Hi Majesty, King Charles

Hi Majesty, King Charles The Royal Family Twitter

Today, 14th November 2022, is King Charles' 76th birthday.

To celebrate His Majesty, The King, here are 20 facts that you may not know:

1. Philip Arthur George was born at Buckingham Palace on 14th November 1948 at 9:14 pm, weighing 7lbs 6oz.

2. The King became the heir apparent when he was three years old.

3. The King is the first heir to see his mother (the late Queen Elizabeth II) crowned as Sovereign.

4. The first formal photograph of The King was taken by Cecil Beaton in December 1948.

5. The King's first official visit abroad was to Malta when he was five years old.

6. From February to July 1966, The King spent two terms as an exchange student at Timbertop, a remote annex of Geelong Church of England Grammar School in Melbourne, Australia.

7. The King spent a term at the University College of Wales at Aberystwyth (April to June 1969) learning Welsh and still often uses Welsh phrases in speeches in Wales.

8. King Charles studied archaeology and anthropology in his first year at The University of Cambridge, switching to history for the remainder of his degree. His studies finished in 1970.

9. While at school, The King played the piano, trumpet and cello. While an undergraduate at Cambridge, he played the cello, performing in a symphony concert by the Trinity College Orchestra on 4th December 1967.

10. In November 1965, while a pupil at Gordonstoun School, The King played the lead in Shakespeare's Macbeth.

11. The King became the first heir to the throne to earn a university degree in 1970. He earned his Bachelor's Degree from Cambridge University's Trinity College, and he also earned his Master's from the same university in 1975.

12. King Charles is a qualified jet and helicopter pilot.

13. The King first rode at the late Queen's Birthday Parade as Colonel of the Welsh Guards aged 26 years old in June 1975.

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14. In 1975 as an accomplished diver, The King spent 47 minutes underwater examining the wreck of King Henry VIII’s flagship, The Mary Rose. 

15. The King started his charity The Prince's Trust with his Navy severance pay of just over £7,000 in 1976.

16. King Charles undertook his first official Royal duty in June 1965, attending a student garden party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

17. The King made his first public speech in Welsh in May 1969, on the final day of the Urdd Gobaith Cymru (Welsh League of Youth) Eisteddfod at Aberystwyth.

18. King Charles is an author. He wrote The Old Man of Lochnagar, based on stories he used to tell his younger brothers growing up.  He has also written books on the natural world and the environment including 'Harmony' and 'Climate Change', a Ladybird Expert Book.

19. The King is a keen painter and had a watercolour displayed in the Royal Academy's 1987 summer exhibition, after it was submitted anonymously.

20. King Charles presented the weather forecast on the BBC.

What was your favourite fact about the King of England? Let us know in the comments below!