Charles, long-time Prince of Wales, will finally ascend to the British throne after Queen Elizabeth II’s death. The eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip, the previous Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles had waited in the wings for decades, making him the longest heir-apparent in the British monarchy’s history. It effectively made him the longest-serving Prince of Wales- a title he had owned since 1958. Further, he was also the Duke of Cornwall and the Duke of Rothesay. The former belongs to the eldest son of the British monarch, while the latter falls to the heir apparent to the throne. In both instances, Charles was the beneficiary. In addition, after his father’s death in April 2021, he inherited the title of Duke of Edinburgh. Other titles included Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland, all courtesy of his position as the heir apparent.

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Age

The new king-to-be is 73 years old. Born in Buckingham Palace on 14th November 1948, four years before his mother’s ascension to the throne, he had been heir apparent since the tender age of four.   

Family

His maternal grandfather, King George VI, was the ruler at the time of his birth; the first child of the then Duchess of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth and Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Phillip. He has three siblings: Princess Royal, Anne; Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. In 1981, he married Lady Diana Spencer.

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Their marriage lasted 15 tumultuous years, culminating in divorce in 1996. He has two children from the marriage- Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (although his status as a member of the royal family remains in doubt after the much-publicized walkout with wife Meghan Markle). Since 2005, he has been married to Camilla Parker Bowles. Upon marriage, she became the Duchess of Cornwall. The two don’t have any children together.