King Charles Young Photos: See What the Monarch Looked Like Throughout the Years
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
As the monarch continues his long-anticipated reign, these photos of King Charles’ young offer us a rare glimpse into his evolution from young prince to ruler of the British kingdom. Join us up ahead as we take a look down memory lane—from his days as the charming Prince of Wales up to his eventual ascent to throne.
More from StyleCaster
King Charles' Tribute To The Late Queen On Her 98th Birthday Hints At A Big Royal Return
The Unexpected Way King Charles Just Outdid Meghan Markle's New Business Venture
King Charles, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was born on November 14, 1948 at Buckingham Palace in London. As the firstborn male child of the reigning monarch, his position as heir apparent was established from birth. He went on to become a big brother to his little sister, Princess Anne, and little brothers Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, with whom he formed a close bond throughout the years.
Like many royal children, Charles received his early education through private tutors before becoming the first heir apparent to attend school. The young prince enrolled at Hill House School in West London and then Cheam School in Berkshire. In 1956, he started attending Gordonstoun School in Scotland, a boarding school known for its emphasis on outdoor activities and character development. During his time at school, he developed interests in nature and conservation—which has remained a central focus throughout his life—along with an interest in art, literature, and classical music.
In 1967, Charles broke royal family tradition by going straight to university instead of joining the British Armed Forces. He enrolled at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied anthropology, archaeology, and history. His time at Cambridge was marked by his interest in environmental issues and his involvement in various student activities, including theater. While still attending university, Prince Charles was formally invested as the Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle in Wales. This traditional ceremony, which took place on July 1, 1969, marked his formal investiture as the heir apparent to the British throne. He gave an address in both Welsh and English during the ceremony, expressing his commitment to Wales and the United Kingdom.
As the heir apparent, Prince Charles gradually began to take on more public engagements and represent the monarchy at official events. He made speeches, attended ceremonies, and met with dignitaries, both at home and abroad. Eventually, Charles also enrolled at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell to train as a pilot. He would later join the Royal Navy, where he served on various ships and earned his wings as a helicopter pilot.
During his late teens and early twenties, Prince Charles’s personal life also began attracting more and more interest from the media. He dated a few notable figures, including Davina Sheffield and Camilla Shand (later Parker Bowles), before eventually meeting Lady Diana Spencer, whom he married in 1981. The future king’s relationship with Princess Diana was one of the most closely watched and scrutinized aspects of his personal life. Their marriage captured the world’s attention, heralded as a fairy-tale union between a future king and a beautiful young princess. However, over time, cracks began to emerge in their union.
Diana’s struggle with the demands of royal life, combined with the Prince of Wales’ rumored attachment to his former flame, Camilla Parker Bowles, created major tensions within their marriage. The couple—who went on to welcome sons Prince William and Prince Harry—eventually faced well-documented reports of infidelity. Their marital difficulties became increasingly apparent to the public, ultimately leading to their separation in 1992 and divorce in 1996. Despite the end of their marriage, however, Charles and Princess Diana remained devoted parents to their children until the Princess of Wales’ untimely death in 1997. In the aftermath of her passing, Charles faced a challenging balance between personal mourning and public duty, often struggling with the immense public outpouring of grief and the intense media attention that followed Diana’s passing. However, the future heir honored her memory publicly, paying tribute to her humanitarian work and the impact she had made on countless lives.
Following Diana’s death, Charles rekindled his relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles. Camilla was previously married to Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973, but also got divorced by 1995. Charles and Camilla’s relationship became more public in the late 1990s and early 2000s. They were often seen attending events together, and their growing closeness sparked speculation about the nature of their relationship. Despite the controversies surrounding their past, including the public perception of Camilla as the “third party” in Charles’ marriage to Diana, the couple eventually decided to openly acknowledge their relationship. In 2005, Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles were married in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall, followed by a service of blessing at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. Since then, they have continued to support each other in their respective roles within the royal family and have undertaken numerous charitable and public engagements together.
King Charles young
Charles became king at the age of 73, following his mother Queen Elizabeth’s death in 2022. At his coronation, Charles officially became the oldest person to accede to the British throne, after having been the longest-serving heir apparent in British history. It’s clearly been a long journey from his early days as the Prince of Wales to serving on Britain’s highest throne—so let’s take a look at how far he’s come up ahead.
1. January 1949: King Charles in his baby basket
This official portrait of baby King Charles was taken at Buckingham Palace when he was about two months old.
2. August 1951: King Charles with his father and sister
King Charles is pictured here with his father, the late Prince Philip, and his sister, Princess Anne. Charles is around two and half years old in this snapshot, while his little sister Anne was just turning a year old.
3. August 1951: King Charles and Princess Anne in Birkhall, Scotland
Prince Charles is pictured here, at about two and a half years old, sitting in a baby carriage alongside his little sister Princess Anne while on a trip to Birkhall in Scotland. One of their mother’s beloved dogs is in the corner of the photo.
4. September 1952: King Charles at Balmoral Castle
A nearly four-year-old Prince Charles is pictured here playing in a miniature car on the grounds of Balmoral Castle, Scotland.
5. April 1954: King Charles with his grandmother
Prince Charles, pictured here at the age of five, poses for an informal photo taken with his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth (wife of George VI) and her dog, Pippin.
6. May 1958: King Charles and Princess Anne at Windsor Castle
A 9-year-old Prince Charles and 7-year-old Princess Anne walk together at Windsor castle.
7. July 1958: King Charles in Berkshire, UK
A 9-year-old Prince of Wales photographed on his walk to Cheam boarding school in Berkshire, about 50 miles west of London.
