Editing Charles III (section)

== Prince of Wales ==
Charles was created [[Prince of Wales]] and [[Earl of Chester]] on 26 July 1958,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=41460 |page=4733 |date=29 July 1958}}; {{Cite web |title=The Prince of Wales&nbsp;– Previous Princes of Wales |url=http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/personalprofiles/theprinceofwales/abouttheprince/previousprincesofwales |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011215745/http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/personalprofiles/theprinceofwales/abouttheprince/previousprincesofwales |archive-date=11 October 2008 |access-date=12 October 2008 |publisher=Prince of Wales}}</ref> though [[Investiture of Charles, Prince of Wales|his investiture]] was not held until 1 July 1969, when he was crowned by his mother in a televised ceremony held at [[Caernarfon Castle]];<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Prince of Wales&nbsp;– Investiture |url=http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/personalprofiles/theprinceofwales/biography/investiture |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081020021713/http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/personalprofiles/theprinceofwales/biography/investiture |archive-date=20 October 2008 |access-date=12 October 2008 |publisher=Clarence House}}</ref> the [[Controversy of the Prince of Wales title|investiture was controversial]] in Wales owing to growing [[Welsh nationalist]] sentiment.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jones |first=Craig Owen |url=https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/p/pod/dod-idx/songs-of-malice-and-spite-wales-prince-charles-and-an-anti.pdf?c=mp;idno=9460447.0007.203;format=pdf |title="Songs of Malice and Spite"?: Wales, Prince Charles, and an Anti-Investiture Ballad of Dafydd Iwan |publisher=[[Michigan Publishing]] |year=2013 |edition=7th |pages=1 |access-date=8 May 2023 |archive-date=22 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222061102/https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/p/pod/dod-idx/songs-of-malice-and-spite-wales-prince-charles-and-an-anti.pdf?c=mp;idno=9460447.0007.203;format=pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> He [[Introduction (House of Lords)|took his seat]] in the [[House of Lords]] the following year<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 February 1970 |title=H.R.H. The Prince of Wales Introduced |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1970/feb/11/hrh-the-prince-of-wales-introduced |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019025738/https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1970/feb/11/hrh-the-prince-of-wales-introduced |archive-date=19 October 2020 |access-date=16 October 2019 |website=Hansard |page=HL Deb vol 307 c871 |no-pp=y}}; {{cite web |title=The Prince of Wales&nbsp;– Biography |url=http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/the-prince-of-wales/biography |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109142006/http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/the-prince-of-wales/biography |archive-date=9 November 2012 |access-date=12 October 2008 |publisher=Prince of Wales}}</ref> and he delivered his maiden speech on 13 June 1974,<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 June 1974 |title=Sport and Leisure |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1974/jun/13/sport-and-leisure#S5LV0352P0-01354 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018220808/https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1974/jun/13/sport-and-leisure#S5LV0352P0-01354 |archive-date=18 October 2020 |access-date=16 October 2019 |website=Hansard |page=HL Deb vol 352 cc624–630 |no-pp=y}}</ref> the first royal to speak from the floor since the future [[Edward VII]] in 1884.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Shuster |first=Alvin |date=14 June 1974 |title=Prince Charles Speaks in Lords |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/06/14/archives/prince-charles-speaks-in-lords-prince-charles-speaks-in-lords-with.html |url-status=live |access-date=12 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200429033659/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/06/14/archives/prince-charles-speaks-in-lords-prince-charles-speaks-in-lords-with.html |archive-date=29 April 2020 |issn=0362-4331 |oclc=1645522}}</ref> He spoke again in 1975.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 June 1975 |title=Voluntary Service in the Community |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1975/jun/25/voluntary-service-in-the-community-1#S5LV0361P0-04601 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727203121/https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1975/jun/25/voluntary-service-in-the-community-1#S5LV0361P0-04601 |archive-date=27 July 2020 |access-date=16 October 2019 |website=Hansard |page=HL Deb vol 361 cc1418–1423 |no-pp=y}}</ref>

Charles began to take on more public duties, founding [[the Prince's Trust]] in 1976<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Prince's Trust |url=http://princescharities.org/princes-trust |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080921102217/http://princescharities.org/princes-trust |archive-date=21 September 2008 |access-date=12 October 2008 |publisher=The Prince's Charities}}</ref> and travelling to the United States in 1981.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ferretti |first=Fred |date=18 June 1981 |title=Prince Charles pays a quick visit to city |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/18/nyregion/prince-charles-pays-a-quick-visit-to-city.html |url-status=live |access-date=22 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200429033701/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/18/nyregion/prince-charles-pays-a-quick-visit-to-city.html |archive-date=29 April 2020 |oclc=1645522}}</ref> In the mid-1970s, he expressed an interest in serving as [[governor-general of Australia]], at the suggestion of Australian prime minister [[Malcolm Fraser]]; however, because of a lack of public enthusiasm, nothing came of the proposal.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Daley |first=Paul |date=9 November 2015 |title=Long to reign over Aus? Prince Charles and Australia go way back |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/nov/09/long-to-reign-over-aus-prince-charles-and-australia-go-way-back |url-status=live |access-date=13 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613085229/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/nov/09/long-to-reign-over-aus-prince-charles-and-australia-go-way-back |archive-date=13 June 2018}}</ref> In reaction, Charles commented, "so, what are you supposed to think when you are prepared to do something to help and you are just told you're not wanted?"<ref>{{Cite news |first=David |last=Murray |date=24 November 2009 |title=Next governor-general could be Prince Harry, William |work=The Australian |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/next-governor-general-could-be-prince-harry-william/news-story/43d5a6aa26f65e692ca31062ba9202ba |url-status=live |access-date=12 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200429033659/https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/next-governor-general-could-be-prince-harry-william/news-story/43d5a6aa26f65e692ca31062ba9202ba?nk=79072f8c83515c42c53f132c2debb7a3-1588131419 |archive-date=29 April 2020}}</ref>[[File:County class, 1970 (IWM).jpg|thumb|(Front to back) {{HMS|Norfolk|D21|6}}, {{HMS|London|D16|2}}, and {{HMS|Antrim|D18|2}} in the [[English Channel]] following joint exercises with the RAF in December 1971. Charles was serving aboard ''Norfolk'' at this time.|alt=Three county-class destroyers sailing in the English Channel]]
===Military training and career===
Charles served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Royal Navy in the 1970s. His military training began in 1969, during his second year at Cambridge, where he received Royal Air Force training, learning to fly the [[De Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk|Chipmunk]] aircraft with the [[Cambridge University Air Squadron]],<ref>{{Harvnb|Brandreth|pp=169–170|2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Military Career of the Prince of Wales |url=http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/the-prince-of-wales/biography/military-career#na |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514194400/http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/the-prince-of-wales/biography/military-career#na |archive-date=14 May 2013 |access-date=19 April 2013 |publisher=Prince of Wales}}</ref> and was presented with his [[Aircrew brevet|RAF wings]] in August 1971.<ref>{{cite news|title=Vintage plane King learned to fly in takes to the sky for Coronation air show|work=The Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/coronation-prince-charles-raf-bedford-prince-b2334640.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240120211942/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/coronation-prince-charles-raf-bedford-prince-b2334640.html|first=Alana|last=Calvert|date=8 May 2023|access-date=27 May 2024|archive-date=20 January 2024|url-status=live}}; {{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-53435538|title=Prince Charles attends RAF Cranwell ceremony|work=BBC News|date=16 July 2020|access-date=5 October 2022|archive-date=5 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005223308/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-53435538|url-status=live}}</ref>

