When Carmel J G "Charlie" Farrugia and his twin brother Alfred "Freddy" were born on 27 July 1944 in Malta, their father, Raffaele, was 36, and their mother, Josephine, was 46. He married Doreen Bell in December 1963. They had four children during their marriage. He died on 12 April 2013 in Walthamstow, Essex, at the age of 68.