Alternative medicine

But sustainability isn’t the only issue that the prince is passionate about. He has additionally advocated for alternative medicine since the ’70s, in the form of herbal and homeopathic solutions to certain health issues. He established The Prince’s Foundation for Integrated Health, which was opposed by many in the scientific and medical community. It has now been rebranded as the College of Medicine and encourages the use of alternative medicine within the National Health Service in the UK.

Prince Charles gave a speech to the World Health Assembly in Geneva in 2006 encouraging the integration of alternative and conventional medicines. On top of that, his Duchy Original brand includes a “detox tincture”, among other complementary medicinal products, and the Prince has said he uses homeopathic veterinary medicines on his farm to reduce antibiotic use.

A fan of new classical architecture, he dislikes the “glass stumps and concrete towers” of modern buildings. So what do you do about it if you are the Prince of Wales? Build your own village, of course. The village of Poundbury was built – on land owned by the Prince under the Duchy of Cornwall – in line with his philosophy on architecture and environmental issues.

The hardest-working royal

Prince Charles eclipsed Princess Anne in 2019 as the hardest-working British royal on the books, attending an incredible 521 events in a single year while his sister clocked 506. The siblings have taken over much of the crown’s official engagements since the queen and Prince Philip reduced their engagements in recent years.

Plagued by sinus problems

The Prince is said to have suffered from sinus problems since he was a child. To remedy this, he always insists on fresh air and sleeps in an oxygen tent if he is having trouble breathing, according to a 2018 report in The Sun.

Cars fuelled by wine and cooking oil

According to The Telegraph, Prince Charles’ Aston Martin, a 21st birthday gift from his mum, now runs on biofuel made from surplus English wine. His Jaguars, Audis and Range Rovers are meanwhile said to be fuelled by cooking oil.

Children’s book author

Prince Charles once wrote a book for his younger brother Prince Edward called The Old Man of Lochnagar. The story is about an old man who lives in a cave near Lochnagar, a mountain near the Balmoral Estate where the royal family spend their summer holidays. He published the book in 1980 in aid of The Prince’s Trust charity, and it has since been renamed The Legend of Lochnagar, after the film made from the book.

The first British royal heir to earn a degree

Prince Charles was the first royal heir in the British royal family to earn a bachelor’s degree. He graduated in 1971 from Cambridge University’s Trinity College and, four years later, earned a master’s from the same college.