Already as a fourteen-year-old prince, Charles was caught drinking brandy in a pub. Since then, he has at times been very unpopular, not least during the 90s after the infidelity scandal with his childhood sweetheart Camilla Parker Bowles and after Diana’s death.
Charles has also found it difficult to stay away from various political issues. Among other things, he sent a series of letters to the then Prime Minister Tony Blair in the early 2000s regarding the ongoing war in Iraq and alternative medicines.
Recently, however, he has become increasingly accepted, but he has big shoes to fill considering his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who dutifully stood for security and continuity. So the question is whether he can hold back his views and hold Britain together without the help of the Queen.
See a timeline of King Charles’ turbulent and sensational years as a prince in his youth and more about Charles and the coronation now on Saturday 6 May in Foreign Office: The winners in SVT Play from 20:00 or in SVT2 22:00 Tuesday 2 May.