King Charles III turns 75
These experiences make him unique
On May 6, 2023, Charles was officially crowned king. He prepared for this event all his life.
© Salma Bashir Motiwala/Shutterstock.com
King Charles III celebrates its 75th birthday today. He has already been immortalized in the history books for several reasons.
Long live the king: Charles III. celebrates its 75th birthday today, November 14th. This is certainly a time for him to look back – on his eventful life and the intense past months. The 75th year of life was particularly difficult for Charles: he had to familiarize himself with the work as head of the British royal family and complete countless appointments.
In May, his coronation took place under the eyes of millions of TV viewers worldwide. And the senior will certainly not be bored in the new year. He has taken up the cause of modernizing and streamlining the monarchy. How much time he has left for this is anyone’s guess. What is certain, however, is that he will not be able to live up to his mother’s 70-year reign. But he has already made history in another way – even as a baby. Seven facts that have made it unique over the past 75 years…
The first baby at Buckingham Palace in the 20th century
Charles was the first royal baby born at Buckingham Palace in the 20th century in 1948. It was quite common at the time for the royals to give birth to their children in the royal apartments. Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) also gave birth to his two younger brothers in the castle, and Anne (73) in Clarence House.
When her first child was born, the then heir to the throne was able to benefit from a birth through her father, King George VI. (1895-1952), benefit from the change implemented: Previously, it was tradition that a politician had to be present at the royal birth. Since the 17th century, this has been intended to prevent a false baby from being presented as heir to the throne. The Queen’s cousin, Princess Alexandra (86), was the last royal baby to be born in the presence of a Home Secretary in 1936.
The first child at his mother’s coronation
When the Queen was crowned at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953, Charles was just four years old. Unlike his sister Anne, who is two years younger, he was allowed to take part in the ceremony – making him the first child in Great Britain to attend his mother’s coronation. He even had receive your own hand-painted invitation to the ceremony. For example, it showed British guards in their bearskin hats playing instruments.
The first heir to the British throne to attend school
Charles also made history with this: he was not taught by a private teacher at court, as was usual in the royal family, but enjoyed school education from 1954 to 1976. The heir to the throne attended the most prestigious private schools in the country. However, he has no fond memories of the elite Gordonstoun boarding school in northeast Scotland; the Prince of Wales is said to have been bullied by his classmates. He liked it better at the Geelong Grammar School in Australia in 1966. He later described the two semesters abroad as the most pleasant part of his school days.
The first heir to the British throne to graduate from university
After graduating from high school, he did not immediately join the armed forces, but instead began studying. At Trinity College in Cambridge he first studied archeology and anthropology and then switched to history. In 1970 he received the title of Bachelor of Arts, and in 1975 he completed his studies with a master’s degree, making him the first heir to the British throne to receive a university degree.
The first royal man in the delivery room
In the 1980s, Charles set another royal precedent: he was present at the birth of his sons William (41) and Harry (39). The fact that he would support his then wife Diana (1961-1997) in the delivery room was still unthinkable for his father Prince Philip (1921-2021). While the Queen was in labor with Charles for around 30 hours, her husband preferred to pass the time with sports.
The longest heir to the throne
The Queen’s eldest son had to wait 70 years for his big moment until he became king with her death on September 8, 2022. In 2008 he had already broken the waiting record for the crown at 59 years and 74 days. At that time, Charles, who was ridiculed as the “eternal heir to the throne”, overtook his ancestor Edward VII (1841-1910), who had followed his mother Victoria (1819-1901) to the throne at the age of 59 after a 63-year reign.
The oldest king
For Charles it took a few years longer. He was a proud 73 years old when he became king, older than any British monarch before him. At the coronation in May he was already 74 and, with his wife Camilla (76), formed the oldest newly crowned royal couple in British history.