After the [[passing out parade]] that September, Charles embarked on a naval career and enrolled in a six-week course at the [[Royal Naval College, Dartmouth]]. Following his naval training he then served from 1971 to 1972 on the guided-missile destroyer {{HMS|Norfolk|D21|6}} and the frigates {{HMS|Minerva|F45|6}}, from 1972 to 1973, and {{HMS|Jupiter|F60|6}} in 1974. That same year, he also qualified as a helicopter pilot at [[RNAS Yeovilton]], and during his training to be a helicopter pilot underwent commando training at [[Commando Training Centre Royal Marines]] at Lympstone.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 November 2024 |title=King Charles III revisits Devon commando base where he trained |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c86qvd6y82go |access-date=18 February 2025 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> Charles subsequently joined a [[Royal Marines]] air support squadron of the Fleet Air Arm, [[845 Naval Air Squadron]], operating as a pilot, from {{HMS|Hermes|R12|6}}, flying the Royal Marines commando variant of the [[Westland Wessex#Variants|Westland Wessex]] helicopter.{{Sfn|Brandreth|p=170|2007}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 May 2023 |title=The Pilot King |url=https://vintageaviationnews.com/warbird-articles/the-pilot-king.html |access-date=18 February 2025}}</ref> 

Charles spent his last 10 months of active service in the Navy commanding the coastal minehunter {{HMS|Bronington|M1115|6}}, beginning on 9 February 1976.{{sfn|Brandreth|p=170|2007}} He retired from active military service in 1976 at the rank of [[Commander (Royal Navy)|Commander]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 May 2023 |title=King Charles III: A look at the Commander-in-Chief's time in the forces |url=https://www.forcesnews.com/king-charles/king-charles-iii-look-new-forces-commander-chiefs-military-career |access-date=18 February 2025 |website=www.forcesnews.com }}</ref> Two years later he took part in the parachute training course at [[RAF Brize Norton]] after being appointed colonel-in-chief of the [[Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom)|Parachute Regiment]] in 1977, and was a member of Parachute Course 841a.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 July 2021 |title=Prince Charles: Video shows 'upside down' parachute jump |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-dorset-57852894 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221008065553/https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-dorset-57852894 |archive-date=8 October 2022 |access-date=5 October 2022 |website=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=His majesty King Charles III {{!}} ParaData |url=https://www.paradata.org.uk/people/his-majesty-king-charles-iii#:~:text=The%20King%20holds%20honorary%20rank,Forces%20on%208th%20December%202008. |access-date=18 February 2025 |website=www.paradata.org.uk}}</ref> Charles gave up flying after crash-landing a [[BAe 146]] in [[Islay]] in 1994, as a passenger who was invited to fly the aircraft; the crew was found negligent by a board of inquiry.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Occurrence # 187927 |url=https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=187927 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171027130641/https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=187927 |archive-date=27 October 2017 |access-date=3 May 2023 |publisher=Flight Safety Foundation}}; {{Cite news |last=Boggan |first=Steve |date=20 July 1995 |title=Prince gives up flying royal aircraft after Hebrides crash |work=The Independent (UK) |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/prince-gives-up-flying-royal-aircraft-after-hebrides-crash-1592247.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324085302/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/prince-gives-up-flying-royal-aircraft-after-hebrides-crash-1592247.html |archive-date=24 March 2017}}</ref>

===Relationships and marriages===
====Bachelorhood====
In his youth, Charles was amorously linked to a number of women. His girlfriends included Georgiana Russell, the daughter of [[Sir John Russell]], who was the [[British ambassador to Spain]];{{sfn|Brandreth|p=192|2007}} [[Lady Jane Wellesley]], the daughter of the [[8th Duke of Wellington]];{{sfn|Brandreth|p=193|2007}} Davina Sheffield;{{sfn|Brandreth|p=194|2007}} [[Lady Sarah Spencer]];{{sfn|Brandreth|p=195|2007}} and [[Camilla Shand]], who later became his second wife.{{sfn|Brandreth|pp=15–17, 178|2007}}
[[File:HRH Prince Charles Allan Warren.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Photograph by [[Allan Warren]], 1972|alt=Portrait of Charles seated]]

Charles's great-uncle [[Lord Mountbatten]] advised him to "sow his wild oats and have as many affairs as he can before settling down", but, for a wife, he "should choose a suitable, attractive, and sweet-charactered girl before she has met anyone else she might fall for&nbsp;... It is disturbing for women to have experiences if they have to remain on a pedestal after marriage".{{sfn|Junor|p=72|2005}} Early in 1974, Mountbatten began corresponding with 25-year-old Charles about a potential marriage to [[Amanda Knatchbull]], Mountbatten's granddaughter.<ref>{{Harvnb|Dimbleby|pp=204–206|1994}}; {{Harvnb|Brandreth|p=200|2007}}</ref> Charles wrote to Amanda's mother, [[Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma|Lady Brabourne]], who was also his godmother, expressing interest in her daughter. Lady Brabourne replied approvingly, but suggested that a courtship with a 16-year-old was premature.{{sfn|Dimbleby|p=263|1994}} Four years later, Mountbatten arranged for Amanda and himself to accompany Charles on his 1980 visit to India. Both fathers, however, objected; Prince Philip feared that his famous uncle{{efn|Mountbatten had served as the last British [[viceroy]] and first [[governor-general of India]].}} would eclipse Charles, while [[John Knatchbull, 7th Baron Brabourne|Lord Brabourne]] warned that a joint visit would concentrate media attention on the cousins before they could decide on becoming a couple.{{sfn|Dimbleby|pp=263–265|1994}}

