Lamarr whom at that point, had been a considerably sensational figure in the United States. Following a brief conversation in which he subsequently discovered of Lamarr's then already married status and subsequently of her acting career, the two chose to remain in contact afterwards, with Charles in particular quickly gaining a newfound interest in the actress due to her considerable resemblance to that of Charles's close friend Princess Fawzia, and her apparent intelligence. Believing that his father would be somewhat hesitant in immediately approving of a potential relationship with the twice divorced actress, whom by then had already produced two children from her previous marriages, Charles took the initiative into meeting Lamarr himself after the wedding ceremony, albeit under private circumstances. After a series of follow-up private meetings between the two, for reasons that were most likely unrelated, Lamarr herself sought a successful divorce from her third husband which in turn, opened the possibility of marriage between the nineteen old prince and the thirty two year old actress.

Having finally decided to consult his father for the former's approval, his request to be engaged to Lamarr was initially met with indifference, but was soon faced with considerable opposition as Charles was questioned by the former regarding his capability in looking after the actress's two preexisting children from her previous marriages. Following a subsequently inconclusive debate between father and son, Charles's father then turned to his brother, King Edward VII, whose approval Charles required for the engagement due to the Royal Marriages Act 1772. Initially, King Edward himself proved reluctant to grant his approval for Charles's marital prospects, citing the fact that Charles's own love interest had been thrice divorced and has already bore two children of her own which, in Edward's eyes, differed greatly with that of his own son's marital issue, although coincidentally enough, the prince was generally backed in his decision by his similarly named cousin, whom reportedly promised that he would be willing to grant the permission for the prince's marriage upon becoming a sovereign himself.

Nevertheless, after much deliberation which was said to had lasted for over a week long, Charles's uncle, King Edward VII ultimately granted his approval for the marriage, with the condition that neither of Charles's preexisting stepchildren would be conferred with any peerages, out of fear of upsetting the British aristocracy and government. To that end, the pair became formally engaged in September that year.

Hedy Lamarr

With the couple's engagement attracting an expectedly large amount of notoriety from both the American and British press, the two were encouraged by Charles's cousin to hold a public tour as to project a more positive image among the general public, which they immediately did so as Charles himself was joined by both of Lamarr's two children as the couple first drove around the suburban areas of New York before proceeding further to the rural areas, where they reportedly stopped unscheduled on several occasions to meet with the locals. In the aftermath, the couple were then invited to a honorary banquet at the White House by President Truman.

On January 11th 1947, the couple were formally married in an Anglican ceremony attended by various amount of guests that included those of Lamarr's past acting coworkers and Charles's own family members and relatives of the British royal family. Furthermore, prior to the wedding itself, as to avoid upstaging Charles's own cousin, the then Prince of Wales and his newlywed wife Lauren Bacall, (whom is also coincidentally of Jewish background herself) whose own wedding had then occurred around a year prior, the two were offered the respective roles of groomsman and bridesmaid themselves, which they did so while Lamarr's own children were also present at the ceremony, with the actress's own daughter, Denise acting as the flower girl for the wedding ceremony. Following the conclusion of the ceremony, the couple also embarked on a state-wide tour alongside the President and the First Lady, where they were also joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales. Following their marriage, the newlywed couple promptly took up residence in Charles's father's estate in New York, which was situated near to that of his cousin, the Prince of Wales's.

Throughout the succeeding years, both Charles and Lamarr were said to had been generally close with Charles's cousin, the future Charles III and his wife, Lauren Bacall whom Lamarr mostly associated with due to their similarly-shared common background, past careers and their shared Jewish ancestries.

Personal Information

Titles & Honours

1 February 1927 - 5 August 1953 His Royal Highness Prince Charles of Clarence and Avondale
5 August 1953 - 23 June 1985 His Royal Highness The Duke of Wolfsburg
23 June 1985 - 11 November 2002 His Royal Highness The Duke of Clarence and Avondale