Amy Haneline|USA TODAY
After more than 70 years of Queen Elizabeth II's steady reignover the United Kingdom, Prince Charles ascended the throne upon her death and is nowKing Charles III.
The first-born son of the queenand her late husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, Charles wasnext in line for the throne from the time he was 3 years old, making him the longest serving, and the most prepared, heir to the throne in British history.
Elizabeth was the reigning monarch from February 1952, when she was 25,up until her death at 96 last week.
Now that Charles hasbecome king, people (especially Americans) are askingquestions aboutwho he is, his role in the royal family and what he is expected to do during his reign.
Here's everything to know about King Charles III.
Now begins the reign of King Charles III: What kind of sovereign will he be? Not like his mother
Who is King Charles III of the United Kingdom?
Born, Nov.14, 1948,Charles Philip Arthur George Windsor is the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and her late husband, Prince Philip. Upon the death of the queenon Sept. 8, 2022, Charles, formerly known as Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, became kingof the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
King Charles is known for his previous marriage to the late Princess Diana. The couple had two children, Prince William and Prince Harry.
More Q&As: King Charles III succeeds Queen Elizabeth. What to know about British royal line.
When will Charles be crowned?
Legally, Charlesbecame king from the moment of the queen's death, meaning he is head of state for the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and a dozen other countries. He's also the titular head of the Church of England, head of the military and the judiciary, and carries a host of other royal titles and duties.
The name he chose as his regnal, or reign, name is his own first name, Charles, and it is followed by the Roman numeralIIIbecause he is the third king Charles in British history.
In the days following thequeen's death, Charles was formally proclaimed as monarchin an accession ceremony and gave his first formal address as king.
Charles willlikely be crownedwithin the year; the ancient ritual of the coronation requires advance planning,although a lot of that has already been done. But there hasn't been a coronation since June 1953when the late queen was crowned.
King Charles speech: Read the full transcript from his first national address following queen's death
How old is King Charles III?
He is73, the oldest monarch to ever take the British throne.
Survival of the monarchy: Why Queen Elizabeth II's funeral is more than just ceremony
Who is first in line to become king after Charles?
Prince William, King Charles' elderson and formerly the Duke of Cambridge, isnext in line for the throne under the British line of succession.
Charles named William, 40, the new Prince of Wales in an announcementon his first full day as king. As a result, William's wife Catherine, or Kate as she is widely known, also 40,became Princess of Wales. She is the first to hold that title sincethe death ofPrincess Dianain 1997.
After Prince William, theline of successionturns to Prince William and PrincessKate's children. The succession is as follows:
- Prince William, the Prince of Wales(Charles and Diana's first-born son)
- Prince George of Wales(Will and Kate's first-born son)
- Princess Charlotte of Wales(Will and Kate's second-born daughter)
- Prince Louis of Wales(Will and Kate's third-born son)
- Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex (Charles and Diana's second-born son)
More: What happens to the other royals under King Charles III and his new slimmed-down monarchy?
Is King Charles married?
Charles is married to the former Camilla Parker Bowles, who was knownas Camilla, duch*ess of Cornwall. She is now the Queen Consort.
Legally, Camilla was thePrincess of Wales when she married Charles in 2005 but it was decided at the time she would assume one of the Charles' lesser titles instead. Diana long blamed Camilla for the breakup of her marriage to Charles and public fury remained when Camilla and Charles married eight years after Diana's death in a car crash in Paris.
When did Charles marry Camilla?
Charles marriedCamillain 2005in two ceremonies in Windsor. Right after the reception for 800guests at Windsor Castle, the couple left for a honeymoon in Scotland.
Few Brits thought the wedding would actually happen. A future king had never married a divorced woman. Plus, Camilla was oncethe most despised woman in Britain, the alleged home-wrecker who broke up the marriage of Charles and Diana.
But by the couple's 10th wedding anniversary, public perception of Camilla began to change as the royal family, including the queen, embraced her. Charles once said she would never be called Queen Camilla whenhe assumed the throne. His wishes on that later changed, and the late queen made if official in February 2022 when she announced she wanted her heir's second wife to be known as Queen Consort.