In August 1979, before Charles would depart alone for India, [[Assassination of Lord Mountbatten|Mountbatten was assassinated by the Irish Republican Army]]. When Charles returned, he proposed to Amanda.<!--Brandreth p 202 says Charles proposed two weeks before the assassination and that Amanda turned him down then, before Mountbatten's death--> But in addition to her grandfather, she had lost her [[Doreen Knatchbull, Baroness Brabourne|paternal grandmother]] and [[Nicholas Knatchbull|younger brother]] in the bomb attack and was now reluctant to join the royal family.{{sfn|Dimbleby|pp=263–265|1994}}

====Lady Diana Spencer====
{{Further|Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer}}
[[File:Charles and Di. Uluru. March 83.JPG|thumb|upright=0.75|With Diana during their visit to [[Uluru]] in Australia, March 1983]]

Charles first met [[Lady Diana Spencer]] in 1977, while he was visiting her home, [[Althorp]]. He was then the companion of her elder sister Sarah and did not consider Diana romantically until mid-1980. While Charles and Diana were sitting together on a bale of hay at a friend's barbecue in July, she mentioned that he had looked forlorn and in need of care at the funeral of his great-uncle Lord Mountbatten. Soon, according to Dimbleby, "without any apparent surge in feeling, he began to think seriously of her as a potential bride" and she accompanied him on visits to [[Balmoral Castle]] and [[Sandringham House]].{{sfn|Dimbleby|p=279|1994}}

Charles's cousin [[Norton Knatchbull, 8th Baron Brabourne|Norton Knatchbull]] and his wife told Charles that Diana appeared awestruck by his position and that he did not seem to be in love with her.{{sfn|Dimbleby|pp=280–282|1994}} Meanwhile, the couple's continuing courtship attracted intense attention from the press and paparazzi. When Charles's father told him that the media speculation would injure Diana's reputation if Charles did not come to a decision about marrying her soon, and realising that she was a suitable royal bride (according to Mountbatten's criteria), Charles construed his father's advice as a warning to proceed without further delay.{{sfn|Dimbleby|pp=281–283|1994}} He proposed to Diana in February 1981, with their engagement becoming official on 24 February; the wedding took place in [[St Paul's Cathedral]] on 29 July. Upon his marriage, Charles reduced his voluntary tax contribution from the profits of the Duchy of Cornwall from 50 per cent to 25 per cent.<ref>{{Cite news |date=13 July 2009 |title=Royally Minted: What we give them and how they spend it |volume=138 |work=[[New Statesman]] |issue=4956–4968 |location=London |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VPdNAQAAIAAJ |access-date=7 May 2023 |archive-date=16 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516181019/https://books.google.com/books?id=VPdNAQAAIAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> The couple lived at [[Kensington Palace]] and [[Highgrove House]], near [[Tetbury]], and had two children: [[Prince William|William]], in 1982, and [[Prince Harry|Harry]], in 1984.<ref name="time 1988"/> As of 2025, Charles has an estranged relationship with his son Harry, who has relinquished royal family obligations  and moved to the United States in 2020.<ref>{{cite news|first=Victoria|last=Ward|date=14 May 2025|title=Prince Harry's popularity sinks after BBC interview attacking King|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2025/05/14/prince-harrys-popularity-sinks-after-attack-king-bbc/|work=The Telegraph|access-date=14 May 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Mark|last=Landler|date=11 May 2025|title=Can King Charles Heal a Royal Family Crisis Before It's Too Late?|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/11/world/europe/charles-harry-royal-family-crisis.html?smid=url-share|access-date=14 May 2025}}</ref>
[[File:Royal Visit of Prince Charles and Princess Diana to Edmonton, Alberta - Prince Charles speaking at the Alberta Legislature, 30 June 1983 - 52679621118.jpg|thumb|left|With Diana at the [[Alberta Legislature Building]] in Edmonton, Canada, June 1983|alt=Charles giving a speech at a podium, with Diana standing to his right]]

Within five years, the marriage was in trouble due to the couple's incompatibility and near 13-year age difference.{{sfn|Brown|p=720|2007}}{{sfn|Smith|p=561|2000}} In 1986, Charles had fully resumed his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles.<ref name="RadioTimes01">{{Cite web |last=Griffiths |first=Eleanor Bley |date=1 January 2020 |title=The truth behind Charles and Camilla's affair storyline in The Crown |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/the-crown-charles-affair-camilla-cheating |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908213027/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/the-crown-charles-affair-camilla-cheating |archive-date=8 September 2022 |access-date=9 September 2022 |publisher=Radio Times}}</ref> In a videotape recorded by [[Peter Settelen]] in 1992, Diana admitted that, from 1985 to 1986, she had been "deeply in love with someone who worked in this environment."<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 December 2004 |title=Diana 'wanted to live with guard' |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4074545.stm |url-status=live |access-date=31 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731164728/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4074545.stm |archive-date=31 July 2017}}</ref><ref name="Telegraph_12Dec2004">{{Cite news |last=Langley |first=William |date=12 December 2004 |title=The Mannakee file |work=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1478804/The-Mannakee-file.html |url-status=live |access-date=31 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731210646/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1478804/The-Mannakee-file.html |archive-date=31 July 2017}}</ref> It was assumed that she was referring to [[Barry Mannakee]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lawson |first=Mark |date=7 August 2017 |title=Diana: In Her Own Words – admirers have nothing to fear from the Channel 4 tapes |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/aug/06/diana-in-her-own-words-burnishes-rather-than-tarnishes-her-image |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920223352/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/aug/06/diana-in-her-own-words-burnishes-rather-than-tarnishes-her-image |archive-date=20 September 2017 |access-date=22 October 2017 |website=The Guardian}}</ref> who had been transferred to the Diplomatic Protection Squad in 1986, after his managers determined his relationship with Diana had been inappropriate.<ref name="Telegraph_12Dec2004"/><ref>{{Cite news |last=Milmo |first=Cahal |date=8 December 2004 |title=Conspiracy theorists feast on inquiry into death of Diana's minder |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/conspiracy-theorists-feast-on-inquiry-into-death-of-dianas-minder-8002517.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801031824/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/conspiracy-theorists-feast-on-inquiry-into-death-of-dianas-minder-8002517.html |archive-date=1 August 2017 |access-date=31 July 2017 |work=The Independent (UK) |publisher=Independent Digital News & Media Ltd |issn=1741-9743 |oclc=185201487}}</ref> Diana later commenced a relationship with Major [[James Hewitt]], the family's former riding instructor.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Duboff |first=Josh |date=13 March 2017 |title=Princess Diana's Former Lover Maintains He Is Not Prince Harry's Father |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/03/james-hewitt-prince-harry-father-princess-diana |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626210124/https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/03/james-hewitt-prince-harry-father-princess-diana |archive-date=26 June 2019 |access-date=25 November 2018 |magazine=Vanity Fair}}</ref>

