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Seventy photos for 70 years to celebrate Prince of Wales’s birthday

The archive of images charts Charles’s life through the decades.

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The Prince of Wales celebrates his 70th birthday on November 14 (PA)

Seventy photos to mark 70 years of the Prince of Wales’s life have been compiled to celebrate the heir to the throne’s milestone birthday.

With an image of Charles from every single year of his life so far, the pictures, brought together by the Press Association, show the prince through the decades – from newborn baby and toddler to university student and naval officer, and then husband, father and globe-trotting king-in-waiting.

Charles, the nation’s longest-serving heir to the throne, turns 70 on November 14.

In the first photo from 1948, one-month-old Charles is pictured sleeping soundly in the arms of his mother, Princess Elizabeth, at his christening in Buckingham Palace.

Prince Charles' christening
Princess Elizabeth holding her infant son, Prince Charles, after his christening ceremony at Buckingham Palace (PA)

As a chubby-cheeked toddler, he is shown on his third birthday in 1951 chatting with his grandfather, George VI, as they sit on an ornate sofa in the palace.

Charles and George VI
Prince Charles with his grandfather, King George VI, on his third birthday in 1951 (PA)

In 1958, the nine-year-old prince strides off to Cheam School in Berkshire in his smart blazer, shirt and tie, shorts, long socks and cap.

The picture was taken the day after the Queen gave her eldest son the title the Prince of Wales.

Schoolboy Charles in 1958 (PA)
Schoolboy Charles in 1958 (PA)

In 1965, teenage thespian Charles, with dagger in hand and wearing a fake beard, is on stage as Macbeth at his Scottish boarding school, Gordonstoun.

Charles acting in the dagger scene as Macbeth in the Gordonstoun School production of the Shakespeare play in 1965 (PA)
Prince Charles acting in the dagger scene as Macbeth in the Gordonstoun School production of the Shakespeare play (PA)

In the 1970s, the prince entered a new phase in his life – joining the armed forces, and earning himself a reputation as an Action Man for being a sailor, airman, marine, parachutist, diver, surfer, polo player and a jockey.

Charles surf sailing
The Prince of Wales surf-sailing off Cowes, Isle of Wight, during Regatta Week in 1978 (PA)

The 1980s brought a fairytale wedding to Lady Diana Spencer and the arrival of their two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.

The Waleses' wedding day
The Prince and Princess of Wales returning to Buckingham Palace after their wedding in 1981 (PA)
William and the Prince of Wales playing in the garden of Kensington Palace in 1984 (PA)
Prince William and the Prince of Wales playing in the garden of Kensington Palace in 1984 (PA)

By the 1990s, the problems in the Waleses marriage were plain to see, with the couple famously appearing strained in each other’s company on an official tour to South Korea.

The prince and princess split, finally divorcing in 1996 – a year before Diana was tragically killed in a car crash in Paris.

Charles and Diana on an official tour of Seoul, South Korea in 1992 (PA)
Charles and Diana on an official tour of Seoul, South Korea, in 1992 (PA)

Family portraits in the collection include Charles with William, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen, pictured together in 2003 to mark the 50th anniversary of the monarch’s coronation.

The Queen, Philip, Charles and William
The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, and Prince William at Clarence House before a dinner to mark the 50th anniversary of the coronation (Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA)

Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, his former mistress whom he married in 2005, are pictured together in 2008, roaring with laughter while at the Mey Highland Games in Caithness.

Charles and Camilla at the Mey Highland games in Caithness (David Cheskin/PA)
Charles and Camilla at the Mey Highland games in Caithness (David Cheskin/PA)

Other photos range from Charles with the Spice Girls in 1997 to the prince tobogganing with William and Harry in 1995, and wearing a Rasta tam hat complete with dreadlocks in Kingston, Jamaica, in 2000.

The Prince of Wales with the Spice Girls at the Royal Gala celebrating the Prince's Trust 21st Anniversary in Manchester in 1997 (John Giles/PA)
Charles with the Spice Girls at the Royal Gala celebrating the Prince’s Trust 21st Anniversary in Manchester in 1997 (John Giles/PA)
The Prince of Wales, followed by his sons Prince Harry and Prince William, during a toboggan race in the Swiss resort of Klosters (Martin Keene/PA)
The Prince of Wales laughing with the local Rasta community, as he wears a Rasta hat, at the Trenchtown community centre in Kingston, Jamaica, during his tour of the Caribbean (John Stillwell/PA)
The Prince of Wales jokes with the local Rasta community, as he wears a Rasta hat, at the Trenchtown community centre in Kingston, Jamaica, during his tour of the Caribbean (John Stillwell/PA)

In addition to the 70 pictures from 1948 to 2017, Charles is pictured in 2018 – the year of his 70th birthday – as he accompanies Meghan Markle, now his daughter-in-law and the Duchess of Sussex, down the Quire to the altar in St George’s Chapel where she married his youngest son, Harry, now the Duke of Sussex.

Charles and Meghan
The Prince of Wales walking Meghan Markle down the Quire of St George’s Chapel for her wedding to the Duke of Sussex (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
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