BORN TO BE KING

He waited 73 years for the top job, now it’s time for Charles to shine

- Phil Dampier

Charles III was crowned at Westminster Abbey on May 6 after the longest apprenticeship in history and in an incredible display of pomp and ceremony estimated to have cost an eye-watering $186 million.

Queen Elizabeth II was always going to be a hard act to follow, and so far he has settled into his new role with grace and an air of steely determination.

But his path to the throne hasn't been a smooth one. Born in Buckingham Palace in 1948, Charles saw little of his parents at a young age and was largely raised by nannies.

Princess Elizabeth and her naval husband Prince Philip were stationed in Malta and after she became Queen in 1952 they were often abroad on royal tours for months on end.

Philip packed Charles off to Gordonstoun school in Scotland to toughen him up but he was mercilessly bullied and often sought sanctuary at the home of his beloved granny, the Queen Mother.

His investiture as Prince of Wales in 1969 gave him a taste of the formalities to come, but by the early '70s he was the world's most eligible bachelor, and was encouraged by his great-uncle Lord Mountbatten to "sow some wild oats"

FORBIDDEN LOVE

 But it was falling in love with socialite Camilla Shand that changed everything for Charles. Considered unsuitable royal bride material by Charles' family, she ended up taking the decision out of the prince's hands by marrying soldier Andrew Parker Bowles.

Charles was devastated but remained friends with Camilla as he romanced a series of eligible women throughout the decade. But by the time he was in his early 30s he was under pressure to marry and produce "an heir and a spare" and wed Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, watched by a global TV audience of 750 million.