When were Prince Charles and Princess Diana married?
Charles was first married to Lady Diana Spencer, laterknown as the beloved Princess Diana. They were married for 15 yearsfrom 1981 to 1996. Diana was 20 and Charles was 32 at the time of their nuptials. The wedding was billed as a fairy tale, but their married lifewas not.
As the public would learn later, Charles hadalways been in love withCamilla, a woman he’d met over a decade prior in 1970. During the marriage of Charles and Diana, there were affairs on both sides.
The royal coupleseparated in 1992and divorced in 1996.
Diana, Charles and Camilla: The love triangle of the century
What will Camilla be called now?
People could call her justQueen Camilla, but her official title is Queen Consort Camilla, or Camilla, the Queen Consort.
The vexing question of what to call her once Charles assumed the throne was resolved when the late queen announcedduring festivities marking her seven decades on the throne thatthe then-duch*ess of Cornwallshould be known as Queen Consort, as opposed to Princess Consort, whenCharles became king.
"Queen Consort" is the fancy name for the wife of a reigning king.In general, a queen consort's job is to support the king in any way she can.As with thefirst lady of the United States, there's no job description, no official duties and no salary. But there's high visibility,high pressure and high expectations from the public whose taxes pay for the monarchy.
Camilla's new title, explained: What's the difference between queen and 'Queen Consort'?
If King Charles dies, will Camilla be queen?
While we call her Queen Camilla, shewill never be the reigning queen. Only members of the royal family who are born in the direct line of succession can become the monarch.
With Prince William and his son Prince George, 9, the next two in line for the throne after King Charles,a reigning queen is unlikely to come anytime soon. (There have only been six reigning queensin British history since 1066.)
Who are King Charles’ siblings?
King Charles has three siblings:From oldest to youngest, Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, 72, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, 62, and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, 58. They are all children of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.
Charles' only sister, Princess Anne, is a full-time working royal, currently 16th in line for the throne. She appears in line after her younger brothers because she was born before the Succession to the Crown Act of 2013, which endedthe system of male primogeniture.
Before the rules changed, younger sons would displace an elder daughter in the line of succession. Now the succession is based on birth order, not gender: Thus, Princess Charlotte, 7, is nowthird in line and ahead of her younger brother Prince Louis, 4, who is fourth.
Prince Andrew is eighth in line for the throne despite his scandal-ridden history. He's beenunder fire in Britain since at least 2011for his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein,the convicted American sex offender who died in jail in 2019. After a disastrous 2019 TV interview about his relationship with Epstein, Andrew officially stepped back from public duties and as a senior working royal.
Earlier this year, Andrew settled alawsuit with an American sexual assault accuser, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who had beenairing allegations against him publicly since 2015.
Charles' youngest brother, Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, isa full-time working royal and is 13th in line for the throne.
What is King Charles III known for?
Beyond his role in the royal family as William and Harry's father, the queen's son and the new king, Charles is known for his long and steady service as the Prince of Wales, as he carried out his official and ceremonial duties and established more than 20 charities, includingThe Prince's Trust,The Prince's FoundationandThe Prince of Wales’sCharitable Fund.
As Queen Elizabeth's mobility waned in themonths before her death, Charles stepped in for the monarch, including standing in for her for the first timeat the state opening of Parliament this year, when he delivered what has long been called "the Queen's Speech." Now it will be called "the King's Speech."
What are King Charles' interests? Did he serve in the military?
King Charles has shown keen interest in environmental causes includingorganic farming, architecture and urban planning, andfighting climate change. He served in the military,the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy in the 1970s, and will no doubt be on hand for many military parades and events during his reign.
As king,Charles is expectedto "slim down" the monarchy– reduce the number of working senior royals supported by taxpayers– and reduce the overall multimillion-pound annual cost of the royal show.
More: How much power did Queen Elizabeth II actually have? And will King Charles III have more or less?
Contributing: Maria Puente,Marco della Cava,Andrea Mandell
