Prince Charles

Kieron Lang, CTV.ca News

Charles Philip Arthur George Mountbatten-Windsor has all the pedigree, education and experience one might expect of a future king.

As the first-born son of Princess Elizabeth and her husband Philip, Prince Charles became heir to the throne three years after his birth in November 1948.

Throughout his infancy, Charles endured long separations from both his parents as his mother prepared for her own accession to the throne and his father served as a naval officer in command of his own ship.

It was during those formative years that the young prince forged his famously close bond with his grandmother.

By the time he wound up in boarding school at the age of seven, however, Charles was described as lonely, isolated boy.

One who did not excel in school, earning him the derision of his father – for both his "romantic nature" and lack of athleticism.

He was nevertheless compelled to stick to his studies, pursuing his education in Britain and Australia, before studying archaeology, anthropology and history at the prestigious Cambridge University.

He also learned to fly in the Royal Air Force, before, at 21, he took up a naval career that saw him qualify as a helicopter pilot and eventually command his own ship and crew.

But after several years at sea, he resigned his commission.

The Husband

Charles returned to Britain older and wiser, but with no clear purpose, it didn't take long for the young prince's thoughts to turn to marriage.

Indeed, he was not shy romantically. Linked to a number of women and even proposing marriage to one -- his cousin Amanda Knatchbull in 1979.

The next year, the public caught wind that Charles was spending more and more of his time with one Lady Diana Spencer. And on February 24, 1981, the palace announced that the couple was to marry.

He was 32. She was 19, and by most accounts overwhelmed when she moved into Buckingham Palace prior to the wedding.

There are reports their marriage experienced immediate difficulties, but the couple went on to have two boys within five years.

And through that period, Diana managed to capture the hearts of millions, while the prince's reputation paled in comparison.

They endured the rumours and rampant speculation until 1992, when a formal separation was announced. In the summer of 1996 the Queen ordered the couple to divorce.

Charles may have finally been free to pursue his heart's desire, but he could not do so without the public's blessing.

Having been painted in intense tabloid coverage as a cold and heartless philanderer, Charles was definitely out of public favour.

Combined with the public's enduring love for Diana, it appeared at times impossible that the world could forgive his estrangement from the People's Princess, or his romance with Camilla that apparently spurred him on.

So intense was the antipathy that polls showed Britons interested in having the monarchy skip a generation entirely, allowing Prince William to ascend to the throne over his father.

Then, when Diana died in a high-speed Paris car crash in 1997, the public perception became suddenly and firmly entrenched.

From that low, it's been a slow and careful crawl back into the spotlight.

The man

Putting his romantic entanglements aside, Prince Charles still has few qualities that endear him to the public.

He has filled his life with charitable work, most notably in the Prince's Trust which is credited with helping tens of thousands of disadvantaged youth start their own businesses.

But those efforts have been largely overshadowed by his penchant for courting controversy on all manner of contentious issues.

Eschewing the Royal tradition of keeping mum on matters political, Prince Charles is notoriously outspoken on a broad spectrum of political and cultural issues.

He's known for railing against modern architecture, for example, and was a vocal champion of organic farming and homeopathy, long before they became trendy.

Many of his missteps have been more inflammatory, including his recent memo in which he blamed Britain's "learning culture" for giving people hope beyond their abilities.

"What is wrong with everyone nowadays?'' the prince wrote. "Why do they all seem to think they are qualified to do things far beyond their technical capabilities?"

Later explaining that his comments had been "misrepresented," he added, "I hardly dare say anything. I don't really want to teach any more grandmothers to suck eggs."

Combined with what many view as anachronistic positions on such British institutions as game hunting his reputation remains decidedly poor.

Few fault him his performance as a single parent, however.

He even drew praise in 2002, when he dispatched his son Harry to a rehab clinic after he admitted smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol.

Harry's continued missteps including a recent scuffle outside a nightclub and his photographed appearance at a costume party dressed in Nazi regalia continue to concern for his father.

But looking to his future Charles believes that the most important thing will be to "have concern for people and give some form or leadership."

Yet he added that, if he so wished, he could "simply go off and spend the rest of my life skiing."