Diana Princess of Wales - resources. Exhibition showing the life and work of Diana, the Princess of Wales

His Royal Highness The Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (Charles Philip Arthur George Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Windsor), styled HRH The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay in Scotland and HRH The Prince of Wales elsewhere (born November 14, 1948) is the son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. He is heir-apparent to the British, Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, Jamaican, and a number of other Commonwealth thrones. He was born at Buckingham Palace to HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh, the elder daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. From birth, he was known as His Royal Highness Prince Charles of Edinburgh. In 1952, his mother assumed the throne, becoming Queen Elizabeth II. Prince Charles immediately became Duke of Cornwall under a charter of King Edward III, which gave that title to the Sovereign's eldest son, and was then referred to as HRH The Duke of Cornwall. He also became, in the Scottish Peerage, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick and Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland. The Prince of Wales is normally referred to as His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, except in Scotland where he is styled His Royal Highness The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay. His full titles are rarely used; these are:
His Royal Highness The Prince Charles Philip Arthur George Prince of Wales Earl of Chester Duke of Cornwall Duke of Rothesay Earl of Carrick Baron of Renfrew Lord of the Isles Prince and Great Steward of Scotland Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle Great Master and First and Principal Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath Member of the Order of Merit Knight of the Order of Australia Member of the Queen's Service Order Lord of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty
The Prince of Wales is a Lieutenant General in the British Army, a Vice Admiral in the Royal Navy and an Air Marshal in the Royal Air Force. He is also Colonel-in-Chief of several regiments:
The Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot; Colonel-in-Chief since July 1, 1969) Welsh Guards (Colonel, since March 1, 1975) Air Reserve of Canada (Colonel-in-Chief, since June 11, 1977) The 22nd Cheshire Regiment (Colonel-in-Chief, since June 11, 1977) Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians; Colonel-in-Chief, since June 11, 1977) The Parachute Regiment (Colonel-in-Chief, since June 11, 1977) Royal Australian Armoured Corps (Colonel-in-Chief, since June 11, 1977) The Royal Ghurkha Rifles (Colonel-in-Chief, since June 11, 1977) Royal New Zealand Air Force (Air Commodore-in-Chief, since June 11, 1977) The Royal Regiment of Canada (Colonel-in-Chief, since June 11, 1977) The Royal Winnipeg Rifles (Colonel-in-Chief, since June 11, 1977) The Royal Pacific Islands Regiment (Colonel-in-Chief, since August 8, 1984) The Royal Canadian Dragoons (Colonel-in-Chief, since September 17, 1985) Army Air Corps (Colonel-in-Chief, since March 1, 1992) The Royal Dragoon Guards (Colonel-in-Chief, since July 1, 1992) Royal Air Force Valley (Honorary Air Commodore, since April 1, 1993) The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons; Deputy Colonel-in-Chief, since September 1, 1994) The Black Watch (Colonel-in Chief, since July 1, 2003) The Queens Dragoon Guards (Colonel-in Chief, since July 1, 2003) The King's Regiment (Colonel-in Chief, since July 1, 2003)
Though the term is commonly used, he ceased to be styled Prince Charles (and technically should not be described as such) following the accession of his mother to the throne in 1952, when he became Duke of Cornwall. The Duke of Cornwall was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester in 1958, though his actual investiture did not take place until July 1, 1969. This was a major ceremony, held at Caernarfon Castle in north Wales, a place traditionally associated with the creation of the title in the thirteenth century. Previous investitures had taken place at various locations, including the Palace of Westminster, the seat of parliament. The Welsh borough of Swansea was granted city status to mark the occasion. The Prince of Wales had studied at Gordonstoun School in Scotland, at Trinity College, Cambridge, a term in Australia, and also at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, where he went specifically in order to learn Welsh -- the first English-born prince ever to make a serious attempt to do so. This won him some popularity in the principality, but the investiture also aroused considerable hostility among some Welsh nationalists, and there were threats of violence. In the late 1970s, the Prince of Wales established another first when he became the first member of the Royal Family since King George I to attend a British cabinet meeting, being invited to attend by Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan so as to see the workings of cabinet government at first hand. On July 29, the Prince of Wales and the Lady Diana Spencer were married at St. Paul's Cathedral before 3,500 invited guests and an estimated 750 million people around the world. All of Europe's crowned heads (except for Juan Carlos of Spain, who was advised not to attend because the honeymoon would involve a stop-over in the disputed territory of Gibraltar) attended. So, too, did most of Europe's elected heads of state. By marriage to the heir-apparent, the Lady Diana received both a title, Princess of Wales, and the style, Her Royal Highness. They made their homes at Highgrove in Gloucestershire and Kensington Palace. The marriage formally ended in divorce on 28 August 1996. The Prince of Wales earned considerable praise for his handling of the events of Diana's death and their aftermath. The Prince of Wales, against advice, flew to Paris to accompany his ex-wife's body home and insisted that she be given a formal royal funeral; a new category of formal funeral was specially created for her. His role as a single father earned much sympathy and the Prince of Wales became one of the more popular members of the Royal Family. The Prince of Wales is an avid horseman and huntsman. He served in the Royal Navy, commanding HMS Bronington, a minehunter, from February 1976 until December 1976. He is also a talented artist and a published writer. The Prince's Trust, which he founded, is a charity that works mainly with young people, offering loans to groups, businesses and people (often in deprived areas) who had difficulty receiving support from mainstream lending institutions. The Prince's Trust is believed to have helped thousands of people in poor inner-city areas get jobs and training. In this role, the Prince has become surprisingly popular with many left-wing politicians, who see his charity as helping those who were receiving aid from nowhere else. Fundraising concerts are regularly held for the Prince's Trust, with leading pop, rock and classical musicians taking part. The Prince of Wales is a complex character: he has admitted to occasional depression, and is a passionate man who cares deeply about issues such as the environment, architecture, inner-city renewal and the quality of life. To put his ideas on architecture and town planning into practice, the Prince of Wales is developing the village of Poundbury in Dorset. He is also keen on growing and promoting organic food, although he drew some ridicule when he admitted to sometimes talking to his houseplants. The Prince of Wales is also highly regarded on the international stage as an effective advocate for the United Kingdom. On a visit to the Republic of Ireland, for example, instead of simply using a standard foreign office speech, he delivered a personally-researched and written speech on Anglo-Irish affairs which was warmly received by Irish politicians and the media. He is an accomplished painter, mostly in watercolours, and has exhibited and sold a number of paintings - though his position usually means he does so for charitable purposes. He has also published books of his paintings.