King Charles III on Thursday, became the oldest British monarch to accede the throne after succeeding her mother, Queen Elizabeth II who passed away at 96.
Charles, 73, had been next in line to the throne for seven decades, by a distance the longest wait in the history of the British monarchy.
However, a new, inevitably shorter, chapter of Charles’s life will begin as he in the coming days faces the twin challenges of personal bereavement and leading the nation in mourning.
The focus of attention was squarely on the family as the Queen’s children and grandchildren gathered around her and the Duke of Cambridge, who is in line to become the Prince of Wales and first in line to the throne, rushed from Berkshire to Balmoral.
The Queen’s second son, the Duke of York and the Earl and Countess of Wessex were on the same RAF plane as the Duke of Cambridge, which touched down in Aberdeen just before 4pm, the Guardian UK reported.
It was only in April 2021 that Charles lost his father, Prince Philip, who died aged 99 at Windsor Castle.
Charles will take over a role meant to represent stability in times of change, at a time of great political and social flux. But with decades of active duty as the Prince of Wales behind him he will hope to rise to that task. Not least, despite his age he will represent a different generation to the Queen, becoming the first British monarch to have gone to school.