The man known to the world as 'Prince Charles' actually has four first names and then a surname. The surname is Windsor and the first four names are 'Charles Philip Arthur George'.

He was born in 1948 three years after the second world war to his mother, Queen Elizabeth I. He was her first child and therefore the heir to the throne, meaning if the Queen were to die then Charles would become monarch and King of the United Kingdom. However there is some debate in the UK whether Charles will one day actually become king, especially as he is getting older and instead the throne might go to his son, prince William. The oldest person to ever become monarch was William IV who became king of England at the age of 64, whereas Charles is already older than that.

He went to school in the north of Scotland. The name of the particular school that he went to was Gordonstoun and later went to Cambridge University where he studied history and anthropology.

His first marriage was to Diana Spencer with whom he had two sons, William and Henry. They were married in 1981 and it was an international event. It was the first major royal wedding in any major country when television was widespread. However the marriage was not a happy one and 11 years later the couple separated in 1992 with divorce becoming official in 1996.

His second marriage was to Camilla Parker Bowles, to whom he is still married. If Charles becomes king it is unlikely that Camilla will be called 'Queen Camilla' but rather the new title of 'Princess Consort'.

Charles has various personal interests and hobbies which include horse polo and fishing.