Editing Charles XIII (section)

==Early life==
[[File:Ulrica Pasch - Duke Charles XIII of Sweden 1758.jpg|left|thumb|upright| Prince Charles, <!-- the future, Duke Charles XIII of Sweden, --> in 1758 by [[Ulrica Pasch]].]]
Prince Charles was placed under the tutelage of [[Hedvig Elisabet Strömfelt]] and then [[Ulrica Schönström]]. He was appointed [[Swedish Navy#History|grand admiral]] when he was but few days old. He was described as a good dancer at the [[amateur theatre]] of the royal court. Reportedly he was not very close to his mother. The Queen preferred her youngest children, [[Princess Sophia Albertine of Sweden|Sophie Albertine]] and [[Prince Frederick Adolf of Sweden|Frederick Adolf]].<ref name="Alma Söderhjelm 1945 pp. 28">Alma Söderhjelm (1945). ''Gustav III:s syskon'' (The siblings of Gustav III) Stockholm: Albert Bonniers Förlag. pp. 28–29. 23033 (Swedish)</ref>

Charles was, however, his father's favorite, and similar to him in personality.<ref name="ReferenceA">Karl XIII, urn:sbl:12358, Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (art av Olof Jägerskiöld), hämtad 9 February 2015.</ref> He was also described as close to his brother Gustav during their childhood.<ref name="Alma Söderhjelm 1945 pp. 28"/>

Because of his position as the heir to the throne after his elder brother Gustav, he was early targeted as a useful tool for the opposition to his brother: already in the 1760s, the [[Caps (party)]] tried to use him against his brother the crown prince through his then love interest countess [[Brita Horn]], daughter of the Cap's politician [[Adam Horn]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Gustav, however, was always careful to prevent Charles from being used by the opposition, which came to its first test during the [[December Crisis (1768)]], when Charles, ultimately, did not let himself be used by the Caps party.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> In 1770, he made a journey through Germany and France alone.