8. January 1960: King Charles at Romsey Station
Prince Charles and his grandmother, the Queen Mother, are pictured here in a royal car leaving Romsey Station, Hampshire, on their way to attend the wedding of Lady Mountbatten. Charles is about 11 years old in this photo.
9. January 1963: King Charles in Switzerland
The Prince of Wales was 14 years old when he went on a skiing trip in Tarasp, Switzerland, pictured above.
10. January 1965: King Charles in Paris, France
Prince Charles was 16 years old when he began carrying out public engagements on behalf of the queen. One of his engagements took him to Paris, France, where he is pictured here in the lobby of the Gare de l’Est.
11. October 1967: King Charles in Cambridge, UK
Prince Charles is pictured here walking on Downing Street in Cambridge. He was about to begin his first term at Trinity College, breaking with royal family tradition as he opted to attend university instead of joining the military after his A-Levels.
12. October 1967: King Charles at the Palace of Westminster
A 19-year-old Prince Charles joined his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, for the very first time at the State Opening of Parliament in 1967. The date also marked his sister Princess Anne’s first appearance in the Chamber of the House of Lords.
13. May 1968: King Charles at meeting at St. James’ Palace
A year before being formally honored as the Prince of Wales, Charles attended a meeting at St James’ Palace with Wales’ Secretary of State, George Thomas, and Bernard Fitzalan-Howard, the Duke of Norfolk.
14. March 1969: King Charles at London’s Hyde Park Hotel
A 20-year-old Prince Charles is pictured here speaking to a young woman at a formal dinner for the Helicopter Club of Great Britain at London’s Hyde Park Hotel.
15. April 1969: King Charles and Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle
A 20-year-old Prince Charles poses with his mother Queen Elizabeth II, outside of Windsor Castle. The future king was only three months away from being formally crowned as Prince of Wales by his mother.
16. April 1969: King Charles at Cambridge University
This informal portrait of Prince Charles was taken while he was relaxing on a couch in his study at Cambridge University. The future king was studying Archaeology, Anthropology and History before he was seconded from his degree at Cambridge and sent to Aberystwyth University in Wales to take 10 weeks of Welsh lessons over the spring of 1969 ahead of his crowning as the Prince of Wales later that summer.
17. May 1969: King Charles in Cambridgeshire
King Charles was an avid lover of planes in his youth and even took solo pilot lessons at RAF Oakington. Here he is pictured by his Red de Havilland Chipmunk training plane, which was temporarily attached to the Queen’s Flight, the Royal Air Transport unit.
18. July 1969: King Charles at his Investiture in Caernarfon, Wales
Charles was formally crowned Prince of Wales when he was 20 years old at an investiture ceremony at Caernarfon Castle in Wales. He was given the honor by his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who is pictured here holding his hand as she presents him to the crowd of onlookers.
19. February 1970: King Charles at the Palace of Westminster
King Charles was inducted into the House of Lords at the age of 21. Here he is pictured wearing his royal robes after he was introduced to the second chamber of UK parliament. His sponsors were his cousins, the Duke of Kent and the Duke of Beaufort.
20. June 1973: King Charles in St. Kitts and Nevis
The Prince of Wales visited the island of St. Kitts and Nevis to open the newly restored Prince of Wales Bastion. Here he is pictured wearing his naval uniform as he greeted a group of choir girls.
21. July 1975: King Charles at a polo match in Windsor
King Charles frequented polo matches in his 20s. Here, at the age of 26, the Prince of Wales is pictured on the sidelines at Smith’s Lawn in Windsor.
22. March 1978: Prince Charles in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
On Charles’ first visit to Brazil, the Prince of Wales famously joined a dance party at the Town Hall in Rio de Janeiro. Here, he is pictured dancing alongside a Samba dancer.
23. June 1978: King Charles at Cirencester Polo Club
A 29-year-old Prince Charles is pictured here on the grounds of the Cirencester Polo Club, in Gloucestershire, England, which is situated on the ground of the Ivy Lodge within the estate of Earl Bathurst’s country house.
24. November 1978: King Charles at Balmoral Castle
A portrait of King Charles taken on his 30th birthday. The then-Prince of Wales wore a tweed jacket and waistcoat with a Hunting Stewart tartan kilt on the grounds of Balmoral Castle on the Balmoral Estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
25. December 1980: King Charles in Nepal
Prince Charles took a three-day tour of Nepal at the age of 32. Here, he is pictured leaning on his walking stick at the foothills of the Himalayas.
26. July 1981: King Charles’ wedding to Princess Diana
Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, wave from the balcony at Buckingham Palace following their wedding, with one of their pageboys, Edward Van Cutsem, and one of their bridesmaids, Clementine Hambro, joining them. The Prince of Wales was 32 on his wedding day, whereas Diana was 20 years old.
27. August 1981: King Charles and Princess Diana on their honeymoon
Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales ended their honeymoon in Balmoral, Scotland. Here, they are pictured on the grounds of Balmoral Castle after spending 14 days sailing around the Mediterranean aboard the royal yacht, Britannia.
28. April 1983: King Charles, Princess Diana and baby Prince William
As new parents, Charles and his then-wife, Princess Diana, played with their son, Prince William, in the Government House gardens in Auckland, New Zealand. Prince William was about 10 months old. Charles, meanwhile, was 34 years old.
29. April 1983: King Charles and Princess Diana in Perth, Australia
The Prince and Princess of Wales visited at an open-air children’s display at Perth Hockey Stadium in Bentley, a suburb of Perth in Australia.
30. April 1985: King Charles and Princess Diana in Italy
Diana, Princess of Wales and Charles, then-Prince of Wales, during their Royal Tour in Italy. To their right is Giulio Andreotti, who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Italian Republic.
Best of StyleCaster