Charles and Diana's evident discomfort in each other's company led to them being dubbed "[[Take It from Here#The Glums|The Glums]]" by the press.<ref name="Quest">{{Cite web |last=Quest |first=Richard |date=3 June 2002 |title=Royals, Part 3: Troubled times |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/05/29/people.royals.3/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160715061326/http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/05/29/people.royals.3 |archive-date=15 July 2016 |access-date=22 January 2023 |publisher=CNN}}</ref> Diana exposed Charles's affair with Parker Bowles in a book by Andrew Morton, ''[[Diana: Her True Story (book)|Diana: Her True Story]]''. Audio tapes of [[Squidgygate|her own extramarital flirtations]] also surfaced,<ref name=Quest/> as did persistent suggestions that Hewitt is Prince Harry's father, based on a physical similarity between Hewitt and Harry. However, Harry had already been born by the time Diana's affair with Hewitt began.<ref>{{Cite news |date=21 September 2002 |title=Hewitt denies Prince Harry link |work=[[BBC News]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2273498.stm |url-status=live |access-date=24 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215161416/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2273498.stm |archive-date=15 February 2009}}</ref>

In December 1992, [[John Major]] announced the couple's legal separation in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]]. Early the following year, the British press published transcripts of a passionate, bugged telephone conversation between Charles and Parker Bowles that had taken place in 1989, which was dubbed "[[Tampongate]]" and "Camillagate".<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 December 1989 |title=The Camillagate Tapes |url=http://www.textfiles.com/phreak/camilla.txt |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100701002359/http://www.textfiles.com/phreak/camilla.txt |archive-date=1 July 2010 |website=Textfiles.com |series=Phone Phreaking |type=phone transcript}}; {{Cite news |date=29 November 2006 |title=Royals caught out by interceptions |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5258604.stm |url-status=live |access-date=27 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828024600/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5258604.stm |archive-date=28 August 2017 }}; {{Cite magazine |last=Dockterman |first=Eliana |date=9 November 2022 |title=The True Story Behind Charles and Camilla's Phone Sex Leak on The Crown |url=https://time.com/6226657/crown-charles-camilla-tampongate |access-date=17 November 2022 |magazine=Time |archive-date=16 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221116194130/https://time.com/6226657/crown-charles-camilla-tampongate |url-status=live }}</ref> Charles subsequently sought public understanding in a television film with Dimbleby, ''[[Charles: The Private Man, the Public Role]]'', broadcast in June 1994. In an interview in the film, Charles confirmed his own extramarital affair with Parker Bowles, saying that he had rekindled their association in 1986, only after his marriage to Diana had "irretrievably broken down".<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Princess and the Press |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/royals/etc/cron.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170310043520/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/royals/etc/cron.html |archive-date=10 March 2017 |access-date=7 January 2017 |website=PBS}}; {{Cite news |date=6 April 2005 |title=Timeline: Charles and Camilla's romance |work=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4410551.stm |url-status=live |access-date=7 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202161625/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4410551.stm |archive-date=2 February 2017}}</ref>{{sfn|Dimbleby|p=395|1994}} This was followed by Diana's own admission of marital troubles in [[An Interview with HRH The Princess of Wales|an interview]] on the [[BBC]] current affairs show ''[[Panorama (British TV programme)|Panorama]]'', broadcast in November 1995.<ref>{{Cite news |title=1995: Diana admits adultery in TV interview |publisher=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/20/newsid_4341000/4341436.stm |url-status=live |access-date=1 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126055307/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/20/newsid_4341000/4341436.stm |archive-date=26 January 2021}}</ref> Referring to Charles's relationship with Parker Bowles, she said, "well, there were three of us in this marriage. So, it was a bit crowded." She also expressed doubt about her husband's suitability for kingship.<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 November 1995 |title=The Panorama Interview with the Princess of Wales |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/politics97/diana/panorama.html |url-status=live |access-date=8 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110304163240/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/politics97/diana/panorama.html |archive-date=4 March 2011}}</ref> Charles and Diana divorced on 28 August 1996,<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 December 1995 |title='Divorce': Queen to Charles and Diana |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/20/newsid_2538000/2538985.stm |url-status=live |access-date=12 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223152102/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/20/newsid_2538000/2538985.stm |archive-date=23 December 2010}}</ref> after being advised by the Queen in December 1995 to end the marriage.<ref>{{Cite news |date=21 December 1995 |title=Charles and Diana to divorce |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://newsroom.ap.org/editorial-photos-videos/detail?itemid=85e31961323ecc3686d0e7324b12170b&mediatype=video&query=UK+ROYALS%C2%A4t=8&orderBy=Relevance&hits=147&search=%2Fsearch%3Fquery%3DUK%2520ROYALS%26allFilters%3DMedia%2520and%2520entertainment%3ASubject&allFilters=Media+and+entertainment%3ASubject&productType=IncludedProducts&page=1 |url-status=live |access-date=23 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402160109/http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/UK-Various-Queen-Orders-Charles-amp-Diana-To-Divorce/85e31961323ecc3686d0e7324b12170b?query=UK+ROYALS&current=8&orderBy=Relevance&hits=147&search=%2Fsearch%3Fquery%3DUK%2520ROYALS%26allFilters%3DMedia%2520and%2520entertainment%3ASubject&allFilters=Media+and+entertainment%3ASubject&productType=IncludedProducts&page=1 |archive-date=2 April 2015}}</ref> The couple shared custody of their children.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Neville |first=Sarah |date=13 July 1996 |title=Charles and Diana Agree to Terms of Divorce |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1996/07/13/charles-and-diana-agree-to-terms-of-divorce/9e3bbdab-5f04-4edc-a395-1b64f6ea888d |url-status=live |access-date=12 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326033200/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1996/07/13/charles-and-diana-agree-to-terms-of-divorce/9e3bbdab-5f04-4edc-a395-1b64f6ea888d |archive-date=26 March 2023}}</ref>

