King Charles is the military’s Commander-in-Chief and has served in the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. For centuries, ever since the days when the king led his army into battle, it’s been a tradition that the monarch, as well as senior members of the royal family, is associated with – or serve – in the armed forces.

King Charles found his passion in the Royal Air Force, and flying became a huge hobby, just as for his father. He took his first flying lessons while studying at Cambridge University, and many years later, he was even rumored to have flown the royal plane to meetings and duties abroad by himself.

The then-prince loved flying and became a great pilot. However, in 1994, tragedy almost struck when Charles was to land a Queen’s Flight passenger jet. Things didn’t go as planned, and the plane crashed – and if things had gone differently, we could’ve had a king named William today.

King Charles has been preparing for life as king for many years. His official duties as heir to the throne involved all sorts of engagements.

King Charles to undergo prostate correction procedure

Sadly, after less than two years since ascending the throne, Charles has been forced to postpone engagements and rest. On Wednesday, January 17, Buckingham Palace released a statement saying King Charles will attend hospital for treatment for an enlarged prostate.

“In common with thousands of men each year, the King has sought treatment for an enlarged prostate,” the statement read.

According to the NHS website, benign prostate enlargement – which is non-cancerous – is common in men over 50 and is not usually a serious condition. Today, it’s unclear what corrective procedure the king will undergo.

It’s yet not known precisely how long King Charles will be away, but hopefully, he is soon back on his feet.

Since Charles is now king, he likely has had to give up some causes that lay closest to his heart, such as botany, gardening, and environmental associations like WWF. He simply won’t have time to give them the necessary attention.

As Queen Elizabeth’s health deteriorated in the latter years, he carried out many of her responsibilities. For example, in 2013, he represented his mother for the first time at the Commonwealth Heads of Government. He also delivered the queen’s speech at the opening ceremony of Parliament in 2022.

King Charles – accidents

Of course, becoming king doesn’t only concern the UK; Charles also becomes Head of the Commonwealth. That includes 54 independent countries, and Charles becomes the head of state for 15 nations, including Australia and Canada.

King Charles has performed his royal duties for decades. He’s visited many countries worldwide and has primarily done so without incidents.

However, there have been two occasions where Charles was close to being the center of what could’ve been a very tragic accident.

In fact, he could’ve died – and one occurred during a live television broadcast.

In 1545, King Henry VIII’s flagship, The Mary Rose, sank during a battle with the French fleet. It sank in Solent, between the Isle of Wight and Great Britain, and would lie on the ocean bottom for centuries.

In October of 1982, The Mary Rose was excavated, and then Prince Charles was there to watch the effort. Charles was a huge fan of the ship’s history and supported the efforts of lifting the boat from its ocean grave.

As a result, he wanted to watch the process with his own eyes. He was even among the last people to dive into the wreck alongside archaeologists just outside Portsmouth Harbour.

A giant crane nearly crushed King Charles

“I remember my days of diving on the ship out in the Solent in the most impossible conditions, it was like swimming in a kind of lentil soup, you couldn’t see anything, or so I thought, until it was under your nose,” Charles recalled when meeting volunteers and fundraisers at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Hampshire in 2014.

“What I could never get over was the sheer expertise of the archaeologists operating under water.”

Moreover, the then-Prince recalled encouraging workers to work despite technical difficulties and poor weather.

“I will never forget the almighty crash as the chains came down, and I thought it was all my fault. I think it was worth taking the risk as we have this truly remarkable example of a Tudor warship which is unique,” Charles said.

As King Charles said, he will never forget the crash. But the reality is that the crash could be remembered today as the day when the heir to the throne died. That, according to the Channel 4 documentary Raising the Mary Rose: The Lost Tapes, which marks 40 years since the excavation took place.

As reported by the Daily Mail, Charles examined the vessel up close as it was lifted from the seabed. He was supposed to board the remains of the ship. However, security was critical, and the idea was ruled out as too dangerous.

Suddenly, the giant crane called Tog Mor – Gaelic for “big lift” – collapsed. The frame broke away and almost smashed the ship’s hull, close to where the king would have stood.

“The future king of England could have died live on TV”

Royal Engineer Jack Frost was involved in lifting The Mary Rose from the sea and saw the crash with his own eyes.

“You know, the future king of England could have died live on TV, which I think would have changed the whole aspect of the recovery, to be honest. Everything went silent. There wasn’t a whisper. No one spoke for what felt like minutes, was probably ten seconds, but just no one moved,” Frost said in the documentary Raising the Mary Rose: The Lost Tapes.

Another man, Martin, who helped build the crane, recalled the incident.

“I remember when the frame broke the water, and after only about half an hour, there was a loud crack. Everything stopped, and everyone at the office panicked. We immediately thought the crane had failed,” Martin said.

Ultimately, King Charles made it through without a scratch, and the ship was saved. In fact, without the monarch, it’s not too great a stretch to say the vessel might still be underwater.

While this incident in 1982 could’ve been the last we ever saw of King Charles, about 12 years later, he was cheating death once again. This time, he was in an airplane, and considering his flying record, things should have been under control.