Prince of Wales: 5 Unknown and Interesting Facts About Prince Charles
Prince Charles is that one royal family member who seldom makes it to the headlines but has the most interesting stories in real life.
Royal watchers may be busy scanning through the latest news about the now-71 years old prince.For his birthday this year, he spent his time in India away from the royal family to meet the beneficiaries of his charitable foundation. He received three bonsai gardens from the schoolchildren, and he loved it so much since he has environment-related advocacies.
To celebrate his birthday, people shall know some of the little-known secrets about the heir to the British throne.
1. Prince Charles Was Bullied?
According to historian Robert Lacey, Prince Philip sent Prince Charles to Gordonstoun where he had unimaginable encounters and struggles. Prince Charles also reportedly received slaps on his head inside the dormitory.
A letter written by the Prince of Wales himself in 1963 proved his heartbreaking encounters inside the Scottish school.
"The people in my dormitory are foul. Goodness, they are horrid. I don't know how anybody could be so foul," Charles stated on the letter.
Robert Jobson also mentioned in his book "Charles at Seventy: Thoughts, Hopes and Dreams" that the Prince remained silent about the bullying when he was in the school, but opened it up with the royal family afterwards.
2. Busier Than Everyone Else
Maybe Princes William and Harry can become the headlines of every newspaper and entertainment sites every day due to their engagements in different charities and social works. However, Prince Charles actually has more appointments than the two combined.
With over 600 engagements per year, it is safe to say that his number of works are doubled than the calendar days per year.
3. A Royal And a Writer, Too!
Not only he can write for children, but he can also produce materials for adults!
Currently, Prince Charles has four published books. It started in 1980 when he released his book "The Old Man of Lochnagar." The children's book had the same storyline as the story he used to share with his brothers Edward and Andrew before.
He followed the children's book with his 1989 manuscript entitled "A Vision of Britain: A Personal View of Architecture," where he gave his view on the buildings in his adored country.
Prince Charles proved that he still had the ink when he wrote "Harmony: A New Way of Looking at Our World" and "Climate Change (A Ladybird Expert Book)" in 2010 and 2017, respectively. He tackled about his environmental concerns through those books which he dubbed as "a call to revolution".
4. Leftovers? No Worries!
As un-royal as it may sound, the Prince of Wales is a fan of leftovers.
His Royal Highness' former chef Carolyn Robb described the Prince to a biographer as a "very economical" person that he would even put the leftovers inside a container and eat them every day until they were gone.
"The prince was very economical and very much believed that nothing should go to waste. If there were leftovers, they'd be used one way or another. If not for him, then rehashed and used for a meal the following day," Robb testified.
5. He Has More Charities Than Princess Diana
In his now-71 years of existence, Prince Charles became a patron of over 400 charities, while Princess Diana only belonged to over 100 charitable organizations.
Aside from those charities, there were 18 out of 19 organizations under "The Prince's Charities" which were personally founded by His Royal Highness.
Ranging from funnel donations to preserving historical buildings, Prince Charles' "The Prince's Charities" became the largest and most-successful charitable initiative in the United Kingdom with over £100 million income annually.
