Throughout his life, Charles has been shaped by many influences – but above all, by a series of remarkable female figures.

Charles’s grandmother, the Queen Mother, stepped in to look after Charles when his own mother Elizabeth was busy with royal duties. The Queen Mother introduced her young grandson to her passions, such as gardening and the arts, which became Charles’s own lifetime enthusiasms and continue to define his character today.

Charles’s mother, Queen Elizabeth, became monarch when he was only three. Charles grew up closely studying how his mother went about her duties, knowing that he would one day inherit her role. Their relationship was cemented when the Queen formally invested Charles as Prince of Wales when he was 20, and he effectively became her apprentice. More than anything, the Queen’s sense of duty has shaped Charles’s own monarchy.

Princess Diana, Charles’s first wife, married him in a fairytale wedding in 1981. Diana brought star power and a new emotional openness to the royal family. As the mother of Charles’s sons William and Harry, Diana not only secured the royal line but also helped Charles become a more relaxed, hands-on father.

Camilla, Charles’s wife and Queen, first met him in the early 1970s. For decades she has been the most supportive figure in Charles’s life. Camilla’s warmth, humour and calming influence have seen Charles through upheavals including the breakdown of his first marriage and the death of his mother in 2002. Now crowned as Charles’s Queen, Camilla’s support has proved more important than ever. The two carry out royal duties as a team, with Camilla even standing in for Charles during his recent cancer treatment.