Charles was born to become king, but had to wait more than 70 years - the longest of any heir apparent.
On 6 May he became the oldest monarch to be crowned in British history.
As he turns 75 today, here is a look back on his life in pictures.
Charles was born at Buckingham Palace on 14 November 1948, the first child of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip - who had married almost exactly a year before.
The future king is seen here cradled by his mother after his christening in the palace's music room, as his father and grandparents look on.
The fair-haired and blue-eyed Charles at 19 weeks old.
He was expected to one day become king, but because of the relatively young age of George VI and Princess Elizabeth when he was born, a wait of many decades seemed inevitable - and so it proved.
Princess Elizabeth, with two-year-old Charles, watch a procession from the wall of Clarence House, during a visit by Dutch royals.
Charles giggles as he sits on a statue at the family's Balmoral estate in Scotland.
Now next in line after his grandfather's death in 1952, Charles pats a horse at Windsor Great Park where Prince Philip was playing polo.
Charles would go on to develop his own love for the sport.
Charles at Cheam School in Berkshire, aged nine.
He was later sent to Prince Philip's former school, Gordonstoun, in Moray, Scotland, an experience he later said he hated.
Charles leaves Buckingham Palace for Windsor Castle in 1965
Charles leaves Buckingham Palace for Windsor Castle in 1965
Playing Macbeth at Gordonstoun School, with the Queen and Prince Philip in the audience
Playing Macbeth at Gordonstoun School, with the Queen and Prince Philip in the audience
The prince batting in 1968 near Ashford in Kent. In slip, is Formula One champion Graham Hill
The prince batting in 1968 near Ashford in Kent. In slip, is Formula One champion Graham Hill
A portrait of Charles for his 18th birthday in 1966
A portrait of Charles for his 18th birthday in 1966
Charles was invested as Prince of Wales on 1 July 1969 at Caernarfon Castle.
To prepare, he spent a term learning Welsh at university in Aberystwyth.
The prince also studied archaeology and anthropology before switching to history at Trinity College in Cambridge.
The Queen gives her son a coronet (a small crown) as she invests him as Prince of Wales.
Charles also received a ring, a sword and robes as he pledged: "I, Charles, Prince of Wales do become your liege man of life and limb and of earthly worship and faith and truth I will bear unto thee to live and die against all manner of folks."
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Charles parachutes from above Poole Harbour in 1971
Charles parachutes from above Poole Harbour in 1971
Diving under ice at Resolute Bay in Canada in 1975
Diving under ice at Resolute Bay in Canada in 1975
Charles takes aim in his capacity as president of the National Rifle Association in 1978
Charles takes aim in his capacity as president of the National Rifle Association in 1978
A family picture in 1972: Charles next to Prince Edward, his parents, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne
A family picture in 1972: Charles next to Prince Edward, his parents, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne
Charles's military career included training as a jet pilot with the RAF in 1971. He then followed his father, grandfather and both great-grandfathers by joining the navy.
Charles served on missile destroyer HMS Norfolk and two frigates, and commanded minehunter HMS Bronington for nine months.
The prince also qualified as a naval helicopter pilot - a skill both his sons would later learn.
This photo shows him as colonel-in-chief of the Parachute Regiment in 1978.
Charles on his 30th birthday at Balmoral in Aberdeenshire.
The then Prince of Wales with his fiancee, Lady Diana Spencer, at Balmoral in 1981.
Charles first met Diana when she was 16 at a grouse hunt at the Spencer family estate in 1977. He was dating her older sister, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, at the time.
Diana and Charles reportedly didn't meet again until they both stayed at a friend's house in Sussex in the summer of 1980.
It was a quick courtship - just a year later they married in a spectacle that captured the world's imagination.
Charles married Diana on 29 July 1981 at St Paul's Cathedral in front of 3,500 guests.
An estimated 750 million people watched on TV in more than 70 countries, including more than 28 million in the UK alone.
In the capital, over 600,000 lined the streets in celebration.
Charles's 20-year-old bride became the Princess of Wales - and one of the most famous women in the world.
Prince William was born 11 months later and Prince Harry arrived in September 1984.
