King Charles III: 5 things to know

LONDON — Charles, The King of the United Kingdom, is the oldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

Born Nov. 14, 1948, his full name is Charles Philip Arthur George. His mother became queen in 1952 after the death of his grandfather, King George VI, making Charles heir apparent at age three.

Five facts about King Charles III:

He is a trained pilot

Like his father, grandfather and great-grandfathers before him, Charles had a career in the Navy. In 1971, he flew himself to the Royal Air Force Cranwell in Lincolnshire, England to train as a jet pilot. Later that year, he entered a six-week course at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, and served on the HMS Norfolk.

In 1974, the prince became a helicopter pilot and joined the 845 Naval Air Squadron. During his last nine months in the Navy, he commanded the HMS Bronington.

He is the first royal heir to have a university degree

Charles earned his degree at the University of Cambridge’s Trinity College in 1970. In doing so, he became the first royal heir apparent to earn a degree. He studied anthropology and archaeology and later changed to history for the second part of his degree.

Charles has promoted environmental awareness since the 1970s

On February 19, 1970, Charles gave his first major speech on the environment at the age of 21. According to the BBC, he has been tackling climate change to limit the rise in global temperatures. In 2017, Charles co-authored a book “Climate Change” with Tony Juniper, a former Friends of the Earth director, and Emily Shuckburgh, a Cambridge University climate scientist, according to The Associated Press.

He’s a children’s book author

In 1980, Charles published “The Old Man of Lochnagar.” He’s billed as HRH The Prince of Wales on the book, which is about an old man who lives in a cave and falls into the Loch of Lochnagar. Once there, he meets a bubble-blowing sea god.

He has his own charitable foundation

The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation was founded in 1979 and incorporated in 2008. It supports Charles’ charitable work in responsible business, youth and education, sustainability and other areas.