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Full name: Charles Philip Arthur George Mountbatten-Windsor

Full Title: HRH The Prince of Wales

Born: Buckingham Palace, November 14 1948, eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh (later Queen Elizabeth II and HRH The Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh)

Education: Cheam School and at Gordonstoun, Scotland. Spent part of 1966 as an exchange student at the Geelong Church of England Grammar School, Melbourne, Australia - the first member of the British Royal family to attend an overseas Commonwealth school.

Read archaeology and anthropology and, for the last two years, history, at the University of Cambridge. Graduated with a BA (Hons) degree in 1970.

Marriage and family : Married Lady Diana Spencer in St Paul's Cathedral on July 29 1981, but the marriage was dissolved in August 1996. The Princess of Wales was killed in a car crash on August 31 1997 in Paris.

The couple had two sons - Prince William, Heir apparent, born on June 21 1982 and Prince Henry - known as Harry - born on September 15 1984.

On April 9 2005 Prince Charles married his long time companion, Mrs Camilla Parker Bowles, at the Guildhall in Windsor with a subsequent religious blessing at the castle's St George's Chapel. In an unusual step she has taken the title Duchess of Cornwall instead of becoming Princess of Wales, possibly for diplomatic reasons.

Official roles: Heir apparent; Duke of Cornwall; Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick and Baron Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland; Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester; Knight of the Garter.

Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Regiment of Wales; Colonel of the Welsh Guards; Rear-Admiral in the Royal Navy; Major-General in the Army; Air Vice-Marshal in the Royal Air Force.

Patron or president of around 200 organisations including: President of the Prince's Trust; President of the Royal Shakespeare Company; Chairman of the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust; Vice-Patron of the British Council; President of the Phoenix Trust; Patron of the Philharmonia and English Chamber Orchestras, the Royal Opera, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and many choirs, musical societies, Festivals, colleges and schools; Patron of the Association for Business Sponsorship of the Arts.

Military career: Learnt to fly jet aircraft at RAF College at Cranwell in 1971 and earned RAF wings.

Joined Royal Navy in late 1971 and, after serving at sea, qualified as a helicopter pilot in 1974 at Yeovilton in Somerset. Joined 845 Naval Air Squadron on Commando flying duties, operating from the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes, before taking command of coastal minehunter HMS Bronington. Left the Royal Navy in 1976.

At university, Prince Charles took an active part in undergraduate life. He appeared in several college revues and gained a half-Blue - or University Colours - for polo. In 1969 he spent a term in Aberystwyth at the University of Wales, before his formal investiture as Prince of Wales in Caernarvon Castle on July 1 1969.

The Prince takes a keen interest in all aspects of public life and has developed something of a reputation for expressing his opinions bluntly - particularly when it comes to architecture and agriculture!

Each year he undertakes a large number of public engagements both in Britain and overseas. He is interested in a wide range of issues, including young people, the unemployed, the disabled, the elderly, the problems of the inner cities, education, medicine, the arts, conservation, national heritage, environment, architecture and sport.

He also has regular private meetings and discussions with Ministers, political figures, academics, experts and the business community, through which he has access to a wide range of opinion and thinking on national and international issues.

One of Prince Charles' major achievements has been the foundation of The Prince's Trust, which he set up in 1976. Since then it has helped more than 33,000 disadvantaged young people set up in business. The Trust has also helped more than 200,000 young people fulfil positive ambitions for themselves or their communities through training courses and grants, and nearly 15,000 young people have completed the volunteers personal development programme, which has helped many unemployed people into work, further education or training.

In 1971 the Prince set up the Welsh organisation now known as The Prince's Trust 'Bro' (community) in Cardiff, to help young Welsh people and their communities to preserve their special character. During the last 25 years it has supported more than 4,000 projects with nearly £4 million in grants.

The Prince has a strong belief in our common duty to look after the environment and preserve it for future generations. He regularly contributes to debates about the environment, the countryside, agriculture and rural life and has made a television programme on these issues, The Earth in Balance.

His own 1,100 acre farm at his Gloucestershire home, Highgrove, is worked organically. He has chronicled his farming experiences in a book, called Highgrove: Portrait of an Estate.

As well as a common duty to the environment, the Prince believes big business has a responsibility to society, particularly inner city regeneration and education. He has been instrumental in getting more than 800 business leaders to visit inner city schools and community projects.

The teaching of our culture is also of concern to the Prince who, for example, set up a Shakespeare summer school for teachers, run by the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Modern architecture is a subject on which the Prince of Wales has had outspoken views in the past, and which causes him some concern. He firmly believes that communities should be involved in local architecture and works with the Urban Villages Forum to help urban developments create a sense of identity for their residents.

His commitment to the preservation of the heritage of Britain and Europe has seen him involved in projects as far apart as Windsor and Prague. Through the Phoenix Trust, he helps find new uses for important buildings which might otherwise be allowed to fall into disrepair or be demolished.

The Prince of Wales' interest in complemetary medicine has led to him being labelled eccentric in some quarters, but he actually believes that patients should be able to access the best of both mainstream and alternative therapies.

He is Patron of the Foundation for Integrated Medicine and President of the King's Fund and has been President of the Royal College of General Practitioners. His wide knowledge and experience in health charities covers many areas from mental health to cancer.

The Prince of Wales has a busy programme of overseas visits, which he often uses to promote Britain and its interests. He occasionally represents The Queen at overseas events.