9 interesting facts about King Charles III, new British monarch

He is an avid gardener, an accomplished painter, a fan of the works of William Shakespeare. And he once built a town. Here are some interesting facts about King Charles III the new British monarch.

1) At the age of 73, he is the oldest person in British history to be named monarch. Before that, as former Prince of Wales, he was longest serving heir to the throne. He was was named heir at the age of three - that means a wait of 70 years.

2) There was speculation till the announcment that Charles - born Charles Philip Arthur George - would drop his given name and take the regnal name of King George VII as a tribute to his grandfather. but it was not to be.


3) Unlike Queen Elizabeth II, or any other heir to the throne before him, he was not home-schooled. He became the first heir apparent to attend school, and then broke royal tradition again by going straight to university after the A-levels rather than join the Royal Armed Forces. He attended University of Cambridge, and became the first heir to the throne to get a university degree

4) He is qualified armed forces pilot. He can fly a Chipmunk basic pilot trainer, a Harrier T Mk.4 V/STOL fighter, a BAC Jet Provost jet pilot trainer, a Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft, a F-4 Phantom II fighter jet, an Avro Vulcan jet bomber, and a Spitfire classic WWII fighter.

5) He once built a town by the name Poundbury at Dorchester in England. He has interest in urban planning and development and wanted the town to be a blend of traditional architecture and modern urban planning.

6) He was the first heir to the throne to get a divorce. He divorced Lady Diana Spencer in 1996. A year later, she died in a car accident in Paris. He married Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005.

7). He is an accomplished painter. Reports say that he mainly creates watercolour landscapes. Since 1997, sales of his artwork have brought nearly USD 3 million.

8) The monarch is an avid gardener. And is reputed to 'talk'to his plants. He is an advocate of organic farming, is opposed to GM foods. Has a company 'Duchy Originals', which distributes food and goods produced ethically.

8) He is very fond of the works of William Shakespeare and is known to oft quote the Bard. at the end of his first address to the nation, he said: “May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest." That's a line from Shakespeare's Hamlet.