However, there were problems behind the scenes, with infidelity on both sides. Diana famously said in a BBC interview "there were three of us in this marriage". The couple's separation was announced in 1992 and they divorced in August 1996.
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Prince William in his mother's arms outside the Lindo wing of St Mary's Hospital in London in June 1982
Prince William in his mother's arms outside the Lindo wing of St Mary's Hospital in London in June 1982
Prince Harry was born two years later, on 15 September 1984
Prince Harry was born two years later, on 15 September 1984
The family on holiday in the Scilly Isles in June 1989
The family on holiday in the Scilly Isles in June 1989
Charles (left) in a tank while visiting British troops in Saudi Arabia in 1990
Charles (left) in a tank while visiting British troops in Saudi Arabia in 1990
Speaking to Rolling Stones star Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall
Speaking to Rolling Stones star Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall
A glum-looking Charles at the state opening of parliament in 1991
A glum-looking Charles at the state opening of parliament in 1991
Prince William with his father in 1994 at the royals' favourite resort of Klosters, Switzerland
Prince William with his father in 1994 at the royals' favourite resort of Klosters, Switzerland
Playing his beloved polo in 1996 in Ansty, Wiltshire
Playing his beloved polo in 1996 in Ansty, Wiltshire
Spice Girl Geri Halliwell famously said she patted the prince's bottom at a Prince's Trust event in 1997
Spice Girl Geri Halliwell famously said she patted the prince's bottom at a Prince's Trust event in 1997
New prime minister Tony Blair with Charles on the Royal Yacht Britannia in 1997
New prime minister Tony Blair with Charles on the Royal Yacht Britannia in 1997
William, 15, and Harry, 12, walk with Prince Charles on the River Dee in 1997
William, 15, and Harry, 12, walk with Prince Charles on the River Dee in 1997
Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997.
Her death at 36 led to a huge outpouring of public grief and left her two young sons without a mother.
Pictures of William and Harry walking behind their mother's coffin were watched by an estimated 2.5 billion people around the world.
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Charles and his sons look at flowers and messages for Princess Diana
Charles and his sons look at flowers and messages for Princess Diana
Diana's sons alongside Earl Spencer and Charles at the funeral procession. Prince Philip also walked beside them
Diana's sons alongside Earl Spencer and Charles at the funeral procession. Prince Philip also walked beside them
Charles in the foothills of the Himalayas while visiting a Gurkha welfare centre in Nepal in 1998.
Enjoying the carnival spirit in Trinidad on a tour of the Caribbean in 2000.
Charles wears a garland as he chats with locals in the Indian village of Bhaonta in 2003.
Charles is held aloft as he presents a ceremonial ball at the ancient Royal Shrovetide game in Ashbourne, Derbyshire in 2003.
Prince William with his father in 2001 at the start of his art history course at St Andrews University - where he would eventually meet his future wife, Kate.
Charles in front of the famous Mostar bridge in Bosnia in November 1993.
Charles first met Camilla at a polo match in Windsor in 1970. They became close but after Charles joined the navy in 1971 the relationship cooled and Camilla married two years later.
It's thought Charles resumed his romance with Camilla at some point in the 1980s.
In 2005, 35 years after meeting, they finally married.
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The couple stepped out together in public for the first time at the Ritz hotel in London in 1999
The couple stepped out together in public for the first time at the Ritz hotel in London in 1999
The royals married in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall on 9 April 2005
The royals married in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall on 9 April 2005
Camilla took the title of Duchess of Cornwall after the wedding
Camilla took the title of Duchess of Cornwall after the wedding
The couple during their wedding blessing
The couple during their wedding blessing
Charles and the family break into laughter at the Braemar Highland Games in 2006
Charles and the family break into laughter at the Braemar Highland Games in 2006
Camilla becomes a regular alongside Charles on UK visits and foreign trips - such as here in Lahore in 2006
Camilla becomes a regular alongside Charles on UK visits and foreign trips - such as here in Lahore in 2006
Surveying the floods at Toll Bar near Doncaster in 2007
Surveying the floods at Toll Bar near Doncaster in 2007
Director Lord Attenborough and actor Peter O'Toole chat with Charles at Clarence House in 2008
Director Lord Attenborough and actor Peter O'Toole chat with Charles at Clarence House in 2008
Prince William and Charles at RAF Brize Norton to meet Prince Harry on his return from Afghanistan in 2008
Prince William and Charles at RAF Brize Norton to meet Prince Harry on his return from Afghanistan in 2008
Riding across Horse Guards Parade during Trooping the Colour in 2013
Riding across Horse Guards Parade during Trooping the Colour in 2013
Watching a parachute drop to commemorate D-Day near Ranville in France in 2014
Watching a parachute drop to commemorate D-Day near Ranville in France in 2014
Charles's sons followed his lead, carrying out royal duties and both serving in the military. But there has always been an intense interest in their public and private lives.
