Who is King Charles?
Born November 14, 1948, at Buckingham Palace, Charles is the eldest of four siblings. As Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s first-born son, Charles was the heir apparent – the next in line to the throne – until his mother’s death in 2022. Because of this, he has spent his life fulfilling royal duties for the family.
He has long been considered one of the hardest-working royals. Even into the 2010s, Charles’s sons called their father a “workaholic”. In a 2108 interview, Prince William said that “The man never stops”.
“This is a man who has dinner ridiculously late at night”, said Harry in the same interview. “And then goes to his desk later that night and will fall asleep on his notes to the point of where he’ll wake up with a piece of paper stuck to his face”.
Anne, Princess Royal
Date of birth: August 15, 1950
Position in the line of succession: 16th in line
Spouse(s): Divorced from Captain Mark Phillips; Currently married to Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence
Children: Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall
Princess Anne received her title as Princess Royal in June 1987, but of all the royal siblings, she is believed to be the most reluctant to ever take the throne as monarch. She went by Anne Mountbatten-Windsor in her official marriage documents and chose not to give her children royal titles.
However, Anne still takes her royal duties seriously, as she is often named one of the busiest royals in the family. In 2017 alone, she attended 455 engagements, including receptions, dinners, and charity events.
Even then, she has found time to pursue other “normal” endeavours. She grew up with a keen interest in equestrianism and even competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympics. She’s also known for her extensive charity work. She has been the president of Save the Children since 1970, travelling to countries like Bangladesh, Sierra Leone, and Bosnia for charity purposes.
Relationship with King Charles
Despite being Charles’ only sister, there has been a lot of speculation surrounding the pair’s relationship – especially at the height of Charles’ affair with Camilla Parker Bowles. The affair allegedly put years-long tension in the siblings’ relationship.
Personality-wise, the “strong-willed and forthright” princess is said to clash with the “softer, gentler” Charles. The two couldn’t be more different, as some have pointed out that Anne is more like her father, whom she was said to share a “special bond with”, while Charles is more like his late mother.
Andrew, Duke Of York
Date of birth: February 19, 1960
Position in the line of succession: Eighth in line
Spouse(s): Divorced from Sarah, Duchess of York (also known as Fergie)
Children: Princess Beatrice of York and Princess Eugenie of York
In recent years, Andrew has landed himself in hot water for his association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. As long-time friends, the two were seen together numerous times. In 2010, he was videotaped visiting Epstein’s Manhattan mansion and in 2019 Andrew admitted he had many regrets about his connection to the disgraced financier.
A “car crash” interview about his connection to Epstein and one of his victims, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, led Andrew to step down as a senior royal in 2019 and be stripped of his patronages and military titles. He was later involved in a legal battle with Ms Giuffre, who accused Andrew of having sex with her while she was being trafficked and underage. The case settled out of court.
Relationship with King Charles
Born nearly a decade after his older siblings, it’s easy to understand rumours that Andrew and Charles aren’t exactly the closest of brothers. Andrew was notably absent from the celebration of Charles’s 50th year as Prince of Wales. A documentary called Jeremy Paxman on the Queen’s Children also suggested that Andrew was not in favour of being seen as his elder brother’s “spare”. In recent years it’s been claimed that Charles wants to limit Andrew’s role in the royal family even more due to his involvement in the Epstein scandal.
Edward, Earl Of Wessex
Date of birth: March 10, 1964
Position in the line of succession: 13th in line
Spouse(s): Sophie, Countess of Wessex
Children: Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount of Severn
Following in the footsteps of his father and brothers, who all served as naval officers, Edward joined the Royal Marines in 1987 but quit after only four months of commando training. He moved to media and started a production company called Ardent Productions, which produced documentaries and dramas. The company was not as successful and well-received as the prince had hoped.
Eventually, Prince Edward worked with the Queen full-time, doing public engagements and charity work on behalf of his mother.
Relationship with King Charles
Though his relationship with Charles is not as strained as those of his older siblings, Edward did cause a rift after his production company invaded Prince William’s privacy as he attended university in 2001. Since then the brothers appear to have settled any tensions between them.
