King Charles: How many languages does the monarch speak?

Following in the footsteps of his mother - Queen Elizabeth II - King Charles addressed the lawmakers in French upper chamber parliament today. His speech focused on how the two nations should strengthen their ties ‘to help tackle the world’s environmental challenges.’

King Charles' speech to French lawmakers at the French Senate

According to France 24, the 74-year-old focused on a message of unity between France and the UK. He ended the speech with a personal pledge to strengthen what he described as the ‘indispensable’ relationship between the two countries.

King Charles said:

For the time that is granted to me as king, I pledge to do whatever I can to strengthen the indispensable relationship between the United Kingdom and France.

The two nations’ shared determination to protect the world from environmental threats of the Ukraine war became a basis for King Charles to form a ‘more important than ever’ alliance. He said:

I would like to propose it also becomes an 'Entente pour la Durabilité' (Partnership for Sustainability) in order to tackle the global climate and biodiversity emergency more effectively.

The monarch’s speech was delivered in English and French and received a standing ovation from the French lawmakers as it came to a close.

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How many languages does King Charles speak?

King Charles delivered parts of his speech fluently in French which has probed the question of how many languages he knows. Answer? - Four!

The monarch is understood to speak English, Welsh, French and German - although he’s not ‘fluent’ in all these languages. Here’s how much he knows of each language:

English

Born and brought up in an English-speaking household, King Charles’ native language is English. He speaks it the most fluently as compared to others.

Welsh

Before Prince William, Charles was the Prince of Wales for 64 years. In 1969, Charles studied both Welsh history and the Welsh language for a term in the second year of his college. At his investiture, he gave a speech in Welsh after 10 weeks of learning the language.

Ever since then he has occasionally spoken in Welsh or used terms in his speeches that indicates he has a basic knowledge of the language.

French

Lingalot confirmed that King Charles learnt French in school. At the time of his education, French was commonly taught in schools in the UK and he passed his A- Level exam with a C grade.

He’s publicly spoken in French on numerous occasions and appears to have a good grasp of it.

German

King Charles’ father Prince Philip belonged to a partly German family. As such, he speaks basic German and has given a speech of two in public as well. It’s unclear if his knowledge of German comes from his father or if he learned it in school.

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Sources Used

France 24: King Charles III proposes France-UK ‘partnership for sustainability’ to tackle climate emergency

Lingalot: How Many Languages Does King Charles III Speak?