Little did he know, when he first conceived the idea of a more value-for-money monarchy, that the antics of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Prince Andrew would put The Firm on an enforced diet anyway. In the absence of the fifth and eighth in line to the throne – and following the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, the self-evident decrepitude of the Kents, and the Gloucesters’ increasing age – the House of Windsor has never looked leaner. With close and long-standing ties to many of his overseas counterparts forged through his decades of service as the Prince of Wales, the British heir apparent, the King’s invitation to them now provides an opportunity for soft diplomacy on behalf of the UK. The King has also personally chosen the music for the ceremony, which will feature 12 newly commissioned pieces, including an anthem by composer Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. Parts of the service will be sung in Welsh, with soloists including world-famous Welsh opera singer Sir Bryn Terfel. There will also be Greek Orthodox music in memory of the King’s father, Prince Philip, who was born in Greece. A gospel choir will also perform, as will choristers from Westminster School. just an enormous honour and privilege[…] and the coronation weekend is going to be a time of bringing the country together.” I love trying to organise some interesting, I hope, pieces of music for certain occasions – particularly for weddings,” he told Alan Titchmarsh for Classic FM in 2020. “I know my eldest son was quite understanding and was perfectly happy for me to suggest a few pieces for their wedding.”

Ahead of King Charles III’s coronation, experts at the UCL Constitution Unit and the UK in a Changing Europe initiative, have released a major new report on the monarchy. This is the latest in a series of reports on the monarchy by the UCL Constitution Unit. Only three in 10 Britons think the monarchy is “very important” today – the lowest proportion on record. But a recent YouGov poll found that 58% of the public preferred the monarchy to an elected head of state. In 1974, an Observer journalist said to Charles: “The Queen is still a youthful monarch. It looks as though you will have to spend many years as Prince of Wales,” and asked: “Should monarchs reign until death? Is there a case for retirement?” Charles replied: “No, I certainly don’t think monarchs should retire and be pensioned off … The nature of being a monarch is different. There’s plenty I can do.” Charles has written the forewords to at least 31 books. The first was a compilation of Goon Show scripts by Spike Milligan, published in 1974. He later became patron of the Goon Show Preservation Society.A poll published by the Guardian in 1995 found that 49% of British people expected to see the end of the monarchy in their own lifetimes. Charles admitted to the affair with Camilla in a 1994 interview with Dimbleby. He said he had been faithful “until [his marriage] became irretrievably broken down”. The civil ceremony, at the Windsor Guildhall in Berkshire, was attended by the rest of the immediate royal family, including Princes William – who acted as the best man – and Harry, and Camilla’s children Tom (Prince Charles’ godson) – and Laura. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh were not in attendance but did, however, join the couple afterwards at the televised service of blessing, conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and attended by 800 guests, including all the senior members of the royal family, at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. The Queen and Prince Philip also hosted a reception for the newlyweds at the castle later that day.

During these years, he spent two terms studying in Australia at Timbertop, Geelong Grammar’s year 9 campus where students board together in a programme that puts emphasis on outdoor education. According to the King, the period was “by far the best part” of his entire schooling. It was at Timbertop that Charles was effectively removed from his royal duties and allowed to roam the High Country’s vast surrounds with his classmates. His charity, the Prince’s Trust, has performed valuable work in helping disadvantaged youngsters to claw themselves out of the ghettos, but it still carries the whiff of noblesse oblige. And the tales leaching out about his keen sense of his own dignity: not the apocryphal toothpaste-squeezing valet, or even the range of soft to hard boiled eggs laid out for his delectation each morning, but the large personal entourage of butlers and flunkeys and the occasionally peevish and self-pitying outbursts tell their own story. Featuring a rich selection of photographs by acclaimed royal photographer Arthur Edwards MBE, credited with capturing some of the most memorable photos of the Royal Family over the past four decades, the book reflects on the ideas King Charles has championed throughout his life. It delves into how he intends to shape the monarchy of today and tomorrow, presenting examples of achievement and progress during his lifetime across social, cultural, technological, and commercial spheres, while also highlighting the work of selected organizations.Even the most inoffensive of royal watchers, the BBC’s royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell, has felt the lash of Charles’s tongue: “These bloody people. I can’t bear that man. I mean, he’s so awful, he really is,” as the prince said under his breath when Witchell had the temerity at a pre-wedding press conference on the ski slopes in 2005 to ask his sons how they felt about their father marrying Camilla. Prince Charles, with his sons Harry and William, grits his teeth during a media photocall in Monbiel during their annual skiing holiday. During the press conference Charles was heard to mutter ‘I hate doing this, bloody people’ - and then went on to abuse the BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell. Photograph: Arno Balzarini/AP