Diana was [[Death of Diana, Princess of Wales|killed in a car crash]] in Paris on 31 August 1997. Charles flew to Paris with Diana's sisters to accompany her body back to Britain.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Whitney |first=Craig R. |date=31 August 1997 |title=Prince Charles Arrives in Paris to Take Diana's Body Home |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=http://partners.nytimes.com/library/world/diana/uk-diana-crash-updated.html |url-status=live |access-date=5 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206170457/http://partners.nytimes.com/library/world/diana/uk-diana-crash-updated.html |archive-date=6 December 2013 |oclc=1645522}}</ref> In 2003, Diana's butler [[Paul Burrell]] published a note that he claimed had been written by Diana in 1995, in which there were allegations that Charles was "planning 'an accident' in [Diana's] car, brake failure and serious head injury", so that he could remarry.<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 October 2003 |title=Diana letter 'warned of car plot' |publisher=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/10/20/diana.letter |url-status=dead |accessdate=14 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031212002303/http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/10/20/diana.letter |archive-date=12 December 2003}}; {{Cite news |last=Eleftheriou-Smith |first=Loulla-Mae |date=30 August 2017 |title=Princess Diana letter claims Prince Charles was 'planning an accident' in her car just 10 months before fatal crash |work=The Independent (UK) |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/princess-diana-death-letter-prince-charles-accident-plan-car-paris-tunnel-crash-10-months-a7918671.html |url-status=live |access-date=14 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012172116/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/princess-diana-death-letter-prince-charles-accident-plan-car-paris-tunnel-crash-10-months-a7918671.html |archive-date=12 October 2019}}; {{Cite web |last=Rayner |first=Gordon |date=20 December 2007 |title=Princess Diana letter: 'Charles plans to kill me' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1573170/Princess-Diana-letter-Charles-plans-to-kill-me.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1573170/Princess-Diana-letter-Charles-plans-to-kill-me.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |access-date=28 November 2020 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref> When questioned by the [[Metropolitan Police]] inquiry team as a part of [[Operation Paget]], Charles told the authorities that he did not know about his former wife's note from 1995 and could not understand why she had those feelings.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Badshah |first=Nadeem |date=19 June 2021 |title=Police interviewed Prince Charles over 'plot to kill Diana' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jun/19/former-met-chief-interviewed-prince-charles-over-alleged-plot-to-kill-diana |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210619105520/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jun/19/former-met-chief-interviewed-prince-charles-over-alleged-plot-to-kill-diana |archive-date=19 June 2021 |access-date=8 September 2021 |work=The Guardian}}</ref>

====Camilla Parker Bowles====
{{Main|Wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles}}
[[File:Charles Camilla Jamaica 2008.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|With Camilla in Jamaica, March 2008|alt=Charles and Camilla stand next to each other.]]

In 1999, Charles and Parker Bowles made their first public appearance as a couple at the [[Ritz London Hotel]], and she moved into Charles's official residence, [[Clarence House]], in 2003.<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 January 1999 |title=Charles and Camilla go public |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/264574.stm |url-status=live |access-date=5 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140505171500/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/264574.stm |archive-date=5 May 2014}}</ref><ref name=clarence>{{Cite news |date= 2 August 2003 |title= Prince Charles moves into Clarence House |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3119473.stm |access-date= 17 June 2024 |work= The BBC |archive-date= 20 August 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220820200116/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3119473.stm |url-status= live }}</ref> Their engagement was announced on 10 February 2005.<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 April 2012 |title=Profile: Duchess of Cornwall |publisher=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-17655725 |url-status=live |access-date=3 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503190714/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-17655725 |archive-date=3 May 2023}}</ref> <!--he presented her with an engagement ring that had belonged to his grandmother [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother]].--> The Queen's consent to the marriage{{snd}}as required by the [[Royal Marriages Act 1772]]{{snd}}was recorded in a [[Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council|Privy Council]] meeting on 2 March.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 March 2005 |title=Order in Council |url=http://www.privy-council.org.uk/output/Page496.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20101103140224/http://www.privy-council.org.uk/output/Page496.asp |archive-date=3 November 2010 |access-date=20 February 2012 |publisher=The National Archives}}</ref> In Canada, the [[Department of Justice (Canada)|Department of Justice]] determined the consent of the [[Queen's Privy Council for Canada]] was not required, as the union would not produce any heirs to the [[Canadian throne]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Valpy |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Valpy |date=2 November 2005 |title=Scholars scurry to find implications of royal wedding |work=The Globe and Mail |location=Toronto |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/scholars-scurry-to-find-implications-of-royal-wedding/article18215344 |url-status=live |access-date=4 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727201657/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/scholars-scurry-to-find-implications-of-royal-wedding/article18215344 |archive-date=27 July 2020}}</ref>

Charles was the only member of the royal family to have a [[civil marriage|civil]], rather than a church, wedding in England. British government documents from the 1950s and 1960s, published by the BBC, stated that such a marriage was illegal; these claims were dismissed by Charles's spokesman<ref>{{Cite news |date=14 February 2005 |title=Panorama Lawful impediment? |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/panorama/4262963.stm |url-status=live |access-date=25 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090929214358/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/panorama/4262963.stm |archive-date=29 September 2009}}</ref> and explained by the sitting government to have been repealed by the Registration Service Act 1953.<ref>{{Cite web |author=The Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor (Lord Falconer of Thoroton) |date=24 February 2005 |title=Royal Marriage; Lords Hansard Written Statements 24 Feb 2005 : Column WS87 (50224-51) |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200405/ldhansrd/vo050224/text/50224-51.htm#50224-51_head0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402152718/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200405/ldhansrd/vo050224/text/50224-51.htm#50224-51_head0 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |access-date=12 October 2008 |publisher=Publications.parliament.uk}}</ref>

The union was scheduled to take place in a civil ceremony at [[Windsor Castle]], with a subsequent religious blessing at the castle's [[St George's Chapel]]. The wedding venue was changed to [[Windsor Guildhall]] after it was realised a civil marriage at Windsor Castle would oblige the venue to be available to anyone who wished to be married there. Four days before the event, it was postponed from the originally scheduled date of 8&nbsp;April until the following day in order to allow Charles and some of the invited dignitaries to attend the [[funeral of Pope John Paul II]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 April 2005 |title=Pope funeral delays royal wedding |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4409507.stm |url-status=live |access-date=22 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020183050/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4409507.stm |archive-date=20 October 2013}}</ref>

Charles's parents did not attend the marriage ceremony; the Queen's reluctance to attend possibly arose from her position as [[Supreme Governor of the Church of England]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=23 February 2005 |title=Q&A: Queen's wedding decision |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4289417.stm |url-status=live |access-date=17 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090111223817/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4289417.stm |archive-date=11 January 2009}}</ref> However, his parents did attend the [[church service|service]] of [[blessing]] and held a reception for the newlyweds at Windsor Castle.<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 April 2005 |title=Charles And Camilla Finally Wed, After 30 Years Of Waiting, Prince Charles Weds His True Love |publisher=[[CBS News]] |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/04/09/world/main686994.shtml |url-status=dead |access-date=12 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101112201734/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/04/09/world/main686994.shtml |archive-date=12 November 2010}}</ref> The blessing by Archbishop of Canterbury [[Rowan Williams]] was televised.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Oliver |first=Mark |date=9 April 2005 |title=Charles and Camilla wed |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/apr/09/monarchy.markoliver |url-status=live |access-date=22 August 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130822181532/http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/apr/09/monarchy.markoliver |archive-date=22 August 2013}}</ref>

