In British history, there hasn’t been any heir apparent to the British throne who has served as long as Charles Philip Arthur George/Prince Charles of Wales has. He is the longest-serving heir-apparent to the British throne as the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth. In addition, he has also been the Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay since 1952 and Prince of Wales since 1958. However, everything about the British royal family does not revolve around him, at least, Prince Charles has siblings and in this article, we are going to find out how many they are and what they do.
Does Prince Charles Have Any Siblings, Who Are They And What Do They Do?
From the introduction, it has already been established that Prince Charles has siblings who also constitute part of the British royal family and equally perform duties as the British throne demands of them. Charles and his siblings were all born by Princess Elizabeth (now Queen), Duchess of Edinburgh, and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The Prince of Wales who was born on 14th November 1948 has as his siblings: Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise (born 15 August 1950), Andrew Albert Christian Edward (born 19 February 1960), and Edward Antony Richard Louis (born 10 March 1964). While Prince Charles is the first son of the family, Princess Anne is the first and only daughter while Prince Andrew and Prince Edward are the second and third sons respectively.
Prince Charles siblings other than Princess Anne all served in the military at various stages of their lives. Since after their military service, the British royals have all gone to take up several responsibilities in the service of the British throne. Find out more about them below.
Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise, Princess Royal
Princess Anne is the second child and only daughter of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and Queen Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor). After she was born on the 15th of August 1950 at around 11:50 am, a 21 gun salute at Hyde Park announced her birth. For her education, governess Catherine Peebles was assigned to see to her early education in Buckingham Palace but when she got older, Princess Anne got enrolled in Benenden School, an independent girls boarding school situated in Kent, England where she studied from 1963 to 1968 when she graduated and left.
Right after Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise’s secondary school, she began embarking on official visits with her parents and has been doing so ever since. She is also known for her involvement in an official capacity with various charity organizations numbering over 200. In this regard, Princess Anne has been the president of Save the Children since 1970, and also in 1991 she set up The Princess Royal Trust for Carers. She is also known for her love for horses and in fact, in the year 1976, Princess Anne competed in the Montreal Olympic Games with the British team riding the Queen’s horse named Goodwill. She mainly rides in support of disabled organizations in the commonwealth.
Aside from her involvement in functions on behalf of the British throne and commitment to various charity courses, Prince Charles sibling and only sister is married to Mark Phillips, an untitled man and lieutenant in the 1st Queen’s Dragoon Guards who was later made an acting captain and personal aide-de-camp to Queen Elizabeth II. Princess Anne and Mark got married on 14th November 1973 but divorced on 23rd April 1992 after having two children: Peter Mark Andrew Phillips (born 1977) and Zara Phillips (born 1981) now Zara Anne Elizabeth Tindall. She later married Timothy Laurence on 12th December 1992 whom she is still married to. The couple, however, has no children together.
Andrew Albert Christian Edward, Duke of York
Prince Andrew is the second of Prince Charles’s siblings and the third child of their family. On the 19th of February 1960 in the Belgian Suite of Buckingham Palace, London, the young prince was born. He was named after his grandfather Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark who had died 16 years before he was born. The Duke of York is the first child to be born to a reigning monarch in recent history. The last such event happened in 1857 when Princess Beatrice, Queen Victoria’s youngest child was born.
Just like Prince Charles and Princess Anne, Prince Andrew was looked after by a governess who educated him while in Buckingham Palace. He schooled at Heatherdown School near Ascot in Berkshire, later went to Gordonstoun School, in northern Scotland followed by Lakefield College School in Canada as an exchange student. In 1979, he graduated from Gordonstoun after which he enrolled at the Britannia Royal Naval College at Dartmouth.
During his time in the Navy, Andrew Albert Christian Edward was among the British troops who fought in the Falklands War against the Argentine army which invaded the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory. However, for fear of having the Queen’s son killed in combat, he was assigned to a desk job on their ship named Invincible. Aside from his royal duties which very much occupy his time these days, Prince Andrew is also known for his military career in the Navy as a trained helicopter pilot.
The Duke of York served in the British Navy from 1979 to 2001 when he finally retired as an officer of the Diplomatic Directorate of the Naval Staff at the British Ministry of Defence. Since after his military career, Prince Andrew is now more involved in promoting UK’s business relationships across the globe. Just like his elder sister, Princess Anne, the Duke also supports several charity organizations one of which is Fight for Sight.
Family wise, in 1986, The Duke of York got married to Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York with whom he had two children: Beatrice Elizabeth Mary; born 8 August 1988; Princess Beatrice of York and Eugenie Victoria Helena; born 23 March 1990; Princess Eugenie of York. However, in 1996, the couple divorced.
Edward Antony Richard Louis – Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
Prince Edward is the youngest of Prince Charles siblings. Just like his elder siblings, the Earl of Wessex was also born in Buckingham Palace, London. He is the third son and the fourth child of his family. As it is customary, Edward was also cared for by a governess for his early education at Buckingham Palace. Later on, he got enrolled at Gibbs School in Kensington before he moved to Heatherdown School, near Ascot in Berkshire followed by Gordonstoun School, in northern Scotland where he finally graduated just like his father and elder brothers.
Following the completion of his A-level studies, he spent a year abroad working at the Wanganui Collegiate School in New Zealand as a junior master and house tutor. He, later on, returned to Britain to study at Jesus College, Cambridge. In 1986, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He thereafter enrolled in the Royal Marines in the same year of his college graduation only to drop out after completing 1/3rd of the required 12 months of training, unlike his two elder siblings who all completed their military courses.
Following his departure from the Marines, Prince Edward opted for a career in entertainment and has done quite well in it. He has worked on musicals like Cats, Starlight Express, and The Phantom of the Opera. His first TV production was The Grand Knockout Tournament.
Just like the two other Prince Charles siblings and even Charles himself, the Earl of Wessex, Edward Antony Richard Louis – Prince Edward is also a parent. He got married to Sophie Rhys-Jones, Countess of Wessex in 1990 and they bore Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Mountbatten-Windsor, Lady Louise Windsor born on 8 November 2003 and James Alexander Philip Theo Mountbatten-Windsor, James, Viscount Severn born on 17 December 2007.
