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Long live the king!
King Charles III will celebrate his Coronation on Saturday, May 6, officially making him the monarch of Britain and the Commonwealth. As the UK embarks on the Carolean era, he has promised to continue to lead in the spirit of his late mother Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away last September at the age of 96. After spending most of his life as the heir apparent, Charles is known all over the globe, but here are some facts you may not know about the 73-year-old royal... (© BANG Showbiz)
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He founded the Prince's Trust
Being the first royal baby to be born in Buckingham Palace, Charles was just three-years-old when his grandfather King George VI died and his late mother Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne. He was made Prince of Wales back in 1958 aged nine by the Queen. As the longest serving heir, Charles founded The Prince’s Trust, a youth charity that helps transform the lives of young people aged 11 to 30 years old by building sustainable communities worldwide and helping them get jobs by providing education and training. (©BANG Showbiz)
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His Secret Service nickname was Unicorn
During official visits to the US, many foreign leaders are assigned nicknames by the Secret Service. Charles was given the name Unicorn which ironically fits his Scottish ancestry – as the mythological creature is the national animal of Scotland and has been part of its coat-of-arms for over 600 years. (©BANG Showbiz)
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He sent Ozzy Osbourne a bottle of whisky
Back in 2004, recovering alcoholic Ozzy Osbourne was involved in a quad crash. Charles sent Ozzy a bottle of whisky as a get well soon present. The rocker’s wife said the royal gift was much appreciated but Ozzy won’t be touching a drop as he is a recovering alcoholic. She said: “We heard from Prince Charles and - never let anyone say he's a bad guy 'cause he's all right by the Osbournes. He sent my husband a bottle of Scotch, which of course he's not going to drink.” (©BANG Showbiz)
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He's a children's book author
He is the first royal to earn a university degree after graduating from Cambridge in 1967 where he read history, archaeology and anthropology. Charles went on to become a novelist and published a children’s book in 1980 titled ‘The Old Man of Lochnagar’. (©BANG Showbiz)
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He's a distant relative of Dracula
King Charles III is a distant relative of Vlad the Impaler - better known as Vlad Dracula in Romania - the 15th century nobleman who became the inspiration behind Bram Stoker’s 1897 gothic horror novel ‘Dracula’. The book spawned one of Hollywood's most iconic movie monsters, most famously brought to life by Bela Lugosi in the 1931 Universal movie. (©BANG Showbiz)
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He's an environmentalist that talks to trees
The 'Green King' is a committed environmentalist who campaigns for conservation, organic farming and climate change action. King Charles once admitted that he often talks to plants and even shakes their branches and wishes them well. He said: “I happily talk to the plants and trees, and listen to them. I think it's absolutely crucial.” Charles - who has five grandchildren - plants trees with Prince George, the second-in-line to the throne, to get him into gardening. He said: "You never know, do you, what people are going to be interested in. "The most important thing is I got him planting a tree or two here, so we planted it together and shovelled in the earth. "That's the way, I think, when you are very small, and then each time they come you say, 'Do you see how much the tree has grown?' And you hope that they take an interest." (©BANG Showbiz)
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There's a frog named after him
Back in 2012, King Charles had a frog named after him after a newly discovered species of Ecuadorian tree frog was found. The Hyloscirtus princecharlesi, was named the Prince Charles stream treefrog, an honor that was bestowed upon him by a conservation organisation in recognition of his efforts to help preserve the world’s rainforests. A statement said at the time: “It is endangered and needs to be protected in the wild, its rainforest habitat is under threat due to the impact of farming. “It’s fairly unusual to name a new species after someone but this is seen as something special in honour of the Prince.” (©BANG Showbiz)
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He had a very cheeky encounter with the Spice Girls!
Charles met with the Spice Girls back in 1997 at the 21st anniversary celebration of the Prince's Trust in 1997. The five girls ignored all royal protocol and Scary Spice and Ginger Spice planting kisses on his cheeks, whilst Geri also gave him a pat on the butt! Sporty Spice Mel C recalled: "At the time, I was one of the shyer members of the band, so I was cringing inside as the girls were kissing Prince Charles. I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I can't believe they're doing it.' But now I'm really proud that the girls did that because I think that's part of the reason the world fell in love with the Spice Girls. We were kind of doing what everybody wished they could do, and it was never with malice. It was always with a smile. "Now that Charles is our King, it kind of makes it even more naughty. Those naughty Spice Girls!" (©BANG Showbiz)
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He's part of a secret society of magicians
In 1975, Charles joined the secret group of magic fans known as The Magic Circle. Membership to the group is usually passed down through family members. Charles was invited to the society by his great-uncle Earl Mountbatten, a member for more than two decades. On Charles 70th birthday, he marked the milestone by being honoured with a show a magic show at London Palladium with “Britain’s finest magicians” that included Dynamo. (©BANG Showbiz)
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He's an extremely fussy eater
Charles eats very specific meals and likes his food to be cooked in a very specific way. The monarch is so picky about his eggs he insists that they be boiled at exactly seven minutes. He also requests to have his tea between 4pm and 5pm everyday which consists of tea, muffins and seven boiled eggs. Not only that but Charles asks his chefs to add a poached egg on top of every meal and steam his veg in specific mineral water, with his favourite gin being made from the fruits grown at High Grove. (©BANG Showbiz)
King Charles III will celebrate his Coronation on Saturday, May 6, officially making him the monarch of Britain and the Commonwealth.
