Prince Charles
With the royal baby due to be born next month, we thought it would be fitting to end our series with a royal family theme. So far in this series we’ve featured dyslexics who have excelled in a variety of fields, but today’s article is about a man with a rather one-of-a-kind job.
Who is Prince Charles?
Charles, Prince of Wales, is the eldest son of Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth Realms. He is the heir apparent (next in line to the throne) and is likely to be the next King.
What has Prince Charles done to help other dyslexics?
Prince Charles broke tradition by becoming the first heir apparent to attend school instead of being educated by a private tutor. Despite being placed in excellent schools with the best available learning resources, Prince Charles struggled with learning to read.
Perhaps because of his experiences at school, Prince Charles created the Prince’s Teaching Institute – an independent educational charity to help children with similar difficulties in the classroom. The PTI believes that ‘young people's opportunities in life are maximised by having inspiring teachers, who are knowledgeable and passionate about their subjects’ and help ‘teachers to rediscover their love of their subject’.
At the PTI’s launch, Prince Charles said:
“I happen to believe there is a desperate need to re-inspire teachers, to encourage the teaching of bodies of knowledge and to recapture some of the timeless principles of teaching which are so essential, at the end of the day, to the proper appreciation of the world we inhabit. … It is important just to remember that what marks out a teacher at the end of the day is the commitment not only to know one’s subject, but to share it; to enthuse about it and to excite others about it.”
You can read more about the PTI here.
Are there any other dyslexic members of the Royal Family?
Both Prince Harry (Prince Charles’s son) and Princess Beatrice (Prince Charles’s niece) are also dyslexic.
Furthermore, Princess Beatrice is a patron of the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre, which supported her through her secondary and university education. She finished secondary school with eight GCSEs and three A-levels, and then went on to achieve a 2:1 from Goldsmith’s College, London.
About the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre, she said: “I have benefited hugely from their work and I am looking forward to supporting them in giving a chance to others to benefit from their experience and teaching. I would not have been able to achieve my academic results without the support I received from the Centre.”
The Centre provides support to students with dyslexia and also advises teachers about how best to work with dyslexic children in the classroom.
We hope you have enjoyed our dyslexia series. Are there any other famous dyslexics that you think we should have written about? Or do you know a dyslexic person who you believe deserves recognition for their achievements? Get in touch – perhaps we’ll write about them!
24 Jun 2013
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