Charles, Prince of Wales (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is the heir apparent to the British throne as the eldest son of Elizabeth II. He has been Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay since 1952, and he is the oldest and longest-serving heir apparent in British history.
He is also the longest-serving Prince of Wales, having held that title since 1958. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace as the first grandchild of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. He was educated at Cheam and Gordonstoun schools, which his father, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, had attended as a child. Charles also spent a year at the Timbertop campus of Geelong Grammar School in Victoria, Australia.
Charles to be formally proclaimed King tomorrow in traditional historic ceremony
ok.co.ukCharles will be formally proclaimed the new King in a traditional, historic ceremony on Saturday. The monarch, 73, automatically became King upon the death of his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, at the age of 96 on Thursday.
An Accession Council is usually convened at St James’s Palace in London within 24 hours of the death of a sovereign, but it will be later on this occasion because the announcement of the death of the Queen did not come until early evening on Thursday, meaning there was not enough time to set the plans in motion for Friday morning.
King Charles III, like his siblings Princess Anne, 71, Prince Andrew, 62, and Prince Edward, 58, was left heartbroken by his mum's passing.
In a statement shared on Clarence House social media accounts, he said: "The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family. "We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother." Historically, the entire Privy Council is summoned to the Accession Council to oversee the formal proclamation of a new monarch.
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