How King Charles eats and exercises to stay healthy as the oldest living king in British history

• King Charles III is the oldest person to become king in the history of the British monarchy.
• He's said to stay fit by walking and doing the same 11-minute exercise twice a day.
• The king has said he eats a heavily plant-focused diet, and it's been reported that he skips lunch.

When Charles III ascended the throne in September 2022, he was the oldest person to become king in British history.

It didn't come as a surprise; after all, the royals have a history of living a long life. Queen Elizabeth II lived to be 96, Prince Philip died at 99, and the Queen Mother was 101.

And like his late mother — who followed a balanced diet and "sensible exercise" routine — Charles is said to take care of his health.

The king reportedly sticks to mostly plant-based eating and a simple exercise routine to stay healthy. Here's a closer look at the royal's diet and how he stays active.

Plants are said to play a big role in King Charles' diet

The royal family gave a peek into Charles' eating habits on his 70th birthday, as it released a list of 70 fun facts about him.

The list from 2018 is no longer available on the royal family's website, but, according to The Independent, it said that Charles skips one meal altogether daily.

"The Prince does not eat lunch," number 20 on the list said, according to The Independent. 

Gordon Rayner, a former royal correspondent, reported for The Telegraph in 2018 that Charles views lunch as a "luxury that gets in the way of his work" and eats a "late breakfast" instead.

For his late breakfast, the king likes cheesy baked eggs, as the official Clarence House Instagram account shared in a post from 2020. 

The list released for Charles' birthday also stated that the king prefers Darjeeling tea with milk and honey, as The Independent reported at the time. 

And in 2021, the king said he sticks to a heavily plant-based diet as part of his efforts to combat climate change.

"I haven't eaten meat and fish on two days a week, and I don't eat dairy products on one day a week," he told a BBC radio station in October 2021, according to the Associated Press. "If more did that, you would reduce a lot of the pressure."

Months later, in March 2023, Buckingham Palace posted a listing for a live-in vegan chef to prepare meals for the monarch, as outlets like The New York Post and The Mirror reported.

The king is also passionate about organic produce, as former royal chefs Darren McGrady and Carolyn Robb told Delish in May 2023.

McGrady told the outlet Charles focused on organic produce "before it was even invented," with Robb echoing that the monarch's farm was one of the first to be organically certified in all of the UK.

McGrady also described the king as a "foodie" in his conversation with Delish, adding that he liked to eat a variety of different dishes throughout the week. However, he said the king often eats fruit for breakfast, and Robb said the king prefers savory foods over sweets. 

The king follows a strict — and time-efficient — exercise regimen

In 2020, Queen Camilla discussed the king's health while guest-editing the BBC's "Emma Barnett Show," saying he was "probably the fittest man of his age I know."

She went on to say that King Charles often goes on miles-long walks.

"He'll walk and walk and walk," she said. "He's like a mountain goat. He leaves everybody miles behind." 

In addition to his lengthy walks, Charles completes the Royal Canadian Air Force's five basic exercises, referred to as the 5BX plan, twice a day, as The Telegraph reported in 2020.

The regimen only takes 11 minutes to complete, as it was designed for pilots who need to be able to exercise without access to a gym, but it also makes sense for the monarch, who is frequently traveling or at engagements at all hours of the day. 

The 5BX includes a mix of simple activities like stretching and push ups. Insider's Mikhaila Friel adhered to the following routine when she tried the regimen in 2020: 

• Stretches (2 minutes);
• Sit-ups (1 minute);
• Back and leg raises (1 minute);
• Push-ups (1 minute);
• Run on the spot. For every 75 steps, do 10 eagle jumps (6 minutes).

The Telegraph reported that the late Prince Philip, Prince William, and Prince Harry also follow the 5BX Plan.

Prince Harry also revealed in his memoir "Spare" that King Charles did daily headstands throughout his childhood to help with chronic back pain, though it's unclear if the 74-year-old still does them. 

"Prescribed by his physio, these exercises were the only effective remedy for the constant pain in Pa's neck and back. Old polo injuries, mostly," he wrote. "He performed them daily, in just a pair of boxers, propped against a door or hanging from a bar like a skilled acrobat."

Buckingham Palace did not respond to Insider's request for comment on this story.