LONDON - Prince Charles has been preparing for the crown his entire life. Now, at age 73, that moment has finally arrived.Charles, the oldest person to ever assume the British throne, became King Charles III on Thursday following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
No date has been set for his coronation.After an apprenticeship that began as a child, Charles embodies the modernization of the British monarchy.
He was the first heir not educated at home, the first to earn a university degree, and the first to grow up in the ever-intensifying glare of the media as deference to royalty faded.FILE - Prince Charles, Prince of Wales visits the new Emergency Service Station at Barnard Castle on Feb.
15, 2018, in Durham, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson - WPA Pool /Getty Images) He also alienated many with his messy divorce from the much-loved Princess Diana, and by straining the rules that prohibit royals from intervening in public affairs, wading into debates on issues such as environmental protection and architectural preservation."He now finds himself in, if you like, the autumn of his life, having to think carefully about how he projects his image as a public figure," said historian Ed Owens. "He’s nowhere near as popular as his mother."Charles must figure out how to generate the "public support, a sense of endearment" that characterized the relationship Elizabeth had with the British public, Owens said.Hundreds of people flocked to Buckingham Palace on Thursday evening, September 8, after the Royal Family announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II.