=== Official duties ===
{{See also|List of official overseas trips made by Charles III}}
[[File:1980 His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales with HM Dalaya visits Amul 3.jpg|thumb|With [[Harichand Megha Dalaya]] at [[Amul]], in [[Anand, Gujarat]], December 1980|alt=Black and white photograph of Charles in Gujarat with a crowd of people]]
In 1965, Charles undertook his first public engagement by attending a student garden party at the [[Palace of Holyroodhouse]].<ref name="coronation-facts">{{Cite web |title=100 Coronation facts |url=https://www.royal.uk/100-coronation-facts |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501155413/https://www.royal.uk/100-coronation-facts |archive-date=1 May 2023 |access-date=1 May 2023 |publisher=Royal Household}}</ref> During his time as Prince of Wales, he undertook official duties on behalf of the Queen,<ref name="nytimes-charlesgothrone-sept82022"/> completing 10,934 engagements between 2002 and 2022.<ref>{{Cite news|date=11 April 2023|title=King Charles averages 521 royal engagements per year, but Princess Anne does even more, according to a new report|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/princess-anne-more-royal-engagements-than-king-charles-report-2023-4|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240326031304/https://www.businessinsider.com/princess-anne-more-royal-engagements-than-king-charles-report-2023-4 |archive-date=26 March 2024 |access-date=29 May 2024 |work=[[The Guardian]]|url-status=live}}</ref> He officiated at [[investiture]]s and attended the funerals of foreign dignitaries.{{Sfn|Brandreth|p=325|2007}} Charles made regular tours of Wales, fulfilling a week of engagements each summer, and attending important national occasions, such as opening the [[Senedd building|Senedd]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Opening of the Senedd |url=http://www.assemblywales.org/visiting/about_us-assembly_history_buildings/senedd_history/sen-projecthistory/sen-project-history-subpage/sen-project-history-openeing-the-senedd.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810023045/http://www.assemblywales.org/visiting/about_us-assembly_history_buildings/senedd_history/sen-projecthistory/sen-project-history-subpage/sen-project-history-openeing-the-senedd.htm |archive-date=10 August 2014 |access-date=8 August 2014 |publisher=National Assembly for Wales}}</ref> The six trustees of the [[Royal Collection Trust]] met three times a year under his chairmanship.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Administration |url=http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/about/administration |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006030309/http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/about/administration |archive-date=6 October 2012 |access-date=19 April 2013 |publisher=The Royal Collection Trust}}</ref> Charles also represented his mother at the independence celebrations in Fiji in 1970,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Trumbull |first=Robert |date=10 October 1970 |title=Fiji Raises the Flag of Independence After 96 Years of Rule by British |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/10/10/archives/fiji-raises-the-flag-of-independence-after-96-years-of-rule-by.html |url-status=live |access-date=3 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220910004715/https://www.nytimes.com/1970/10/10/archives/fiji-raises-the-flag-of-independence-after-96-years-of-rule-by.html |archive-date=10 September 2022 |oclc=1645522}}</ref> The Bahamas in 1973,<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 July 1973 |title=1973: Bahamas' sun sets on British Empire |publisher=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/9/newsid_2498000/2498835.stm |url-status=live |access-date=3 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080201022831/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/9/newsid_2498000/2498835.stm |archive-date=1 February 2008}}</ref> Papua New Guinea in 1975,<ref>{{Cite news |date=16 September 1975 |title=Papua New Guinea Celebrates Independence |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/09/16/archives/papua-new-guinea-celebrates-independence-papua-new-guinea-is.html |url-status=live |access-date=3 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220910033448/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/09/16/archives/papua-new-guinea-celebrates-independence-papua-new-guinea-is.html |archive-date=10 September 2022 |oclc=1645522}}</ref> Zimbabwe in 1980,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ross |first=Jay |date=18 April 1980 |title=Zimbabwe gains independence |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/04/18/zimbabwe-gains-independence/185c3573-e9e4-4d3a-9dce-5fe89bf04605 |url-status=live |access-date=3 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204220551/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/04/18/zimbabwe-gains-independence/185c3573-e9e4-4d3a-9dce-5fe89bf04605 |archive-date=4 February 2021}}</ref> and Brunei in 1984.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wedel |first=Paul |date=22 February 1984 |title=Brunei celebrated its independence from Britain Thursday with traditional... |publisher=[[UPI]] |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/02/22/Brunei-celebrated-its-independence-from-Britain-Thursday-with-traditional/6194446274000 |url-status=live |access-date=3 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219232834/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/02/22/Brunei-celebrated-its-independence-from-Britain-Thursday-with-traditional/6194446274000 |archive-date=19 February 2022}}</ref>

In 1983, [[Christopher John Lewis]], who had fired a shot with a [[.22 rifle]] at the Queen in 1981, attempted to escape a psychiatric hospital in order to assassinate Charles, who was visiting New Zealand with Diana and William.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ainge Roy |first=Eleanor |date=13 January 2018 |title='Damn&nbsp;... I missed': the incredible story of the day the Queen was nearly shot |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jan/13/queen-elizabeth-assassination-attempt-new-zealand-1981 |url-status=live |access-date=1 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180301120257/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jan/13/queen-elizabeth-assassination-attempt-new-zealand-1981 |archive-date=1 March 2018}}</ref> While Charles was visiting Australia on [[Australia Day]] in January 1994, [[David Kang]] fired two shots at him from a [[starting pistol]] in protest of the treatment of several hundred Cambodian asylum seekers held in detention camps.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Newman |first=John |date=12 May 1994 |title=Cambodian Refugees |url=http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LA19940512014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929120531/http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LA19940512014 |archive-date=29 September 2007 |website=New South Wales Legislative Assembly Hansard |publisher=Parliament of New South Wales}}; {{Cite news |date=27 January 1994 |title=Student fires 2 blanks at Prince Charles |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-01-27-mn-15986-story.html |url-status=live |access-date=13 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812170551/http://articles.latimes.com/1994-01-27/news/mn-15986_1_britain-s-prince-charles |archive-date=12 August 2014}}</ref> In 1995, Charles became the first member of the royal family to visit the Republic of Ireland in an official capacity.<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 April 2015 |title=Archive: Prince Charles visits Ireland in 1995 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-northern-ireland-32397345/archive-prince-charles-visits-ireland-in-1995 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511050222/http://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-northern-ireland-32397345/archive-prince-charles-visits-ireland-in-1995 |archive-date=11 May 2018 |access-date=14 April 2018 |publisher=[[BBC News]]}}; {{cite web |last1=McCullagh |first1=David |last2=Milner |first2=Cathy |title=Prince Charles Makes First Royal Visit to Ireland 1995 |url=http://www.rte.ie/archives/2015/0529/704766-prince-charless-first-visit-to-ireland |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180415063559/http://www.rte.ie/archives/2015/0529/704766-prince-charless-first-visit-to-ireland |archive-date=15 April 2018 |access-date=14 April 2018 |publisher=[[Raidió Teilifís Éireann]]}}</ref> In 1997 he represented the Queen at the [[Hong Kong handover ceremony]].{{sfn|Brendon|p=660|2007}}{{sfn|Brown|p=594|1998}}
[[File:20151104 OH H1013410 0003 (22461157447).jpg|thumb|left|Charles's ninth tour of New Zealand, November 2015|alt=Charles shaking hands with a crowd]]

