Charles Prince of Wales

Charles is likely to be the "climate king." But he faces plenty of other challenges in the United Kingdom and abroad.

But as Newman said, a lot of this notion of the Commonwealth came from the queen herself: “Once she’s gone, I think this could unravel.” That could be destabilizing, at least in how Britain thinks of itself and its place in the world. [Global Britain](https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2021/11/britannia-chained-why-the-legacy-of-brexit-threatens-boris-johnsons-global-britain)” in the post-Brexit world, one where the UK reasserts its power and influence apart from the European Union. As experts said, Queen Elizabeth invested in this role as leader of the Commonwealth, and in passing it on to Charles, indicated she wanted it to continue. But there is also a lot of historical reckoning that hasn’t really been done, especially when it comes to Britain’s imperial history and its involvement in the slave trade. “And therefore, yes, there is a duty to the nation and to the British people.” [is trying to establish its position in the world](https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/issue-brief/global-britain-an-american-review/) in the aftermath of Brexit. Charles is also taking over as the head of the Commonwealth, a disparate group of nations that are only connected through very loose ties to Britain. The so-called “Spider Memos” include everything from a passionate demand [to end the illegal fishing of the Patagonian toothfish](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/may/13/prince-charles-black-spider-memos-lobbying-ministers-tony-blair) to a call for more equipment for troops in Iraq. And of course, by reorienting the monarchy around this global issue, it is a way for the institution to stay relevant and maybe even necessary. In 2018, the queen also named Charles [the head of the Commonwealth of Nations](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/apr/20/prince-charles-next-head-commonwealth-queen), which is the United Kingdom plus a group of 53 countries that have cultural or political ties to it, including as part of its former empire. “There’s another role that he’s carefully carving out for himself at the moment, and that is as this environmentalist king-in-waiting,” Owens said. “The reason the monarchy has survived is by constantly searching out new roles for itself,” said Ed Owens, a historian of the modern British monarchy.

King Charles III ascended to the throne upon his mother Queen Elizabeth's death this afternoon.

[Emily Burack](https://www.emilyburack.com/) (she/her) is the news writer for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Follow her @emburack on [Twitter ](https://twitter.com/emburack)and [Charles will have to decide what he wants his regnal name to be](https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a10021776/prince-charles-name-change-king/). It's as yet unclear when [Charles's coronation](https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/a22500180/prince-charles-coronation/) will take place. Just as Queen Elizabeth [became monarch the moment her father, King George VI, died](https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a40153143/queen-elizabeth-became-monarch-moment-queen/), King Charles, too, takes on the role as British monarch immediately. [Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee](https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/g40197892/royal-family-platinum-jubilee-pageant-photos/), a royal fan told Kate, "You’re going to make a brilliant Princess of Wales."

With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, her eldest son Charles, has ascended to the throne.

In 2015, Charles met with then-President Barack Obama for the second time during a three-day visit to the U.S. and I'm not just saying that," crediting Charles for having got "the whole thing going." "I suppose I have spent most of my life trying to propose and initiate things that very few people could see the point of or, frankly, thought were plain bonkers," he said in 2016. Biden praised the prince for his leadership on environmental matters and reportedly told him: "We need you badly… During former President Donald Trump's state visit to the U.K. "What moved me is his passion for future generations," said Trump. From early on, the boy-who-would-be-king's most essential duty was to find a wife and produce future heirs. He has continued to be a passionate advocate through his charity work for everything from environmental conservation, to community empowerment. But it became obvious to the world that the royal couple wasn't happy together. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world. [passing of Queen Elizabeth II](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/queen-elizabeth-ii-dies-age-96-britains-longest-reigning-monarch/), her first son Charles has ascended the throne. "We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother.

Queen Elizabeth II died at 96 at Balmoral Castle. We look back when Prince Charles, Princess Diana and the royal family visited Palm Beach County.

He was released the next day, flew to Eleuthera in the Bahamas and returned to Wellington a few days later. In 1989, the Prince of Wales visited Florida to inaugurate the Windsor Polo and Beach Club. He had spent a rigorous afternoon on horseback on the polo fields of Wellington in 90-degree heat. Geoffrey Kent and the prince had been playing polo together for years and founded the Windsor Park Polo Team in England in 1987. [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). There also was a flap over Patricia Kluge, the ball's co-chair, who resigned after it was revealed that, years earlier, she had posed nude for a British magazine. The polo club, 10 miles north of Vero Beach in Indian River County, was the brainchild of Geoffrey and Jorie Kent. Contact Lordi at 561-542-6249 or The prince returned to Palm Beach County in 1988. Following the inauguration of the new club in Vero Beach, Kent and the Prince of Wales played for the Windsor Park Polo Team at the Palm Beach Polo and Country Club in Wellington. [ Prince Harry, the younger son of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, visited Palm Beach County](https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/local/2016/08/13/between-prince-charles-harry-visits/7055670007/) to play a charity polo match at Valiente Polo Farm in [Wellington](https://www.palmbeachpost.com/neighborhoods/wellington/). In 1980, the Prince of Wales was admitted to Good Samaritan Hospital in

Now that Queen Elizabeth has died, as Prince Charles' ascends the throne to become King, he inherits the responsibilities and privileges of a consecrated ...

