King Charles's Hidden Talents: A Magic Trick, a Biofuel Car and More
He is a member of the Magic Circle, has read the weather on live television, and drives a car that runs on wine and cheese. Here are the King's more surprising sides.
Strip away the crown and the ceremonial duties, and King Charles has spent decades quietly accumulating an unusually eclectic set of achievements, several of which have nothing whatsoever to do with being heir to the throne.
A genuine member of the Magic Circle
In 1975, Charles passed an audition performing a magic trick and was admitted as a member of the Magic Circle, the historic society of stage magicians founded in London in 1905. It is a real, earned membership rather than an honorary title, and one of the more unexpected items on a CV otherwise filled with state visits and charitable patronage.
An Aston Martin that runs on wine and cheese
Charles has owned an Aston Martin DB6 Mark 2 Volante since 1970, a wedding gift from his mother, and has since had it converted to run on E85 bioethanol produced from surplus wine and cheese industry by-products. He has spoken publicly and with evident enjoyment about the car’s unusual fuel source, a small, characteristically hands-on expression of his decades-long environmental convictions.
He once read the weather on live television
In 2012, during a visit to BBC Scotland’s studios, Charles took a turn reading the day’s weather forecast live on air, a lighthearted, well-received moment that briefly turned the future King into a stand-in weather presenter, delivered with visible good humour rather than any pretence of professional broadcasting skill.
A published author several times over
Charles has written several books under his own name, including “A Vision of Britain,” setting out his views on architecture and urban design, “Harmony,” co-written on sustainability and the natural world, and a children’s story, “The Old Man of Lochnagar,” originally told to William and Harry at bedtime before its 1980 publication. He also co-authored a Ladybird-format book on climate change aimed at a general readership.
Patron of the Mary Rose
Charles has been closely associated with the Mary Rose, Henry VIII’s flagship warship raised from the Solent seabed in 1982, serving as Patron of the Mary Rose Trust and taking a personal interest in the conservation project over several decades, including diving at the wreck site himself during the vessel’s recovery.
An honorary Maasai name in Tanzania
During a visit to Tanzania, Charles was given an honorary name by the Maasai community, reported in translation along the lines of “Keeper of the Cows,” a title of genuine respect within Maasai custom, reflecting the community’s own values around cattle and status rather than any literal royal duty.
A frog carries his name
In recognition of his decades of rainforest conservation advocacy, a species of tree frog discovered in South America, Hyloscirtus princecharlesi, was named in his honour, a small but genuine piece of scientific recognition for environmental work that began decades before conservation became a mainstream priority.
A more interesting figure than the ceremony suggests
Taken together, these details paint a picture of a public figure whose curiosity has run in some genuinely unexpected directions over the decades, a magician, an author, an occasional weather presenter, and a man willing to put his own car where his environmental convictions are. For readers curious to explore his own writing, several of King Charles’s own books are still readily available.
Browse more of our Royal Figures stories for more of the King’s lesser-known interests and achievements.
Frequently asked questions
Is King Charles really a member of the Magic Circle?
Yes. He passed an audition performing a magic trick and was admitted as a genuine member in 1975.
Does King Charles’s car really run on wine and cheese?
Yes. His Aston Martin DB6 Mark 2 Volante, owned since 1970, has been converted to run on E85 bioethanol made from surplus wine and cheese industry by-products.
Did King Charles really present the weather on television?
Yes, briefly, during a 2012 visit to BBC Scotland’s studios, where he read the day’s forecast live on air in a lighthearted, well-received segment.
What books has King Charles written?
Several, including “A Vision of Britain” on architecture, “Harmony” on sustainability, the children’s story “The Old Man of Lochnagar,” and a Ladybird-format book on climate change.
Is King Charles connected to the Mary Rose?
Yes, as Patron of the Mary Rose Trust, with a personal interest in the ship’s conservation dating back decades, including diving at the wreck site during its recovery.
Is there really a frog named after King Charles?
Yes. Hyloscirtus princecharlesi, a South American tree frog species, was named in his honour in recognition of his rainforest conservation work.
Details are drawn from royal.uk’s published fact sheets and standard royal-affairs reporting; correct as of 2026.
