News Reader.info

King Charles' Life in Photos: From Young Prince to Reigning Monarch Not only is he the sovereign to the British throne — for which he will be officially crowned on May 6 — but King Charles

is also a husband, father, grandfather and nature lover. Take a look back at the most memorable highlights of the royal's life

Stephanie Petit is a Royals Editor, Writer and Reporter at PEOPLE.

People Editorial GuidelinesUpdated on May 3, 2023 01:57PM EDT 01of 20 Young King Charles playing at Balmoral Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Getty Images He's used to taking charge in the

driver's seat. Queen Elizabeth watches her young son, Charles Philip Arthur George, driving in a toy car on the grounds of Balmoral Castle in 1952.

02of 20 Young King Charles bonding with Princess Anne Lisa Sheridan/Studio Lisa/Getty Images Being Queen Elizabeth's oldest child comes the great responsibility of being a big brother.

Princess Anne and King Charles share a laugh in this adorable 1952 photo.

03of 20 Young King Charles and his family having fun at Balmoral PA Images/Getty Images Growing up, Charles had the Balmoral Estate as his playground. In this photo, then-Prince Charles and

Princess Anne are pushed on a swing by their father, Prince Philip, with their mother looking and smiling.

04of 20 Young King Charles and his family picnic at Balmoral Posing in front of the breathtaking Balmoral Castle, a smiling baby Prince Andrew steals the show in this black-and-white family

photo in 1960. Queen Elizabeth, Prince Phillip, King Charles, Princess Anne and their household dog also pose while enjoying their group picnic.

05of 20 Teen King Charles and Queen Elizabeth in 1967 Keystone-FranceGamma-Rapho via Getty Images King Charles dressed to kilt. The royal joined his mother for an appearance in 1967.

06of 20 King Charles posing with his parents and siblings at Balmoral Lichfield/Getty Charles striked a pose with his parents and siblings for a family portrait. Although it was taken in

front of Balmoral Castle during their annual summer holiday in 1972, the image ended up as their Christmas card!

07of 20 King Charles modeling with a dog in 1978 PA Images/Getty Images The Queen's oldest child always looked the part. Charles sported a blazer, a tartan skirt and red knee socks while

holding a cane and posing with a dog outside the castle in 1978.

08of 20 King Charles with his parents and siblings in a group photo PA Images/Getty Images Family portrait! Prince Edward, King Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew gather for a picture

with their parents (and a pet!) at Balmoral in 1979.

09of 20 King Charles driving a Range Rover Tim Graham/Getty King Charles takes a spin behind the wheel of his 1975 Range Rover in 1979. This same vehicle — which he used while dating

Princess Diana — was auctioned for £101,150 (over $133,000) in 2018.

10of 20 King Charles with Princess Diana and baby Prince William Quadrillion/Corbis/Getty King Charles became a father in 1982 when Princess Diana gave birth to Prince William. In this shot,

the then-new parents have a picnic with their baby son, who leaned on Charles to stay standing.

11of 20 King Charles with Princess Diana and their two sons Nick Skinner/Daily Mail/REX/Shutterstock Prince Harry completed the brood in 1984. Here, they pose together for a casual 1987

portrait.

12of 20 King Charles and sons at the River Dee Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty Images) Charles passed on his love for the outdoors to his sons. In 1987, they were photographed playing on

the bank of the River Dee near Balmoral Estate.

13of 20 King Charles painting in Switzerland Julian Parker/UK Press/Getty King Charles is a man of many hobbies. The royal paints with watercolors in Klosters, Switzerland, in 1994.

14of 20 King Charles and his family attending the V-J Day parade Johnny Eggitt/AFP/Getty Princess Diana, Prince Harry, Prince William and King Charles look presentable while watching a

parade in August 1994. The march is part of the commemorations of V-J Day — the day Japan surrendered during World War II.

15of 20 King Charles and his sons at Glenmuick Tim Graham/Getty Images King Charles sported a monochromatic green ensemble while exploring the verdant outdoors. In this shot, the sovereign

visits Glenmuick on the Balmoral Castle estate with sons Prince William and Prince Harry.

16of 20 King Charles and his sons enjoying the outdoors Prince William, Prince Charles and Prince Harry on the Balmoral Castle estate.Tim Graham/Getty Images In 1997, the monarch joined his

children for a morning stroll. Here, the father-son trio walk on the rocky terrain while in professional outfits.

17of 20 King Charles marries Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle Tim Graham/Getty King Charles and Queen Camilla tied the knot at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle on April 9, 2005.

18of 20 King Charles and Queen Camilla spend their first wedding anniversary at Balmoral King Charles and Camilla spent their first anniversary at Birkhall on the Balmoral Estate in

Scotland. They dressed appropriately, in matching tartan skirts.

19of 20 King Charles with his sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren Chris Jackson/Getty Images King Charles is now a grandfather of five! He's the proud granddad to Prince George,

Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

20of 20 King Charles and Queen Elizabeth watching a game in Scotland Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock In September 2018, King Charles and Queen Elizabeth enjoyed watching traditional games at the

Braemar Highland Gathering in Scotland. On this day, they opened a special exhibition of the Scottish Highland's games and culture, which was named after Charles' title at the time — The

Duke of Rothesay Highland Games Pavilion.

Read more:RoyalsBritish Royal FamilyBritish Royal Family HistoryClose