Following his mother’s passing on Thursday, Charles, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II, the monarch with the longest reign in British history, has ascended to the throne. His mother will be succeeded as monarch of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth states by King Charles III, as he will be known.
Here are 10 things to know about King Charles III of Britain:
1. The first child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, is King Charles III.
2. Charles, now 73, was born in 1948 in London’s Buckingham Palace.
3. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Cambridge in 1970; he would also receive a Master of Arts degree from Cambridge.
4. Charles studied for a period at the University College of Wales in Aberystwyth before being appointed Prince of Wales by the Queen in 1969.
5. The following few years would see Charles serving in both the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force.
6. He wed Lady Diana Spencer, later Princess of Wales, in 1981. The princes William and Harry, who are currently the Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, respectively, were the couple’s two sons.
7. In 1992, Charles and Diana decided to divorce.
8. Diana perished in a vehicle accident in Paris in 1997.
9. Charles wed Camilla in 2005; as a result, she received the title Duchess of Cornwall and is currently known as the Queen Consort.
10. The couple resided at London’s Clarence House, a regal mansion on The Mall.
