At the age of 74, King Charles III will be formally crowned on Saturday, after a long wait to assume the throne occupied by his mother, who lived to be 96 years old.
Born on November 14, 1948, at Buckingham Palace, in London, and christened Charles Philip Arthur George Windsor, he was the eldest son of Elizabeth II and Philip, Prince Consort.
He was three years old when his grandfather, King George VI, died prematurely in 1952, anticipating his mother's proclamation as Queen, whose coronation he attended in 1953.
The monarch has three siblings - Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward -, two children - William and Harry -, and five great-grandchildren - George, Charlotte, Louis, Archie and Lilibet.
Unlike his mother and other previous monarchs, who had private tutors, Charles attended several boarding schools, including at Gordonstoun in Elgin, Scotland, where his father also studied.
At the age of nine, his mother awarded him the title of Prince of Wales, traditionally conferred on heirs to the throne, but the investiture only took place 11 years later, in 1969.
After a school exchange in Australia, he entered the University of Cambridge, where he studied Archaeology, Anthropology and History, becoming the first member of the British royal family to complete the degree, in 1970.
Carlos followed in his father's footsteps and served in the Navy, but left in 1976, using the pay he received to found the Prince's Trust charity, which helps disadvantaged youth.
At the age of 33, Charles married Lady Diana Frances Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral in London on 29 July 1981.
The couple had two children: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, currently first in line to the British throne; and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.
The couple divorced in 1996 and a year later Diana died in a car accident in Paris, causing a huge commotion in the UK.
On April 09, 2005, Carlos was married in a civil ceremony to the divorced Camilla Parker Bowles, with whom he maintained an extramarital relationship, which he only publicly acknowledged in 1999.
On September 10, 2022, he was officially proclaimed king, two days after the death of his mother, Elizabeth II, who completed 70 years of reign, the longest in the history of the United Kingdom.
For decades, Carlos was an active voice in defense of the environment and sustainability and in the fight against pollution and climate change, but as king he is limited in interventions in political matters.
Formally, the head of state has powers to dissolve parliament, declare war or veto laws, but these have either not been exercised or are exercised at the request of the Government.
Informally, the monarch has the power of diplomacy and influence, through meetings with ambassadors or other international leaders and participation in events and ceremonies of public or national interest.
The King meets weekly with the Head of Government, having, in these eight months, worked with two, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.
In March, he traveled to Germany for his first state visit abroad, after his trip to France was canceled due to social instability.
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