Charles: The heir who waited
2005-04-09 10:13
Windsor - Prince Charles, the 56-year-old heir to the British monarchy who marries companion Camilla Parker Bowles on Saturday, has spent almost his entire life in a sort of limbo, just one step away from a throne he at times seems destined to never inherit.
Charles Philip Arthur George, the eldest child of the then-Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, was born on November 14 1948 in Buckingham Palace, the royal family's principal residence in London.
He was just four when King George VI died, making his mother queen, meaning the infant prince spent his entire childhood carrying the burden of being next in succession.
Charles was a serious and sensitive child who felt the weight of history keenly, supposedly something of a mystery to his unemotional parents.
As a teenager, Charles was made Prince of Wales, the traditional title bestowed on British prince regents. But since then his formal career, if it could be termed thus, has ground to a halt.
Although she turns 79 this year, Queen Elizabeth remains in good health and apparently determined to carry on as monarch for some years, meaning Charles is only likely to become king in old age, if ever.
The main events of Charles's life have been romantic, notably the June 1981 marriage to Diana Spencer, a supposedly fairytale union which produced two children, William and Harry.
Toothpaste
However, media revelations about break-up of the marriage and divorce in 1996, notably the part played by his long affair with Parker Bowles, badly hurt Charles's public image, made even worse by Diana's death in a car crash in Paris in 1997.
Elsewhere, Charles has filled his five-decade waiting period with a peculiar mix of activities and interests, ranging from the traditional pursuits of the aristocracy to an esoteric mix of arts and spirituality.
Despite his politically neutral role, Charles has made his views plain on a range of subjects from modern architecture - he largely despises it - to organic farming, for which he is a passionate advocate.
Fantastically rich through lands owned by being Duke of Cornwall, Charles has also helped tens of thousands of young people through his Prince's Trust charity.
He also has a marked spiritual side, taking great interest in the lore of African tribes, and is reputedly a fan of talking to his potted plants.
At the same time, Charles is reportedly very aware of his own position and keeps a large retinue of flunkeys to do everything from prepare his meals to squeeze toothpaste onto the royal brush.