Lesser Known Facts About King Charles III
People around the globe witnessed King Charles's coronation at Westminster Abbey in London, following a tradition that dates back 1,000 years. Reuters reports some lesser-known details about the British monarch.
King Charles Was The First King To... Go To School
King Charles is the first monarch to go to school, all his predecessors having been educated by private tutors.
Charles went to Hill House School in west London before becoming a boarder at Cheam School in Berkshire, which his father Prince Philip attended and where he later became headmaster.
He was then sent to Gordonstoun, a rough boarding school in Scotland, where Philip also studied. As part of his education, Charles spent two semesters at Geelong Church of England Grammar School in Melbourne, Australia.
He went on to Trinity College, Cambridge, to study archaeology and physical and social anthropology, but later reoriented himself to history. He also spent a semester at the University College of Wales in Aberystwyth, where he learned Welsh.
King Charles Is An Art And Music Lover
The British monarch is passionate about the arts and loves Shakespeare, from whose works he quoted several times after succeeding his mother Queen Elizabeth to the throne.
At school, Charles learned to play the piano, trumpet, and cello and appeared in several theatre productions, including the lead role in a production of Shakespeare's Macbeth. She is a lover of opera and classical music but also cites Leonard Cohen as one of her favorites.
Among the songs she selected for a special hospital radio program in 2021 were pieces performed by The Three Degrees, Diana Ross, Barbra Streisand, and Edith Piaf.
As Prince of Wales in 2000, Charles also revived the tradition of having an official harpist.
King Charles Is A Sports Enthusiast
As a young prince, Charles loved skiing, surfing, and diving. He was an avid horse polo player for over 40 years until he retired from the sport in 2005 at the age of 57.
He played competitively until 1993, even once suffering a double fracture in his right arm after a fall that required surgery and a bone graft. Another fall in 2001 also landed him in the hospital.
As an amateur jockey, he competed in six races in 1980-81, finishing second on two occasions but also being eliminated twice.
King Charles Always Skips Lunch
Charles doesn't eat lunch, and his favorite tea is Darjeeling with honey and milk.
He also wrote a children's book, The Old Man of Lochnagar, published in 1980, to entertain his younger brothers, Andrew and Edward, with the story of an old man's adventures in the countryside around Balmoral Castle in Scotland. The forest-covered mountains around Balmoral have also been the inspiration for some of his watercolor paintings, some of which have been exhibited in exhibitions over the past 50 years.
King Charles Salutes The Trees He Plants
Charles is well known for his environmental campaigns, and his love of nature and the outdoors runs deep. His office revealed in 2020 that after planting a tree, he gently, friendly shakes a branch to wish it good luck.
Another outdoor activity he loves is hedge-cutting, and he is a patron of the National Hedgecutting Society.
Those close to him say he is happiest in the garden at his home in Highgrove, in the west of England, or, like his late mother, when he is walking and fishing in the wild fields of the Scottish royal family homes.
Photo Credit: King Charles / The Royal Family
