6 May: Coronation of King Charles III

The Coronation of King Charles III takes place today. Here are 10 things you might not know about him:

1. His full name is Charles Philip Arthur George, and he was born at 9.14pm on 14 November 1948 at Buckingham Palace – the first royal baby to be born at Buckingham Palace in the 20th century.
2. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales, and at the age of 73, became the oldest person to accede to the British throne.
3. He was the first heir apparent to attend school rather than be educated by a private tutor. His school days at his father’s old school Gordonstoun weren’t especially happy. He’s said to have described the place, noted for its rigorous curriculum, as "Colditz in kilts", although he would later say his time there “taught me to accept challenges and take the initiative" and that the "toughness of the place" was "much exaggerated". He went on to study archaeology, anthropology and history at Trinity College, making him the first monarch in UK history to get a university degree.
4. He can play the cello, Piano and trumpet, and is a keen watercolour painter. His speciality is natural landscapes and his favourite subject is the Balmoral estate.
5. He’s a writer, too. In 1991, he published The Old Man of Lochnagar, which follows the adventures of an old man who went to the caves near Balmoral looking for a quiet place to take a hot bath. The story is based on tales he would tell his younger brothers, Princes Andrew and Edward.
6. He takes a keen interest in the environment, and spoke out about plastic pollution as early as 1970. In 1990, he founded Duchy Originals, a brand of organic food. He’s planted many trees during royal engagements and every time he plants one, wishes them well by giving each branch a friendly shake or a tap.
7. He has a Frog named after him. Hyloscirtus princecharlesi was discovered by Ecuadorian scientist Dr. Luis Coloma in 2008.
8. On a visit to the USA when he was 21, the President at the time, Richard Nixon, introduced Charles to his daughter Tricia, and made sure the two of them were sat next to each other at every occasion, in the vain hope that Charles would fall in love with her and they’d get married. However, this only served to irritate Charles.
9. There was speculation for some time whether Charles would choose to reign under his given name. Monarchs can choose a different regnal name if they wish. His grandfather chose to use George VI rather than his given name, Albert. The first two Kings called Charles didn’t fare so well. Charles I was executed for treason and the monarchy was briefly abolished because of his actions; his son, Charles II, spent time in exile until the monarchy was restored. However, it seems Charles III didn’t have a problem with using his given name, and choosing to do so was one of the first decisions he made as King.
10. When he visits the US his Secret Service nickname is “Unicorn.“ His Coronation has been planned for years under the code name Operation Golden Orb.

Character birthday

Alexander Petrovitch, advisor to King Christopher III of Galorvia. He was in the background all the time the then Prince Christopher was at university incognito in England. During his own time at university, he had become firm friends with Ildas McNair, and contacted him to ask his help in smuggling Christopher’s twin daughters out of Galorvia when the revolution was brewing. Petrovitch went into hiding for many years after that. In later years he formed a relationship with the former nurse to the princesses. He appears in From a Jack to a King.

From A Jack To A King

A royal palace is burning. The King and Queen are dead. The only hopes for an ancient dynasty flee to England for their lives.

A boy runs from his mother and the people he believes want to mutilate him, and vanishes, seemingly forever.

Gary Winchcombe, the experimental "super-cop" pursues a notorious gang of bank robbers, and starts to discover that his friends and neighbours have secrets he never could have imagined.

Tod Reynard wants to turn his life around. When he meets and falls in love with the beautiful Jade, he knows she might just be the one to help him change his life for the better. He cannot possibly know just how much.

When Jade's twin sister Gloria is kidnapped, old rivalries must be put aside and new associations formed in order to save Gloria's life and restore the rightful order of things.

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