A somber step forward. Prince CharlesHe is now king in the United Kingdom, following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II at 96 on Thursday September 8.
When the Prince of Wales, 73, addressed Elizabeth’s passing on Thursday, his official statement was signed His Majesty the King. “The death of my beloved mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family,” he wrote. “We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.”
He continued: “During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held.”
Charles was the U.K.’s longest-waiting heir apparent and the oldest British monarch ever to assume the throne. Though he became king immediately upon his mother’s death, a group of advisors known as the Privy Council will convene at St. James’s Palace to formally recognize him as the new monarch in a meeting called the Accession Council.
Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth II Shutterstock (2)
Charles will take an Oath to Preserve the Church of Scotland after the meeting. Parliament will be recalled so its members can take oaths of Allegiance to the New sovereign. Charles’ accession declaration, an oath to maintain the established Protestant succession, will likely be made at the next state opening of Parliament.
A formal coronation ceremony for the new king will not be held for several months in order to allow for mourning and prepare for the ceremony.
Elizabeth died shortly after Buckingham Palace announced that she was put under “medical supervision” due to growing concerns about her health. Charles, Prince William, Camilla DuchessAnd Prince HarryAll of them traveled to Balmoral (Scotland) amid the news.
The royal family’s loss comes shortly after Elizabeth marked 70 years on the throne with her Platinum Jubilee, during which she officially announced that she wanted Camilla, 75, to become Queen Consort when Charles inherited the throne.
“Camilla has definitely grown on Elizabeth II, more so than ever during the pandemic,” a source exclusively told Us WeeklyAt the time.
Prince Charles. Shutterstock
The four-day Jubilee celebration began in June. The queen was seen with her family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace during the Trooping the Colour parade. Shortly after the event, however, the palace announced that the monarch would miss the Service of Thanksgiving after feeling some “discomfort” during Trooping the Colour.
She later skipped the Party at the Palace concert, but she made a surprise appearance following the conclusion of the Jubilee Pageant. “The queen was disappointed that she couldn’t attend all the events,” an insider told Use at the time, adding that she still “enjoyed every second of the show” that she was able to witness.
Elizabeth’s husband, Prince Philip, died in April 2021 at age 99 after a series of health scares, including a month-long hospital stay earlier that year. On April 17, 2021, he was laid to rest at Windsor Castle. The queen’s physician later reported the cause of his death as “old age.” The couple were married for more than years.
The late queen, who succeeded King George VI as her father, assumed the throne in 1952 when she was 25 years old. She was the longest-serving and longest-lived monarch in British History and the longest-serving female headof state in world history.
Since Charles and Camilla were married in 2005, Buckingham Palace has never addressed how Camilla would be included in the monarchy. At the time of their engagement, the palace released a statement noting, “It is intended that Mrs Parker Bowles should use the title HRH The Princess Consort when The Prince of Wales accedes to The Throne.”
Now that there’s a more clear idea of how the couple will rule, Charles is “working very closely” with his eldest son, William, 40, to form a more modern monarchy, a source informed UseFebruary “The way William and Charles see it, less people means less drama.”
William is now the first to inherit the throne. His children follow the Duke of Cambridge. Duchess Kate: Prince George, 9, Prince Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis (4.2). Charles’ youngest son, Harry, 37, is fifth in the line of succession.
