Charles, Prince of Wales

Charles, Prince of Wales (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948), is the eldest child and heir apparent of Queen Elizabeth II. Known alternatively in Scotland as Duke of Rothesay and in South West England as Duke of Cornwall, he is the longest-serving heir apparent in British history, having held the position since 1952. He is also the oldest person to be next-in-line to the throne since Sophia of Hanover (the heir presumptive to Queen Anne), who died in 1714 at the age of 83.

Charles was born at Buckingham Palace as the first grandchild of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. He was educated at Cheam and Gordonstoun Schools, which his father, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, had attended as a child, as well as the Timbertop campus of Geelong Grammar School in Victoria, Australia. After earning a bachelor of arts degree from Trinity College, Cambridge, Charles served in the Royal Navy from 1971 to 1976.

In 1981, he married Lady Diana Spencer and they had two sons: Prince William (born 1982) later to become Duke of Cambridge, and Prince Harry (born 1984). In 1996, the couple divorced, following well-publicised extra-marital affairs. Diana died in a car crash in Paris the following year. In 2005, Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles, who uses the title Duchess of Cornwall.

Prince Charles (Q ship)

HMS Prince Charles was a 274 Tonne collier converted to a Q-Ship of the Royal Navy during World War I. In the afternoon of 24 July 1915 off North Rona in the Outer Hebrides, Prince Charles , commanded by Lieutenant William Penrose Mark-Wardlaw, sank the German submarine SM U-36. The sinking was the first by a Q-Ship working alone without the assistance of a British submarine. U-36 was a type 31 submarine, being commissioned on the 6th June 1914 under the command of Captain E. Graeff and by July 1915 had sunk 14 merchant ships and taken 3 more as prizes. On the day it was sunk, the submarine had just stopped and boarded the Danish vessel SS Luise and a boarding party was in the process of dumping her cargo when a lookout sighted an approaching steamer. U 36 sailed towards the disguised Prince Charles and ordered her to stop while firing at her. The Q-ship complied, swinging out her boats. The unsuspecting submarine came within about 600m of the ship when Prince Charles hoisted the British flag of war and commenced firing. Taken completely by surprise, U-36 took several direct hits and heavy damage, and sank.

Prince Charles (disambiguation)

Prince Charles may refer to:

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