The Limited Times

King Charles' life in pictures: 70 years to the throne

9/9/2022, 3:01:33 PM


Some people doubted whether he would ever get a chance: Charles was heir to the throne for 70 years – now he is succeeding his mother. No king was older than he when he took office.

Enlarge image

1/17

It is one of their last public appearances together: in 2022, Queen Elizabeth II will be Queen of England for 70 years.

As always, Charles stands harmoniously at her side.

He was three years old when his mother ascended the throne.

Photo: Starface / IMAGO

2/17

Charles was two years old in London with his mother Elizabeth.

At this point, on November 22, 1950, Elizabeth is still a princess.

In February 1952, after the death of her father, she automatically became Queen of Britain - and for Charles, born on November 14, 1948 in Buckingham Palace, the time as heir to the throne began.

Photo:

AP

3/17

In 1954, Charles was waiting at Waterloo station for his grandmother, Queen Mum, who was returning from a trip to America.

Also present are Charles' sister Princess Anne, Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Photo: Anonymous/ ap

4/17

Charles at a photo shoot shortly before his seventh birthday in November 1955: The picture shows him in a traditional kilt in the grounds of Balmoral Castle, the summer residence of the Queen in Scotland.

His governess described the heir to the throne as "hypersensitive, withdrawn, painfully shy and drawn to quiet pursuits such as reading and painting".

At 13 he was sent to boarding school in Gordonstoun, Scotland.

He later described his lonely years there as “absolute hell”.

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS

5/17

Charles and his younger brother Edward in July 1976 in the port of Montreal.

After graduating in Archeology and Anthropology from Cambridge University, Charles served in the Royal Navy from 1971 to 1976.

With the £7,500 he received when he left the army, the heir to the throne set up a foundation, the Prince's Trust.

In a good 40 years, the foundation has helped more than 825,000 disadvantaged young people to find a job.

Photo: J Walter Green/ AP

6 / 17

This picture shows Charles on July 29, 1981, the day of his marriage to Lady Diana Spencer, at London's St. Paul's Cathedral.

In February 1981, under increasing pressure to finally find a wife, 32-year-old Charles became engaged to 19-year-old Diana.

In 1982 and 1984, sons William and Harry were born.

But the marriage soon crumbled, both spouses had extramarital affairs, and in 1996 they divorced.

Photo: AP

7/17

Charles and his sons practice patience while waiting for Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.

Charles and his sons William and Harry received the monarch at Kensington Palace in June 1989.

Charles hit a low in his popularity ratings when juicy details about his relationship with his longtime love Camilla became public.

A secretly recorded phone call in which the heir to the throne expresses his wish to be Camilla's tampon is the final straw for many Britons: someone like that can't become king!

Photo: Peter Kemp/WPA/AP

8/17

Charles at a British Army training center in Pirbright.

There is an obstacle course in the forest.

The photo dates from 1998, a year earlier Charles' ex-wife Diana had died in a car accident in Paris.

Photo: Dylan Martinez

9/17

In Australia's Alice Springs Desert Park, the then prince looks for a bird of prey.

In the wildlife park there is, among other things, a bird enclosure.

The photo was taken in March 2005.

Charles' engagement to his childhood sweetheart Camilla was announced in February and the couple married in April.

Photo: Ian Waldie/ Getty Images

10/17

Charles cheers for the National Hunt Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse in March 2006.

Polo and hunting are said to be his favorite hobbies, but Charles competed in a few horse races as an amateur in the 1980s.

"He prefers a racing tactic that is very familiar to him from the line of succession: wait," wrote SPIEGEL in April 1980 about his first attempts as a jockey.

Photo: Julian Herbert/ Getty Images

11/17

This photograph shows Charles in February 2009 at York railway station next to an A1 Peppercorn class steam locomotive.

This locomotive was built by a club of British railway fans - and christened by the then heir to the throne.

It is used for special trains.

Photo: WPA Pool/ Getty Images

12/17

"The problem is that there is no job description, so you kind of have to find your own way," Charles once said of being heir to the throne.

Photo: BEN STANSALL/ ASSOCIATED PRESS

13/17

Charles just before a parade in Portugal in March 2011. Many Britons now pay respect to Charles.

With his involvement in organic farming - once ridiculed - he did pioneering work.

Photo: Rafael Marchante/ REUTERS

14/17

In November 2015, Charles received then Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Charles is considered a hard-working royal who took many appointments from his mother.

Photo: Mick Tsikas/ AP

15/17

In September 2016, Charles received the then Irish President Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina in Scotland.

As king, Charles is not allowed to interfere in politics.

As a monarch, he wanted to take that to heart, Charles emphasized in a BBC documentary on his 70th birthday.

It was completely clear to him that he would then no longer be able to act like he is now: "I'm not that stupid." After all, these are two completely different roles.

Photo: WPA Pool/ Getty Images

16/17

Charles during the Queen's Speech on June 21, 2017. The speech traditionally opens the new session of the British Parliament.

At the time, Charles was not only committed to environmentally friendly agriculture, but was also a passionate climate protector, a fighter for human rights, an architecture freak who prevented many a modern construction project with his stubbornness, and he likes to paint watercolors.

Photo:

CARL COURT/ AFP

17 / 17

Charles was heir to the throne for 70 long years.

Never before in the history of the British monarchy has a member of the royal family held the title of heir apparent for as long as Charles.

He is the oldest royal to ascend the throne.

Photo: Chris Jackson/ Getty Images

lmd