7 Father and Grandfather Moments of King Charles III
Before he formally assumes the throne on May 6 during his coronation, we round up seven father and grandfather moments of King Charles III.
King Charles III is set to have his formal coronation on May 6, nine months after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II. Formerly known as Prince Charles Philip Arthur George of Wales, the king is not just the ruler of the United Kingdom. He’s a father figure of the nation as well. Most of all, Charles is a father of two. His sons Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Prince William of Wales are his heirs from his late ex-wife Princess Diana.
Although his parenting relationship with his children has mixed feelings from the public, Charles III did his best to be a father to the boys and grandfather to his five grandchildren. We look at some of the moments the British Family shared about King Charles III’s being a father and grandfather.
1. The birth of William and Harry
Charles was by Diana’s side when his two boys, Prince William (1982) and Harry (1984) were born. Unlike his time when he was born in Buckingham Palace, his two boys were born in a London Hospital. He was even seen carrying William while leaving the hospital.
2 . Family moments in the countryside
When he was still the Prince of Wales, Charles would often take his kids and Diana to Highgrove, his countryside home in Gloucestershire. The home is now under the care of Prince William, who on top of becoming Prince of Wales, also inherits the title of the Duke of Cornwall.
3. First of school for William in Eton
Charles accompanied Diana and Harry to drop off William on his first day of school in Eton in 1995. The photo was one of the moments the family was seen together after their separation in 1992.
4. Times with his boys
After Diana died in a car crash in 1997, Charles became a single father and raised Harry and William, taking them on various trips in the countryside or skiing in parts of Europe.
5. Father, son, and grandson
Charles officially became a grandfather with the arrival of Prince George, William’s son with Katherine, Princess of Wales. In 2015, the three were snapped together as they participated in a parade while looking at the Buckingham Palace Balcony.
In 2020, Buckingham Palace released a rare photo of four generations featuring the late queen, Charles, William, and George together. Another photo of the four of them was also released while doing the traditional pudding-making inside the palace.
6. Rare photos with Charlotte and Louis
Although his schedule is full of engagements and charity work, Charles makes sure to spend time with his other grandchildren. The palace has released never before seen photos of the king with Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis when he was still Prince of Wales. A BBC documentary also showed unreleased photos of the king with Charlotte and a young Prince George.
In 2022, Charles was photographed with Louis as they watched an event for the late Queen’s Platinum Celebration.
7. Queen’s Green Canopy
In April, King Charles and Prince William posted a tree-planting photo of the Queen’s Green Canopy. In a statement, the king said: “It is hard to believe that two years have passed since my mother and I planted a tree in Windsor Great Park to mark the commencement of The Queen’s Green Canopy.”
“As the second planting season draws to a close, and with it this vitally important initiative, I particularly wanted to express my heartfelt thanks to everyone from across the United Kingdom who has helped to plant over three million trees to create an enduring legacy in Queen Elizabeth’s name.”
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