After Queen Elizabeth II's unprecedented 70 years on the throne, her reign ended on September 8. Her death set in motion a flurry of long-cemented protocol; she was buried, the public queued, and many people in the U.K. got their first new monarch in a lifetime: King Charles III, set to be crowned in early May 2023.
At the moment of the queen's death, Charles officially became king. To formally recognize the transition and proclaim Charles as the monarch, an “Accession Council,” consisting of the group of advisors to the sovereign known as the Privy Council, will convene at St. James's Palace in London.
Princess Catherine will eventually become queen when Prince William is named king. However, that won't happen until his dad, King Charles, steps down as monarch (or passes away).
King Charles' coronation will take place May 7, 2023. The coronation, or crowning, of the British monarch is mostly ceremonial. King Charles assumed the throne immediately after Queen Elizabeth II died, so there is no concern about a lack of a sovereign. After her father, King George VI, died on Feb.
1. William, Prince of Wales. Charles's eldest son, Prince William, is now first in line to the throne. Like his father before him, he's been granted the title Prince of Wales, as well as Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge, and William's wife Catherine is now Princess of Wales.
Even if the Queen had desired to skip Charles in favor of William, she did not have the power to choose her successor on a whim. The 1701 Act of Settlement is the act of Parliament that determines the succession to the throne and requires that a monarch's heir must be his or her direct successor (and a Protestant).
Queen Elizabeth II cannot bypass Prince Charles as next in line for the throne, but he can be bypassed in the order of succession. The decision over the order of succession is determined by Parliament, not the Queen or King.
In fact, she will officially be crowned queen consort during King Charles's coronation at Westminster Abbey on May 6. Camilla will be the first queen consort crowned in nearly 90 years—the last was Queen Elizabeth, the queen mother (wife of King George VI and mother of Queen Elizabeth II), back in 1937.
Charles III will be crowned with St Edward's Crown during the solemn ceremony to be held at London's Westminster Abbey on May 6, just as his late mother Queen Elizabeth II was in 1953. He will also wear the Imperial State Crown during the service.
This styling is here to stay, until William succeeds his father on the throne one day. Then, Catherine will be formally known as the Queen Consort or popularly Queen Catherine, as Charles' wife Queen Camilla is now.
The duke recalls meeting Camilla, whom he and his brother called “the other woman,” for the first time, and notes that it was far from a pleasant experience for him. He described their introduction as an “injection,” for which he had to brace himself.
"Without William, Kate would curtsy to Camilla; with him, she would not," the source continued. "That's unless Prince Charles is present, in which case she would." The order of curtsying, however, can change. This could happen when people marry into the family.
Her Majesty leaves behind over $500 million in personal assets from her 70 years on the throne, which Prince Charles will inherit when he is crowned king.
A period of mourning will take place, although only the date of the Queen's funeral (yet to be announced) will be a national holiday. A period of royal mourning will be observed from now until seven days after the Queen's funeral.
Will new currency now be issued to feature King Charles III? This does not happen automatically in light of the Queen's death. Any new image of a monarch would need agreement and sign-off from Buckingham Palace.
The queen had four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward. Although Anne is older than two of her brothers, she is farther down the line of succession because of an old law that allowed men to skip over women in the line.
Becoming king in his 70s could be a difficult job to take on, but could Prince Charles refuse to take the throne? The concise answer to the above question is no. The Line of Succession is determined by Statue Law, and if the Queen steps down or dies, Charles would become king automatically.
How far does Queen Elizabeth's bloodline go? The bloodline of the current royal family can be traced back some 1,209 years! This covers 37 generations and goes all the way back to the 9th century.
What Kate called the Queen. While the rest of the world is required to address Queen Elizabeth as Ma'am or your majesty, those closest to her are allowed to refer to her as Mama, according to Ingrid Seward, the editor of Majesty magazine. Sign up to British Heritage Travel's daily newsletter here!
Charles will not be changing his name, as was previously speculated. He will be known as King Charles III. Charles was nine when he was given the title the Prince of Wales. He's now 73, and ascended to the throne immediately following his mother Queen Elizabeth's death today.
Kate Middleton only became Princess Kate a few months ago, but she's already adding yet another royal title to her collection. King Charles named his daughter-in-law as the new honorary Colonel of the Irish Guards, a title previously held by her husband, Prince William.
The King gave his first speech as monarch
King Charles III has revealed when his son, Prince William, will succeed him as monarch in his first speech as the King of England. In the speech, the new head of state revealed that he planned to serve for life, meaning that William will only succeed him when he passes away.
Prince William could have become king directly after Queen Elizabeth II only if Charles had died before her, according to Robert Hazell, a professor of government and the constitution at the University College London.
And after King Edward VIII abdicated the throne in 1936, there is a precedent for an heir to refuse the throne. So, yes, it is possible. Now, for the would. This, too, ties back to abdication.
In the same way, Kate Middleton would graduate from Duchess of Cambridge to Queen Catherine when Prince William becomes king, although officially she would also be a queen consort. The couple might get another title upgrade sooner though, when Prince Charles becomes the monarch.