At the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005, Charles caused controversy when he shook hands with the [[president of Zimbabwe]], [[Robert Mugabe]], who had been seated next to him. Charles's office subsequently released a statement saying that he could not avoid shaking Mugabe's hand and that he "finds the current Zimbabwean regime abhorrent".<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 April 2005 |title=Charles shakes hands with Mugabe at Pope's funeral |work=[[The Times]] |url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/europe-travel/italy/charles-shakes-hands-with-mugabe-at-popes-funeral-tkbbw0dwx2m |url-status=live |access-date=8 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622192720/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/charles-shakes-hands-with-mugabe-at-popes-funeral-tkbbw0dwx2m |archive-date=22 June 2018}} {{subscription required}}</ref>

Charles represented the Queen at the [[2010 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony|opening ceremony]] of the [[2010 Commonwealth Games]] in Delhi, India.<ref>{{Cite news |date=3 October 2010 |title=The Prince of Wales opens the Commonwealth Games |publisher=Clarence House |url=http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/news-and-diary/the-prince-of-wales-opens-the-commonwealth-games |url-status=dead |access-date=28 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150521095222/http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/news-and-diary/the-prince-of-wales-opens-the-commonwealth-games |archive-date=21 May 2015}}</ref> In November 2010, he and Camilla were indirectly involved in [[2010 UK student protests|student protests]] when their car was attacked by protesters.<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 December 2010 |title=Prince Charles, Camilla's Car Attacked By Student Protesters in London |work=[[huffingtonpost]] |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/09/prince-charles-and-camill_n_794574.html#s203450 |url-status=dead |access-date=8 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130323061206/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/09/prince-charles-and-camill_n_794574.html |archive-date=23 March 2013}}; {{Cite news |title=Royal car attacked in protest after MPs' fee vote |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11954333 |url-status=live |access-date=10 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101210045010/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11954333 |archive-date=10 December 2010}}; {{Cite news |date=9 December 2010 |title=Prince Charles and Duchess of Cornwall unhurt in attack |publisher=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11965454 |url-status=live |access-date=16 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223074043/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11965454 |archive-date=23 February 2012}}</ref> In November 2013, he represented the Queen for the first time at a [[Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting]], in [[Colombo]], Sri Lanka.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Suroor |first=Hasan |date=8 May 2013 |title=Queen to miss Colombo CHOGM |work=[[The Hindu]] |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/queen-to-miss-colombo-chogm/article4695677.ece |url-status=live |access-date=7 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130809205952/http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/queen-to-miss-colombo-chogm/article4695677.ece |archive-date=9 August 2013}}; {{Cite news |date=7 May 2013 |title=Queen to miss Commonwealth meeting for first time since 1973 |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/may/07/queen-miss-commonwealth-meeting |url-status=live |access-date=7 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021093826/http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/may/07/queen-miss-commonwealth-meeting |archive-date=21 October 2013}}</ref>

Charles and Camilla made their first joint trip to the Republic of Ireland in May 2015. The British Embassy called the trip an important step in "promoting peace and reconciliation".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Urquart |first=Conal |date=13 May 2015 |title=Prince Charles Shakes the Hand of Irish Republican Leader Gerry Adams |url=https://time.com/3888516/prince-charles-gerry-adams/ |url-status=live |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150521014543/http://time.com/3888516/prince-charles-gerry-adams |archive-date=21 May 2015 |access-date=21 May 2015}}</ref> During the trip, he shook hands in [[Galway]] with [[Gerry Adams]], leader of [[Sinn Féin]] and widely believed to be the leader of the [[Irish Republican Army|IRA]], the militant group that had [[Assassination of Lord Mountbatten|assassinated Lord Mountbatten]] in 1979. The event was described by the media as a "historic handshake" and a "significant moment for [[Anglo-Irish relations]]".<ref>{{Cite news |last=McDonald |first=Henry |date=19 May 2015 |title=Prince Charles and Gerry Adams share historic handshake |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/may/19/prince-charles-and-gerry-adams-share-historic-handshake |url-status=live |access-date=20 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150521013218/http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/may/19/prince-charles-and-gerry-adams-share-historic-handshake |archive-date=21 May 2015}}; {{Cite news |title=Historic handshake between Prince Charles and Gerry Adams |work=The Independent (UK) |url=http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/historic-handshake-between-prince-charles-and-gerry-adams-31235024.html |url-status=live |access-date=21 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150519215751/http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/historic-handshake-between-prince-charles-and-gerry-adams-31235024.html |archive-date=19 May 2015}}; {{Cite news |last=Adam |first=Karla |date=19 May 2015 |title=Prince Charles, in Ireland, meets with Sinn Fein party leader Gerry Adams |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/prince-charles-in-ireland-meets-with-sinn-fein-party-leader-gerry-adams/2015/05/19/5dc4259c-fe28-11e4-8c77-bf274685e1df_story.html |url-status=live |access-date=21 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150522142025/http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/prince-charles-in-ireland-meets-with-sinn-fein-party-leader-gerry-adams/2015/05/19/5dc4259c-fe28-11e4-8c77-bf274685e1df_story.html |archive-date=22 May 2015}}</ref>
[[File:President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump's Trip to the United Kingdom (48007684456).jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|With Queen Elizabeth II and other world leaders to mark the 75th anniversary of [[D-Day]] on 5 June 2019|alt=Seated left to right are: Governor-General of New Zealand Patsy Reddy, French president Emmanuel Macron, British prime minister Theresa May, Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth II, US president Donald Trump, Greek president Prokopis Pavlopoulos, German chancellor Angela Merkel and Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte]]

