Charles, Prince of Wales (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is the heir apparent to the British throne as the eldest son of Elizabeth II. He has been Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay since 1952, and he is the oldest and longest-serving heir apparent in British history.
He is also the longest-serving Prince of Wales, having held that title since 1958. 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. Charles also spent a year at the Timbertop campus of Geelong Grammar School in Victoria, Australia.
Prince William 'matured' into King in waiting after 'initial reluctance', says royal expert
ok.co.ukPrince William is said to have proven he is the man deserving of being King after showing a "reluctance" to the concept of taking the throne in his teens, a royal expert has told OK!.
Royal author Jennie Bond tells us that the Duke of Cambridge, 39, felt the pressure of being King in waiting "on his shoulders" when he was younger.
But as he has "matured" in recent years, she says Prince William has shown he will "accept the role". Jennie also revealed that Prince William and Prince Harry's mother Princess Diana often spoke of how lucky the nation is for having William. "Having known his mother Diana and speaking to her at length about her children, I remember so vividly how she said the country is lucky to have William, he's all right," she said.
Get exclusive celebrity stories and fabulous photoshoots straight to your inbox with OK!'s daily newsletter. You can sign up at the top of the page. "She also said that he found at that age, in his early teens, the burden of kingship was already weighing quite heavily on his shoulders. "I think we did see a reluctance to take on the role earlier on, in his early adolescence, he knew his destiny as none of the rest of us do from such an early age." The expert continued: 'But in the last couple of years he has shown convincingly that he is the man for the role and that he cares about being king. "He absolutely fully accepts the role and the responsibility destiny has put his way." Prince William will become King after Prince Charles takes the throne following the Queen's sad death.
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