Pangeran Charles, Pangeran Wales (bahasa Inggris: His Royal Highness The Prince Charles, Prince of Wales; lahir Charles Philip Arthur George (Mountbatten-Windsor) di Istana Buckingham, London, Britania Raya, 14 November 1948; umur 67 tahun), adalah anak tertua dari Ratu Elizabeth II dan Pangeran Philip. Charles dianulir sebagai raja Britania Raya. Nama gelarnya adalah YM Pangeran Charles, Adipati Rothesay di Skotlandia dan YM Pangeran Wales di tempat lain.Pangeran Charles sempat berpindah-pindah sekolah ketika ia masih kecil. Pertama, ia bersekolah di Hill House School di London bagian barat tanpa menerima perlakuan khusus dari kepala sekolahnya. Kemudian, Pangeran Charles pindah ke sekolah ayahnya dulu di Cheam Preparatory School, Berkshire, dan akhirnya pindah ke Gordonstoun, sebelah timur laut Skotlandia. Selama studinya di Gordonstoun, ia juga menuntut ilmu di Australia. Charles dikenal sebagai murid yang pintar. Ia mendapatkan nilai A untuk mata pelajaran Sejarah dan Bahasa Perancis di sekolahnya.
Tahun 1967-1970, Pangeran Charles melanjutkan studinya di Trinity College, bagian dari Universitas Cambridge dengan spesialisasi antropologi, arkeologi, dan sejarah. Ia dikenal aktif di kegiatan kampus, salah satunya di klub polo. Pangeran Wales ini lulus dari Trinity College pada 1970 dengan gelar Sarjana Seni. Kelulusannya ini membuat Pangeran Charles menjadi anggota keluarga kerajaan ke-3 yang mendapat gelar sarjana. Setelah dari Trinity College, Pangeran melanjutkan studinya ke jenjang Magister di Universitas Cambridge. Ia juga belajar bahasa dan sejarah Wales di Universitas Wales, Aberystwyth.
Charles telah menikah dua kali. Dari pernikahannya yang pertama dengan Lady Diana Spencer, dia memperoleh dua anak, William (lahir 1982) dan Henry (lahir 1984). Pasangan ini kemudian berpisah pada tahun 1996 setelah bersama selama 15 tahun. Pada 9 April 2005, dia menikah untuk kedua kalinya dengan Camilla Parker Bowles di Kapel Santo Georgius. Kehidupan cinta Charles telah lama menjadi sorotan media serta menarik perhatian masyarakat umum. Namanya telah beberapa kali dihubung-hubungkan dengan beberapa wanita, namun pernikahannya dengan Camilla akhirnya mengakhiri segala macam desas-desus yang beredar selama ini.
Sebagai pewaris tetap tahta Britania Raya, Charles dianugerahi gelar Pangeran Wales. Dia menjadi Pangeran Wales terlama yang menyandang gelar tersebut sepanjang sejarah hingga pengangkatannya sebagai raja pada 8/9/2022 setelah kematian ibunya. Ibunya Ratu Elizabeth II atau Elizabeth Alexandra Mary yang lahir 21 April 1926 meninggal dunia pada 8/9/2022 di Istana Balmoral Skotlandia dikelilingi anggota inti keluarga kerajaan Inggris seperti Pangeran Charles yang menjadi raja sebagai penerusnya.
Charles, Prince of Wales (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948), is the eldest child and heir apparent of Queen Elizabeth II. Known alternatively in Scotland as Duke of Rothesay and in South West England as Duke of Cornwall, he is the longest-serving heir apparent in British history, having held the position since 1952. He is also the oldest person to be next-in-line to the throne since Sophia of Hanover (the heir presumptive to Queen Anne), who died in 1714 at the age of 83. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace as the first grandchild of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. He was educated at Cheam and Gordonstoun Schools, which his father, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, had attended as a child, as well as the Timbertop campus of Geelong Grammar School in Victoria, Australia. After earning a bachelor of arts degree from Trinity College, Cambridge, Charles served in the Royal Navy from 1971 to 1976.
In 1981, he married Lady Diana Spencer and they had two sons: Prince William (born 1982) later to become Duke of Cambridge, and Prince Harry (born 1984). In 1996, the couple divorced, following well-publicised extra-marital affairs. Diana died in a car crash in Paris the following year. In 2005, Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles, who uses the title Duchess of Cornwall. Charles's interests encompass a range of humanitarian and social issues: he founded The Prince's Trust in 1976, sponsors The Prince's Charities, and is patron of numerous other charitable and arts organisations. Charles has long championed organic farming for which he established the Duchy Home Farm, run by the Duchy of Cornwall, which produces ingredients for the Duchy Originals brand which he founded in 1990.
Charles has sought to raise world awareness of the dangers facing the natural environment, such as climate change. As an environmentalist, he has received numerous awards and recognition from environmental groups around the world. His support for alternative medicine, including homeopathy, has been criticised by some in the medical community. He has been outspoken on the role of architecture in society and the conservation of historic buildings. Subsequently, Charles created Poundbury, an experimental new town based on his theories, in Dorset in 1993. He has authored a number of books, including A Vision of Britain: A Personal View of Architecture in 1989 and the children's book The Old Man of Lochnagar in 1980.
