On September 8, 2022, immediately after the demise of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, the throne was passed without any ceremony to the heir, Charles, the former Prince of Wales. From now onwards, he would be known as King Charles III, whereas his wife, Camilla, has been titled the Queen Consort. (Consort is the term used for the spouse of the monarch.) At the age of 73, Charles is the oldest person to have ever ascend the British throne.
Charles was officially proclaimed the King on September 10, 2022, following the Queen’s death. This event took place at St James’s Palace in London, in front of a ceremonial body, called the Accession Council. The Accession Council consists of two parts—in the first part, the death of Queen Elizabeth II was announced and the proclamation was read aloud. There were a series of prayers and pledges, commending the previous monarch and pledging support for the new one. In the second part, King Charles III declared to uphold the constitutional government and pledged to preserve the Church of Scotland. Around 200 privy counsellors attended the ceremony. The proclamation was then signed by a number of senior figures, including the prime minister, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Lord Chancellor. King Charles III has become head of the Commonwealth, an association of 56 independent countries and 2.5 billion people. For 14 of these countries, known as the Commonwealth realm, as well as the UK, King Charles III is the Head of State.
The formal coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as king and queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, is expected to take place on May 6, 2023, at Westminster Abbey.
Prince Charles Philip’s Career
Prince Charles Philip Arthur George was born on November 14, 1948, in Buckingham Palace. When Queen Elizabeth acceded to the throne in 1952, three-year-old Charles became the Duke of Cornwall. On June 2, 1953, Charles attended his mother’s coronation at Westminster Abbey. He became the Prince of Wales at 20. After an apprenticeship that began when he was a child, Charles has embodied the modernisation of the British monarchy. He was the first heir who was not home-schooled. He did his early schooling at Gordonstoun, a Scottish boarding school. He spent six months at the Timbertop campus of Geelong Grammar School in Victoria, Australia. Later, Charles studied history at Trinity College of the University of Cambridge and in 1970, he became the first British royal to earn a university degree. From 1971, Charles spent seven years in uniform and had his training as a Royal Air Force pilot. In the Royal Navy, he learnt how to fly helicopters. He ended his military career in 1976, as a commander of the HMS Bronington, a minesweeper warship. In 1981, he married Lady Diana Spencer with whom, he had two sons, William and Harry. In 1996, the couple divorced after they had each engaged in well-publicised extramarital affairs. In 2005, Charles married his long-time partner, Camilla Parker Bowles.
Unlike his mother, Queen Elizabeth, who refused to publicly discuss her views, Charles has delivered speeches and written articles to express his views on subjects that are of his interest. However, he stood by his mother in her twilight years. He was named the queen’s designated successor in 2018. The process was accelerated after the death of Queen Elizabeth’s husband, Prince Philip, in April 2021.
Changes due to Queen’s Death
After the 73-year-old King Charles III, his eldest son Prince William would be the next in line for the throne. His wife, Catherine, the Duchess of Cornwall, and their three children, would follow after him. The UK National Anthem ‘God save our gracious Queen’ would now be changed to ‘God save our gracious King’, as it used to be in the 17th century. British currency notes with the face of Queen Elizabeth would also have the face of King Charles III in due course. Along with these, the wordings of the British MP’s pledge, the swearing words of those who have become citizens of the UK, and also, the oath taken in the name of the Queen by the members of the armed forces, are likely to be replaced with the word the King. Also, the royal cipher, EIIR, emblazoned on innumerable flags that fly on official buildings will change. Stamps used by the post offices will be replaced with the face of the new king.
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