Commonwealth heads of government decided at their [[2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting|2018 meeting]] that Charles would be the next Head of the Commonwealth after the Queen.<ref name="ny-times-charlesiiichosen">{{Cite news |date=10 September 2022 |title=Queen's Funeral Set for Sept. 19 at Westminster Abbey |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/09/10/world/queen-elizabeth-king-charles |url-status=live |access-date=20 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920181535/https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/09/10/world/queen-elizabeth-king-charles |archive-date=20 September 2022 |oclc=1645522 |quote="The state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 19, at Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace announced on Saturday."}}</ref> The head is chosen and therefore not hereditary.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Adam |first=Karla |date=20 April 2018 |title=Commonwealth backs Prince Charles as its next leader |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2018/04/20/commonwealth-backs-prince-charles-as-its-next-leader |url-status=live |access-date=5 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806024750/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2018/04/20/commonwealth-backs-prince-charles-as-its-next-leader |archive-date=6 August 2018}}</ref> In March 2019, at the request of the British government, Charles and Camilla went on an official tour of Cuba, making them the first British royals to visit the country. The tour was seen as an effort to form a closer relationship between Cuba and the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite news |date=25 March 2019 |title=Prince Charles and Camilla make history in Cuba |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-47688610 |url-status=live |access-date=10 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402091019/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-47688610 |archive-date=2 April 2019}}</ref>

Charles contracted [[COVID-19]] during the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom|pandemic]] in March 2020.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Reynolds |first1=Emma |last2=Foster |first2=Max |last3=Wilkinson |first3=David |date=25 March 2020 |title=Prince Charles tests positive for novel coronavirus |agency=[[CNN]] |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/25/europe/prince-charles-coronavirus-gbr-intl/index.html |url-status=live |access-date=25 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200325110903/https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/25/europe/prince-charles-coronavirus-gbr-intl/index.html |archive-date=25 March 2020}}; {{Cite news |last1=Furness |first1=Hannah |last2=Johnson |first2=Simon |date=25 March 2020 |title=Prince Charles tests positive for coronavirus: These are his most recent engagements |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2020/03/25/prince-charles-tests-positive-coronavirus |url-status=live |accessdate=25 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200325112945/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2020/03/25/prince-charles-tests-positive-coronavirus |archive-date=25 March 2020 |issn=}}</ref><ref name="BBC-virus">{{Cite web |date=25 March 2020 |title=Coronavirus: Prince Charles tests positive but 'remains in good health' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52033845 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200325120442/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52033845 |archive-date=25 March 2020 |access-date=25 March 2020 |publisher=BBC News}}</ref> Several newspapers were critical that Charles and Camilla were tested promptly at a time when many [[NHS]] doctors, nurses and patients had been unable to be tested expeditiously.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 March 2020 |title=Warning to all as Prince Charles catches coronavirus amid 'queue jump' claims – The Yorkshire Post says |url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion/columnists/warning-all-prince-charles-catches-coronavirus-amid-queue-jump-claims-yorkshire-post-says-2517535 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200326110610/https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion/columnists/warning-all-prince-charles-catches-coronavirus-amid-queue-jump-claims-yorkshire-post-says-2517535 |archive-date=26 March 2020 |access-date=26 March 2020 |website=[[The Yorkshire Post]]}}</ref> He tested positive for COVID-19 for a second time in February 2022.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ott |first=Haley |date=10 February 2022 |title=Britain's Prince Charles tests positive for COVID-19 for the 2nd time |publisher=CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/britains-prince-charles-tests-positive-for-covid-19-for-the-2nd-time |url-status=live |access-date=10 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606214457/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/britains-prince-charles-tests-positive-for-covid-19-for-the-2nd-time |archive-date=6 June 2022}}</ref> He and Camilla, who also tested positive, had received doses of a [[COVID-19 vaccine]] in February 2021.<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 February 2021 |title=Covid: Prince Charles and Camilla get first vaccine |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56008436 |url-status=live |access-date=29 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421054642/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56008436 |archive-date=21 April 2022}}</ref>
[[File:Queen’s Speech - 52063897843.jpg|thumb|Delivering the [[Speech from the throne|Queen's Speech]] to the British Parliament on behalf of his mother, May 2022|alt=Charles seated on the Sovereign's Throne in the House of Lords during the 2022 state opening of the British Parliament. Next to him is the Imperial State Crown. ]]

Charles attended the November 2021 ceremonies to mark [[Republicanism in Barbados#2021 Constitutional amendment|Barbados's transition into a parliamentary republic]], abolishing the position of [[monarch of Barbados]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mills |first=Rhiannon |date=30 November 2021 |title=Barbados: Prince Charles acknowledges 'appalling' history of slavery as island becomes a republic |url=https://news.sky.com/story/prince-charles-acknowledges-appalling-history-of-slavery-as-barbados-becomes-a-republic-12482796 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130052708/https://news.sky.com/story/prince-charles-acknowledges-appalling-history-of-slavery-as-barbados-becomes-a-republic-12482796 |archive-date=30 November 2021 |access-date=30 November 2021 |website=Sky News}}</ref> He was invited by Prime Minister [[Mia Mottley]] as the future Head of the Commonwealth;<ref>{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=Victoria |date=28 November 2021 |title=All About Prince Charles's Visit to Barbados as the Country Cuts Ties with the Monarchy |url=https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a38366303/prince-charles-visit-to-barbados-2021-details |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326034439/https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a38366303/prince-charles-visit-to-barbados-2021-details |archive-date=26 March 2023 |access-date=3 May 2023 |magazine=Town & Country}}</ref> it was the first time that a member of the royal family attended the transition of a realm to a republic.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nikkhah |first=Roya |date=28 November 2021 |title=Regretful Prince Charles flies to Barbados to watch his realm become a republic |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/royal-family/article/regretful-prince-charles-flies-to-barbados-to-watch-his-realm-become-a-republic-c2vnz7k5v |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326034440/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/regretful-prince-charles-flies-to-barbados-to-watch-his-realm-become-a-republic-c2vnz7k5v |archive-date=26 March 2023 |access-date=3 May 2023 |newspaper=Sunday Times}}</ref> In May of the following year, Charles attended the [[2022 State Opening of Parliament|State Opening of the British Parliament]], delivering the Queen's Speech on behalf of his mother, as a [[counsellor of state]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Davies |first=Caroline |date=10 May 2022 |title=Queen remains 'very much in charge' even as Charles makes speech |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/may/10/queen-remains-very-much-in-charge-even-as-charles-makes-speech |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220510143837/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/may/10/queen-remains-very-much-in-charge-even-as-charles-makes-speech |archive-date=10 May 2022 |access-date=10 May 2022 |website=The Guardian}}</ref>