Life of Charles charted in book

Prince Charles with his mother, the Queen, at Balmoral in 1952

The life of Prince Charles from early childhood and his university days through to his marriage to Camilla is to be chronicled in a new biography.

The book, to be published next month, marks his 60th birthday and accompanies an exhibition at Windsor Castle.

Among the 270 illustrations is a shot of a smiling Queen and a young Charles looking through a window at Balmoral.

There is also a note from Charles aged five to "granny" - the Queen Mother - signed off with lots of kisses.

In one photograph taken during a royal tour of Commonwealth countries, the young prince is shown cleaning a life raft on the royal yacht, Britannia, alongside his sister, Princess Anne.

The 120-page hardback also features pictures of the prince's favourite toys, including a trolley for wooden bricks with the words, Prince Charles Express, painted on the side.

Princess Diana

There are pictures too from other periods of his life, including his investiture as the Prince of Wales in 1969 and his marriage to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.

The images are from the Royal Archives, the Royal Photograph Collection and the Prince's personal collection.

Alongside photographs, there are some of the prince's favourite paintings from the Royal Collection, including works by Van Dyck and Gainsborough.

The photos and memorabilia will be exhibited at an event at Windsor Castle from 16 to 22 May, ahead of the prince's 60th birthday on 14 November.