At the moment of his mother’s death Charles immediately became the new monarch and King of the United Kingdom and 14 commonwealth realms.
Over centuries the role of constitutional monarch has evolved, from signing official papers, hosting state visits, opening parliament and handing out honours; a series of customs, legal precedent and tradition dictate what is expected of our sovereign.
For Charles, the job remains the same, but will he follow in the mould of his mother or will a change of personality bring a different type of reign?
We have been able to get to know the new head of state in a way that simply wasn’t possible with his mother.
Princess Elizabeth was only 25 when she became Queen, Charles is now in his 70s and becomes King at a time when most people would retire.
A more outspoken monarch
Unlike his mother, who was known for keeping her personal opinions private, Charles has made no secret of the causes that truly matter to him.
As he shaped his role as heir, he committed his time to some of the most important social issues of our time.
Helping young people through the Prince’s Trust, building interfaith relationships, championing the cause of climate change, and becoming one of the world’s most respected figures on environmental issues.
But by sharing his views he was at times accused of blurring the lines between public service and political interference.
The long legal battle for the release of his so-called Black Spider memos, letters he had written to government ministers, led to criticism that he had been lobbying MPs, and fears that he would be “an activist King”.
But as he turned 70, he sought to quell suggestions of meddling, saying: “I’m not that stupid.”
He added: “It is vital to remember there’s only room for one sovereign at a time. Not two….You can’t be the same as the sovereign if you’re the Prince of Wales or the heir.
“But the idea somehow that I’m going to go on in exactly the same way if I have to succeed, is complete nonsense because the two situations are completely different.”
Now he will have weekly catch ups with the prime minister, meetings where he has the right to be consulted, to encourage and to warn.
But publicly his every word will be scrutinised, to make sure that as a constitutional monarch he remains politically neutral even on the causes he supported as Prince of Wales.
New roles and responsibilities
Queen Elizabeth will be remembered for modernising the monarchy, making them more accessible through a busy routine of public engagements.
Her son has inherited that sense of service and duty to his country and will continue to fulfil a busy programme of ceremonial events, charity engagements and visits throughout the United Kingdom.
Increasingly he carried out foreign tours on the Queen’s behalf, and more overseas visits will be expected especially to the 14 Commonwealth realms, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where he is now automatically head of state.
He has also inherited the role of head of the Commonwealth.
The new King takes on several other key roles.
As supreme governor of the Church of England he will be known as “Defender of the Faith”, but previously he has floated the idea of changing that to “Defender of the Faiths”, to encompass other religions in Britain and unite different strands of society.
He is also head of the Armed Forces, which will now pledge to serve King and country.
Will Charles be a popular King?
There was a time when the thought of the Prince of Wales as monarch went against the public mood.
A failed marriage, followed by the death of Princess Diana, saw his popularity plummet.
As the decades have passed, however, attitudes towards him appear to have mellowed, helped by the growing acceptance of his wife Camilla, now his Queen consort.
We wait to see what kind of public reception he receives now that he is King.
It has been a long apprenticeship. As a young boy he would have seen his mother dealing with the red boxes full of official papers on a daily basis; as an adult he was regularly by her side for state occasions.
Now as he joins the country mourning the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, he must also choose what kind of King he will be. A decision it’s likely he has made already.
