What you didn't know about King Charles - from love of painting to acting career

King Charles III has led a long and varied life, and picked up numerous hobbies and interests along the way. He's even built his very own town to celebrate his love of architecture.

The Daily Express US looks at 20 of the most incredible facts about King Charles III's life and Royal Family career to date.

1. There is much to know about King Charles and his life growing up. When he was a young boy, the future king suffered from intense bullying.

While attending a boarding school in Scotland named Gordonstoun, famed at the time for its gruelling physical activities, King Charles did not fit in with his peers. One of his old schoolmates actually described his time at the school as “crushingly lonely”.

2. Perhaps that explains Charles’s passion for acting as a young prince. The theatre provided a much-needed distraction and "escape". He was so enamoured with the craft that he worked hard to land the lead role in Macbeth at high school.

3. He took his love of the stage even further in college by joining a drama group and performing on stage regularly, with a particular talent for comedy roles.

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4. Another hobby that he enjoyed was ice skating, he received a certificate of merit for his abilities.

5. And the skills just keep coming, he’s also a master magician and earned a highly coveted membership to The Magic Circle, a prestigious UK society of magicians, by completing a difficult trick in 1975.

6. On the subject of pastimes enjoyed by the King, he also loves to paint and actually submitted a watercolour to the Royal Academy of Arts anonymously to ensure there was no suggestion of favoritism. The painting was displayed in the 1987 Summer Exhibition.

7. He’s also a published author having written a children’s book in 1980 titled, The Old Man of Lochnagar, which is about a man who lives in a cave near Balmoral, where the Royal Family spend their summers. The man goes on a fantastical adventure that sees him meet all kinds of strange characters including underwater haggis. Proceeds of the book went to the Prince’s Trust.

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8. The story was also turned into a short animation for the BBC and the old man was voiced by Hagrid from Harry Potter (Robbie Coltrane).

9. The King also wrote a book about his other great passion, the environment. Called Harmony: A New Way of Looking at Our World, the 2010 book is about how many things in our lives and the planet have, "suffered as a result of our disconnect from Nature".

10. Back in the 1970s, President Nixon played matchmaker when he tried to set up Charles and his daughter Tricia but neither were all that interested in the other.

11. However, one lady he was keen to meet was Barbra Streisand as he was a big fan of her work. The pair got on wonderfully after meeting on the set of the sequel to Funny Girl, Funny Lady. Streisand later said, “We became friends, and I loved spending some time at Highgrove for a weekend fundraiser and going through his gardens.”

12. The King is said to be particular about his food, and the one dish that is banned from being served in his household is Fois Gras as he considers it to be needlessly cruel.

13. He also only eats organic food and is so serious about this that he set up his own organic food company in 1990 called Duchy Organics, which is still sold in a UK nationwide convenience store called Waitrose.

14. The brand was inspired by the gardens at his Highgrove House residence, an estate he bought just before his marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales. He helped restore the rundown land into an organic farm and beautifully lush gardens that he then opened to the public.

15. Highgrove House, though beloved by Charles actually has a tragic past. In the 1800’s the then-owner’s granddaughter perished when the ornate gown she was wearing to a lavish ball caught on fire.

16. Charles is said to not own a mobile phone – he’s one of the few people in the world who has refused to succumb to the lure of modern telecoms technology.

17. Charles is a trained helicopter and jet pilot and was also the first member of the royal family to complete the Parachute Regiment’s training course.

18. His son, Prince William, is also a trained helicopter pilot however now that Charles is king and his son heir to the throne, they are no longer allowed to be on the same aircraft at the same time should tragedy strike and a crash take place.

19. Charles talks to all of his plants and shakes the branches of each new tree he plants for good luck. He explains, “I happily talk to plants and trees and listen to them. I think it’s absolutely crucial.”

20. Charles has popped up on UK TV in unexpected ways in the past. One time he presented the weather on the BBC and another time he made a cameo appearance in the popular soap opera Coronation Street.