[Prince Harry](http://people.com/tag/prince-harry/) becomes fifth in line to the throne. The position of the Prince of Wales is traditionally reserved for the heir apparent and does not pass on to William until Charles formally bestows it, which may take several months. (Up until then, succession rules stated that the crown would pass to the eldest male heir and only to a female heir when there were no other male heirs available.) "That might seem like a minor thing, but it is a big victory for equality," Williams says of the amendment. [Prince George](http://people.com/tag/prince-george/), 9. (This is why there are no official photos of King Edward VIII with a crown, as he abdicated ahead of his coronation — a fact that was touched on in Netflix's hit series

Queen Elizabeth II was an outlier when she kept her given name as sovereign. Royal watchers have widely scrutinized whether Charles would follow suit.

That decision changed earlier this year when, on the date marking the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation, her message included a “sincere wish” that Camilla be known as queen consort when Charles became king. Clarence House, one of the royal residences, confirmed to the BBC shortly after Truss’ remarks that the new king would indeed be known as Charles III. He reportedly felt the need for continuity following the dramatic decision of his brother and predecessor, King Edward VIII, to abdicate his role as king in 1936 after reigning for less than a year.

Almost certainly, King Charles III will be a different monarch from his long-serving mother Queen Elizabeth II. And, at 73, his reign will be shorter.

[Christopher Andersen](https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Christopher-Andersen/8541), author of multiple royal biographies (including his latest, [ "Brothers and Wives: Inside the Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry and Meghan"](https://www.amazon.com/Brothers-Inside-Private-Worlds-William/dp/1982159723)), thinks Charles could still enjoy a longish reign given his parents' longevity. ["I'm not that stupid," he snapped in the interview.](https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2018/11/13/prince-charles-prince-wales-celebrates-his-70th-birthday/1929854002/) "I do realize that it is a separate exercise being sovereign, so of course I understand entirely how that should operate." [Carolyn Harris](https://learn.utoronto.ca/why-continuing-studies/about-our-instructors/instructors/carolyn-harris-ma-phd), an historian and teacher at the University of Toronto and author of ["Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting." "Given his mother's immense popularity and his lackluster standing in the polls, Charles would be wise to go slow, but he won't. "When there is a long reign, the monarchy and the person as the monarch come to be seen as the same," Harris says. (Charles' charities, his vast Duchy of Cornwall, and a host of other Prince of Wales duties and activities, will be taken over by his heir, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and other members of the family.) [has been mostly resolved by his mother](https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2022/02/05/queen-elizabeth-ii-says-camilla-should-queen-consort-when-charles-king/6679279001/): On the eve of her Accession Day, Feb. It's incredibly difficult to step into the shoes of (the queen's) kind of monarch." "He will be less reserved in his meetings than his mother was but he won’t try in any way to directly influence government policy because the (unwritten British) constitution prohibits that." "There will be a lot of people in media and on social media who want to undermine him," she says. But [there's little puzzlement in the royal palaces](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/mar/16/what-happens-when-queen-elizabeth-dies-london-bridge), in Parliament or the British government, and almost certainly none in Charles' mind. Founded by Edward III in 1348, the prestigious Order of the Garter is the oldest and most senior British order of chivalry; the appointment was an unmistakable sign of the top royal's approval.

Prince Charles' mother became queen when he was only three after the death of his grandfather King George VI in 1952.

He was also the first grandchild of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. He is the father of Princes William and Harry and is also a grandfather. “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. He founded The Prince’s Trust in 1976, and is a patron, president or member of over 400 other charities and organisations. His mother became queen when he was only three after the death of his grandfather King George VI in 1952. Prince Charles’ mother became queen when he was only three after the death of his grandfather King George VI in 1952.

As heir to the throne, Prince Charles exhibited an activism that differed sharply from the way his mother fulfilled her role as monarch.

It's going to be as Prince of Wales," Matthew Rowe, manager of operations and partnership for his charitable efforts in Canada, But it was in that role that he always considered he would have his greatest influence. "Queen Victoria in her correspondence was quite open about her political views," Harris has said. He's driven by this, this passion inside him to really help," she said. But Charles himself has defended his actions. His coronation is likely to be months down the road. It's a tricky question, getting to the fundamental role of the one who wears the crown. Charles became King the moment his His time as King won't be nearly as long. "I do realize that it is a separate exercise being sovereign, so of course I understand entirely how that should operate." Charles's charitable efforts have cut a broad swath. What about involvement in affairs of state?