King Charles is ‘excited’ for coronation amid family drama, has ‘support’ from Camilla: royal family friend
Lady Anne Glenconner, Princess Margaret's lady-in-waiting, was a maid of honor at Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953. She recently wrote a book titled "Whatever Next?: Lessons from an Unexpected Life."
King Charles is gearing up for the biggest day of his life.
On Saturday, Charles and Camilla will officially be crowned the king and queen of England during their coronation.
As the historic event approaches, here are some fun facts about the royal pair.
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First formal photograph
The first official photograph of King Charles III was taken in 1948. (Getty Images)
King Charles was born in November 1948 and posed for his first formal photograph a month later, in December 1948. The photo was taken by Cecil Beaton, and featured Charles in his crib with a 22-year-old Queen Elizabeth looking down on him smiling.
According to the Royal Collection Trust, Beaton wrote in his diary the then prince "interrupted a long, contented sleep to do my bidding and open his blue eyes to stare long and wonderingly into the camera lens, the beginning of a lifetime in the glare of public duty."
Only a few short years after this photo was taken, Charles became the heir to the throne when his mother became the Queen of England in February 1952 after the death of her father, King George VI.
Prince Charles Magnificent Tree Frog
King Charles has a species of frog named after him, honoring his advocacy work towards protecting the world's rainforests. (Photo by Arthur Edwards - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
As the Prince of Wales, Charles was a big advocate for protecting the world's rainforests. He started the Prince's Rainforest Project in 2007, with the hopes of raising awareness about the role deforestation plays in climate change, as well as the benefits tropical forests provide.
In order to honor his passion for the environment, a species of frog was named after him. In 2008, Dr. Luis A. Coloma discovered a frog in a museum and named it Hyloscirtus Princecherlesi, otherwise known as the Prince Charles Magnificent Tree Frog.
The frog is native to Ecuador and is black with orange spots all over its body.
Keeper of the Cows
King Charles was given the title "Keeper of the Cows" during a visit to Tanzania. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
During an official tour of Tanzania in 2011, he and Camilla visited the Masai tribe and were each given new titles. Charles was named Oloishiru Ingishi, or Keeper of the Cows, and Camilla was named Koto Engera, or Mother of the Children.
The direct translation of his title is "the one who makes cows cry." As explained by village elder Mathayo Rimba Olemirai, the animals cry for those who help them because they feel supported by them, making Charles "the one who makes cows cry."
In Masai culture, the cow is reportedly considered a prized animal, and they believe God has gifted them every cow in the world and believe it is their right to take back possession of any cow owned by another person. They were surprised to learn Charles kept around 800 cows on his land in England.
''We cannot steal from him, he is our friend. We will take back cows from any other person though,'' Olemirai said.
Charles the magician
King Charles became a member of the Magic Circle after he successfully auditioned in 1978. (Photo by Samir Hussein - Pool / Getty Images)
In 1975, King Charles took his hobby to a new level when he successfully auditioned to be a member of the Magic Circle, a society of magicians, which was formed in 1905.
As part of his audition, Charles performed the Cups and Balls trick, one of the oldest yet still commonly performed trick by street performers. The trick is a sleight of hand illusion in which a ball disappears and reappears beneath a set of objects, usually three cups, and at the end of the trick, something unexpected is pulled out from one of the cups.
King Charles is one of the more well-known members of the Magic Circle. His audition made him an Honorary Life Member and Member of the Inner Magic Circle.
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"I understand this trick is so old it is engraved on the walls of the tombs of Egyptian kings. I hope to go there as I have never been to Egypt, and to study how it is done," Charles is reported to have said during his audition. "One of the great secrets of magic, so I am told, is to talk as much as one can, so as to divert attention."
Hand-painted invitation
King Charles watched his mother's coronation, becoming the first heir to watch their mother be crowned as the new Sovereign. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)
King Charles was only 3 years old when his grandfather passed away and his mom became the Queen of England in February 1952. By the time her coronation came around in June 1953, he was 4 years old and watched the ceremony alongside his aunt, Princess Margaret, and his grandmother, the Queen Mother.
By watching the coronation, King Charles became the first heir to see their mother be crowned as Sovereign. Prior to Queen Elizabeth II, the last female monarch was Queen Victoria, who ruled from 1837 to 1901, and prior to her, there had not been one since Queen Anne ruled for 12 years, from 1702 to 1714.
Not only did Charles watch the coronation, he was invited to attend with a personal hand-painted invitation. Charles' sister Princess Anne was not invited to watch the coronation, as she was considered to be too young for the event at 1-year-old.
Clip-on jewelry
Camilla Parker Bowles does not have her ears pierced and wears clip-ons instead. (Photo by Yui Mok - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Camilla revealed to Vogue in July 2022 she does not have her ears pierced, and she does not see herself getting them pierced at this point in her life.
The topic came up as she discussed how happy she is to be a grandmother and watch her grandchildren grow and find themselves. She is grandmother to five biological grandchildren and five step-grandchildren, the oldest of which are 15-year-old Lily Parker Bowles and 14-year-old Eliza Lopes.
"The girls are beginning to get into clothes and make-up and, you know, it’s rather frightening when you see them, coming out with pierced ears and a lot of new make-up and funny-coloured hair and stuff," she told the outlet.
As for whether she will be following in her granddaughter's footsteps and pierce her own ears, she exclaimed "they are not going to be" and "nothing is going to pierce my ears." When seen in public wearing earrings, Camilla is actually wearing clip-on jewelry.
"No, I’m not going to give it to myself for a 75th birthday present," she said at the time.
‘No friend as loyal as a book’
The Queen Consort is a big advocate for literacy, revealing one of her favorite books is "Pride and Prejudice." (Photo by Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
The Queen Consort has always had a special place in her heart for the importance of literacy, making that clear with her support for various organizations such as the National Literacy Trust and BookAid International. In addition to supporting those organizations, she also started her own charity, The Reading Room, which aims towards fostering a lifelong love of reading.
According to the royals' official website, Camilla's favorite book is "Pride and Prejudice," the story of Elizabeth Bennet, written by Jane Austen.
During the early days of COVID-19 and quarantine, Camilla posted on the Clarence House Instagram page about how during confusing times such as the one the world was facing at the time, books can act as a great escape.
"Ernest Hemingway, famously, once said, 'There is no friend as loyal as a book,'" she wrote. "In these challenging times when we are isolated from the ones we love, many of us are finding comfort in reading, to fire up our imaginations, to take us on journeys and to make us laugh."
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She then included a list of some of her favorite books, including "A Tale of Two Cities," "The Various Haunts of Men" and "The Book of Dust."
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Coronation crown
St. Edward's Crown has been used in every coronation and has been worn by every monarch since the coronation of King Charles II in 1661. (Getty Images)
King Charles III will wear St. Edward’s Crown, which was first made for the coronation of King Charles II in 1661 as a replacement for the crown worn by previous monarchs after that was melted down in 1649.
Although the crown is not exactly the same as its predecessor, it has many of the same features, including having four crosses-pattée and four fleurs-de-lis, and two arches. The crown is made of solid gold and features rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnet, topazes and tourmalines, as well as a velvet cap and ermine band.
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With all the jewels, the crown weighs in at an impressive 4 pounds and 12 ounces.
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