Profile: A closer look at Britain’s King Charles III

King Charles III will ascend to the throne, it was announced Thursday, after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, his mother, at the age of 96 after months of health and mobility troubles.

Charles, the oldest son of Elizabeth and her late husband Prince Philip, will now be known as King Charles III, and his wife Camilla is now queen consort.

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Charles, who was born in 1948, took on the traditional title of the Duke of Cornwall, which was established under a charter of King Edward III in 1337. He also took on the Scottish titles of the Duke of Rothesay, the Earl of Carrick, Baron Renfrew, the Lord of the Isles, and the Prince and Great Steward of Scotland, according to the royal website. Charles became the heir apparent after his mother’s coronation in 1952.

Charles has three younger siblings: Anne, the Princess Royal; Prince Andrew, the Duke of York; and Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex.

Elizabeth and Philip decided to break from royal tradition in the upbringing of Charles, choosing to send him away to school rather than appointing a royal tutor. Charles began at Hill House School in West London in November 1956 and later spent two semesters at a grammar school in Australia in 1966. In 1967, Charles attended Cambridge University to study archaeology and anthropology at Trinity College. However, he switched from anthropology to history before graduating in 1970.

(AP Photo)

The following year, Charles joined the Royal Air Force and became a jet pilot. During his tenure at Cambridge, Charles received pilot training from the Royal Air Force at his own request. However, the bulk of his military career was spent as a pilot for the Royal Navy, according to Charles’s biography. Philip and Charles’s grandfather also served in the navy.

Despite his preference for being on the sidelines, Charles has survived several scandals, including allegations of being unfaithful to his first wife, Princess Diana. During the marriage, Charles reportedly preferred the company of his now-second wife Camilla, but both were married to different people at the time. Diana, who died in 1997, five years after her divorce from Charles, famously said there were “three people” in the royal marriage, a reference to Camilla.

(Pool Photo via AP, File)

The public opinion of Camilla and Charles as a royal couple has softened over the years as Camilla focused on taking on roles at more than 100 charities. Camilla’s main focus has been on promoting literacy, supporting victims of domestic violence, and helping the elderly. Elizabeth solidified her support for Camilla earlier this year after declaring she would prefer Camilla to be called “queen consort” when her son takes over. The title was initially expected to be held in memory of Diana, and Camilla would have been called “princess consort” instead.

(AP Photo/ Alastair Grant, Pool)

Charles has also become increasingly prominent in recent months due to his mother’s declining health. Most recently, Charles led the opening of the British Parliament and delivered an opening speech at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in the African country of Rwanda in June. Charles is expected to assume control of the organization now that the queen has passed.

“While we strive together for peace, prosperity, and democracy, I want to acknowledge that the roots of our contemporary association run deep into the most painful period of our history,” Charles said in his speech, according to CNN. “I cannot describe the depths of my personal sorrow at the suffering of so many, as I continue to deepen my own understanding of slavery’s enduring impact.”

There are 15 countries within the Commonwealth, but Charles said he had no problem with countries deciding to remove the English monarch as the head of state. Barbados decided to remove the queen as head of state in 2020 and officially removed her in April.

Charles’s comments come after his daughter-in-law Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, claimed in an explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey that some royals were “racist” for voicing concerns about the color of her son’s skin. Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, stepped back from royal duties and relocated to the United States prior to the interview.

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The manner in which Charles serves as Britain’s monarch is also expected to be drastically different than Elizabeth’s. Charles, who has been vocal on his political views about topics such as climate change and the “pain and suffering” of indigenous Canadians, contrasts with Elizabeth’s more reserved style. Previously, members of the royal family were barred from meddling or commenting on politics, according to the Associated Press. However, Charles’s style of commenting on politics has also been passed on to his sons, Princes William and Harry.

Although Charles became king right after the death of his mother, his coronation will not occur for a few months. The United Kingdom has now gone into a national period of mourning, and William is now the heir apparent.