It culminated in 2011 with Prince William's wedding, with Harry's wedding to Meghan in 2018 sparking similar excitement.
The King has five grandchildren - along with five step-grandchildren through his marriage to Camilla - including Prince George - who is second in line to the throne and is set to become king one day.
Charles and Camilla at Prince William's wedding on 29 April 2011
Charles and Camilla at Prince William's wedding on 29 April 2011
Queen Elizabeth II, Charles, William and George: the royal line of succession at Buckingham Palace in 2015
Queen Elizabeth II, Charles, William and George: the royal line of succession at Buckingham Palace in 2015
Charles leads Meghan down the aisle in the absence of her father on 19 May 2018
Charles leads Meghan down the aisle in the absence of her father on 19 May 2018
The King and Queen Consort on the Caribbean island of Grenada in 2019
The King and Queen Consort on the Caribbean island of Grenada in 2019
Getting a tour of 007's famous Aston Martin from Bond actor Daniel Craig
Getting a tour of 007's famous Aston Martin from Bond actor Daniel Craig
Charles takes part in the hongi - a traditional Maori greeting
Charles takes part in the hongi - a traditional Maori greeting
Charles meets medical workers during the coronavirus pandemic
Charles meets medical workers during the coronavirus pandemic
Charles gets behind the bar with a pint
Charles gets behind the bar with a pint
Charles and Camilla take part in some traditional Irish dancing in Tipperary, Ireland in March 2022
Charles and Camilla take part in some traditional Irish dancing in Tipperary, Ireland in March 2022
King Charles III acceded to the throne in September 2022 with the death of the Queen
He immediately began the role of monarch, holding a first audience with prime minister Liz Truss
In his first address to the nation he vowed to serve with "loyalty, respect and love"
King Charles grieves for his mother publicly in the days after her death
The King shakes hands with the second prime minister of his reign as he welcomes Rishi Sunak to Buckingham Palace
In a historic moment, the King welcomes Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Buckingham Palace as war rages in the Ukrainian leader's country
The King receives a horse from the Royal Canadian Mounted police as part of a long-standing tradition
The King receives a horse from the Royal Canadian Mounted police as part of a long-standing tradition
King Charles gives his first Commonwealth Day address as monarch at Westminster Abbey
King Charles gives his first Commonwealth Day address as monarch at Westminster Abbey
On 29 March 2023, King Charles makes his first state visit as monarch to Germany, where he laughs with the country's former leader Angela Merkel
On 29 March 2023, King Charles makes his first state visit as monarch to Germany, where he laughs with the country's former leader Angela Merkel
The King is presented with a crown made entirely of cake as he visits the eco-village of Brodowin on the second day of his state visit
The King is presented with a crown made entirely of cake as he visits the eco-village of Brodowin on the second day of his state visit
The King is joined by his wife Camilla for a historic state banquet at the Bellevue Palace in Berlin
Camilla dazzles as she wears the Greville tiara which belonged to the Queen Mother and a diamond necklace from the collection of Queen Elizabeth II
On 6 May, the King was crowned at Westminster Abbey. More than 2,000 guests were in attendance, while 20 million across the UK watched the coronation on TV.
The King wore a deep scarlet robe which was previously worn by his grandfather, King George VI.
After the coronation, Charles appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony with the newly crowned Queen Camilla
On 21 September, the King made the first ever speech by a British monarch to the French senate. It came during a state visit to France which also saw the King hold talks with Emmanuel Macron.
The King made a four-day state visit to Kenya in October. While there he met participants of the Prince's Trust International Enterprise Challenge.
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