.jpg){kind=link}
Charles III
King of the United Kingdom since 2022
- Entries
- 20
- On the record
- 5
- Stories
- 2
- Latest entry
- 2026
The record
Charles III has held a public position almost all his life: heir apparent from the age of three, Prince of Wales from 1958 until 2022, and King since September 2022. Beyond royal money, his record covers military service, a seat in the House of Lords, a long freedom-of-information case and the formal acts of a new reign.
The courts entered his record mainly through his letters. A journalist's 2005 request for his correspondence with ministers ran for a decade. It ended in a 2015 Supreme Court ruling that the Attorney General's certificate overriding a tribunal order for disclosure was invalid.
As King, his first year followed constitutional routine: the Accession Council and proclamation at St James's Palace, a first incoming State Visit from South Africa, an address to the German Bundestag, and a coronation at Westminster Abbey in May 2023, seventy years after he watched his mother crowned there at the age of four.
Roles and honours on the record
Every entry, newest first
- Reported
The Duchy of Lancaster's net income, paid to the reigning sovereign, was reported at £25.2 million for 2025-26. King Charles's Duchy of Lancaster income: £25.2M last year
- Reported
Buckingham Palace said Charles III paid £11.7 million in UK tax for 2023-24 and £12.9 million for 2024-25, and will start publishing his tax bills. King Charles's Duchy of Lancaster income: £25.2M last year
- Reported
The Keeper of the Privy Purse said the Sovereign Grant would rise £45 million for 2025-26, with a cut sought via 2026-27 legislation. Sovereign Grant up £45M for 2025-26, funded by offshore wind
- Ruled
The government cut the Sovereign Grant to 12% of Crown Estate net profits while holding the cash payment level, per the Act. Sovereign Grant up £45M for 2025-26, funded by offshore wind
- Reported
The Keeper of the Privy Purse asked the government to cut the Sovereign Grant percentage for Charles III, who said the money could serve the 'wider public good. Sovereign Grant up £45M for 2025-26, funded by offshore wind
- Ruled
The Royal Trustees recommended, and Parliament approved in 2017, raising the Sovereign Grant to 25% of Crown Estate income for ten years to fund a £369 million Sovereign Grant up £45M for 2025-26, funded by offshore wind
- Ruled
The Sovereign Grant Act 2011 replaced four royal funding streams with one grant set at 15% of Crown Estate income. Sovereign Grant up £45M for 2025-26, funded by offshore wind
Stories in this file
Royals · 👑 King Charles's Duchy of Lancaster income: £25.2M last year
His private income from the Duchy of Lancaster for 2025-26, per its own accounts - separate from the publicly funded Sovereign Grant. 📌
Royals · 👑 Sovereign Grant up £45M for 2025-26, funded by offshore wind
The formula is shielded from ever falling, and a renovation begun in 2017 is still the reason the grant stays high. 📌
The record, entry by entry
- 1948-11-14 Official Born at Buckingham Palace. He became heir apparent at three, when his grandfather George VI died on 6 February 1952 and his mother became Queen. Royal Household, biography of The King
- 1969-07-01 Official Invested as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle, eleven years after he was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester at the age of nine. Royal Household, biography of The King
- 1970-02-11 Official Took his seat in the House of Lords, the same year he left Trinity College, Cambridge, with a 2:2 degree. Royal Household, biography of The King
- 1976-02-09 Official Took command of the minehunter HMS Bronington, after jet pilot training at RAF Cranwell from March 1971 and qualifying as a helicopter pilot in 1974. Royal Household, biography of The King
- 2005-04 Filed Mr Evans, a journalist at Guardian News and Media, asked government departments under freedom-of-information law for written communications between the then Prince of Wales and ministers. UK Supreme Court, R (Evans) v Attorney General [2015] UKSC 21
- 2012-10-16 Official The Attorney General issued a certificate overriding the Upper Tribunal's decision of 18 September 2012, which had ordered disclosure of the correspondence. UK Supreme Court, R (Evans) v Attorney General [2015] UKSC 21
- 2015-03-26 Ruled A majority of the Supreme Court upheld the Court of Appeal's rejection of the Attorney General's position, leaving the certificate invalid. Lord Wilson and Lord Hughes reached different conclusions. UK Supreme Court, R (Evans) v Attorney General [2015] UKSC 21
- 2019 Official Launched the Sustainable Markets Initiative late in the year, one of more than 20 charities and initiatives the Royal Household credits him with founding over four decades. Royal Household, biography of The King
- 2022-09-10 Official Two days after he became King, the Accession Council met at St James's Palace. He made a personal declaration and took an oath to uphold the Church of Scotland; Garter King of Arms read the proclamation. House of Commons Library, King Charles III: First year of the reign
- 2022-11-21 Official Received his first incoming State Visit as King, from President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, who delivered an address at the Palace of Westminster the next day. House of Commons Library, King Charles III: First year of the reign
- 2023-03-30 Official Addressed the German Bundestag in English and German during his State Visit to Germany in March 2023. House of Commons Library, King Charles III: First year of the reign
- 2023-05-06 Official Crowned at Westminster Abbey in a service conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, eight months after his accession. Royal Household, The Coronation of His Majesty The King
- 2025-10-30 Official Buckingham Palace said the King had begun a formal process to remove the style, titles and honors of his brother Prince Andrew, who would be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, and that notice had been served to surrender the Royal Lodge lease. Royal Household, statement from Buckingham Palace
Documents
- Royal Household biography of The King
- R (Evans) v Attorney General [2015] UKSC 21, judgment
- Royal Household, Accession Council and Principal Proclamation (10 Sep 2022)
- House of Commons Library, King Charles III: First year of the reign (CBP-9627, Sep 2023)
- Royal Household, The Coronation of His Majesty The King
Sources behind this file
- BBC News report on the King's tax bill and Duchy income
- Guardian report on the King publishing his tax bill
- BBC News report, 'King Charles's Coronation cost taxpayers £72m'
- The Guardian report, 'King to receive extra £45m of public money'
- House of Commons Library report, 'Finances of the Monarchy'
- Sovereign Grant Act 2011, section 6 (legislation.gov.uk)
- BBC News report, 'Funeral and 10 days of mourning cost government £162m'
- Guardian investigation into royal duchy income
- The Guardian report, 'Cash and the crown estate'
- Duchy of Lancaster, 'An ancient inheritance' history page
- Guardian report on the Duchy's rising revenue (David McClure)
- The Guardian report, 'Buckingham Palace to undergo £370m refurbishment'