Prince Charles: The man who would be king of the empire
Posted By SEAN CHASE
Posted 3 months ago
"Were it not for my ability to see the funny side of my life, I'd have been committed to an institution long ago."
This honest admission from Prince Charles was once quickly tempered by his strong sense of responsibility which he characterized as "the greatest function of any monarch is the human concern which its representatives have for the people, especially in what is becoming an increasingly inhuman era - an age of computers, machines, multi-national corporations. This, to my mind is where the future can be promising. I believe it best to confine myself to three basic aims at the start, to show concern for people, to display an interest in them as individuals, and to encourage them in a whole host of ways. "
Certainly, the Prince of Wales has not been shy about all three attributes, supporting charitable causes through his Foundation for the Built Environment, the Regeneration Trust and the Prince's Trust (which raised £16 million at its inception in 1976.) His official titles include the Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay, the Earl of Carrick, the Baron of Renfrew and the Great Steward of Scotland. However, his lifetime calling remains preparing to assume the throne after Queen Elizabeth II's reign comes to an end.
Born Charles Philip Arthur George on Nov. 15, 1948, he immediately became the heir apparent less than three years later upon the death of his grandfather, King George IV, and the ascension of his mother. He became the first heir ever to be sent away to school. After attending Hill House, Knightsbridge and Cheam, he was dispatched to Gordonstoun, a Scottish school with a reputation for strict discipline. Achieving Alevels in French and History, he was accepted at Trinity College, Cambridge.
He later transferred to the University College of Wales at Aberystwyth where he immersed himself in the Welsh language (he was sharply criticized by a Welsh nationalist party but weathered the protests.) In July, 1969, the Queen invested her eldest son at Caernarfon Castle. The prince sincerely responded to the loyal address in both English and Welsh. The following year, he took his seat in the House of Lords and became the first Royal since George I to attend a British cabinet meeting.
Like Royals before him, Charles began training in the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy. He learned to fly combat aircraft ranging from Harriers to Avro Vulcans. His parachute training nearly ended with a catastrophe when his legs got caught in the rigging lines. After completing the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth, the Prince, now at the rank of sub-lieutenant, was assigned to the guided missile destroyer HMS Norfolk and tours aboard the frigates Minerva and Jupiter before taking command of the mindsweeper HMS Bronington. He retired from active service due to his extensive list of official duties, however, before doing so he completed the paratroop officer's course. As colonel-in-chief of the Parachute Regiment, Charles felt he could not wear the uniform without a pair of jump wings.
In 1975 Charles first visited the Northwest Territories on one of his many tours of Canada and formed a special bond with our First Nations (he drove a team of huskies across the tundra.) He also supported humanitarian projects in this country including the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the Canadian Youth Business Foundation based in Saskatchewan. The Prince has taken up many causes including the unemployed, the plight of inner-city youth and persons in trouble with the law.
He remained one of Britain's most eligible bachelors, but on July 31, 1981 he married Lady Diana Spencer at St. Paul's Cathedral in what was coined "the wedding of the century."
The royal couple had two sons, William and Harry, both of whom eventually followed their father's footsteps into military service. Charles and Diana separated in 1992. Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris five years later.
The Prince has frequently been outspoken, making public his views on architecture and urban planning. As an advocate of neo-traditional ideas, he published a book and filmed a documentary called "A Vision of Britain" which was critical of modern architecture, especially its effect on London. He was also one of the first international leaders to speak out against Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and has since supported the FARA Foundation that aids Romanian orphanages.
Next month, Prince Charles will be visiting Petawawa along with his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
Prince Charles is the colonel-in-chief of the Royal Canadian Dragoons. He follows his father, Prince Phillip, and brother, Prince Andrew, who have made recent stops here.
In 1993, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York was here for a three-day tour, the longest of any royal to date. Andrew had been appointed the colonel-in-chief of the Canadian Airborne Regiment the year before. His visit had a profound effect on the community in that he dedicated the Pointer Boat memorial and planted a tree at General Panet High School. A paratrooper himself, the Duke of York regretted he couldn't join the regiment in their jumps. The veteran of the Falklands War had made his last in 1978 before becoming commander of a Royal Navy warship.
"Unfortunately, my sea legs are rather more current than my jumping legs," he quipped. "As your colonel-in-chief, I hope to have a long association with you. I hope you will come to regard me as one of the family."
We can probably expect similar wit from Prince Charles, known for his sense of humour, when the community warmly receives him. He once told an interviewer when asked how he planned to prepare for his role: "I learned the way a monkey learns: by watching its parents."
As a royal ambassador, the Prince continues to represent the Commonwealth on the world stage and diligent understudy of his remarkable mother.
"If you have a sense of duty, and I like to think I have," Charles once said. "Then service is something that you give to people, particularly if they want you."
Sean Chase is a reporter with The Daily Observer
