Prince Charles ascends to the throne after decades of preparation

London: Prince Charles has spent his entire life preparing for the throne. At his age of 73, that time has finally come.

After his mother, Queen Elizabeth II passed away on Thursday, Charles—the oldest monarch in British history—took the throne. The new king's coronation has not been scheduled, and it is not yet known if he will use the name Charles III or use another name like his grandfather.

Charles represents the modernising of the British monarchy after an apprenticeship that began when he was a little child. He was the first heir who did not receive a home education, the first to graduate from a university, and the first to grow up under the intense spotlight of the media as respect for monarchy diminished.

Charles must figure out how to create the "public support, a sense of endearment" that characterised the relationship Elizabeth had with the public after his messy divorce from the much loved Princess Diana, according to Owens. By violating the laws prohibiting royals from interfering in public affairs and engaging in debates on topics like environmental protection and architectural preservation, Charles has alienated many people.

"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."

Will Charles still enjoy the same level of favour among his people? His life has been overshadowed by this question.

Charles was a shy child with a strict father who developed into an unassuming, somewhat awkward guy with strong beliefs. Charles has given talks and written articles on topics near to his heart, such as climate change, green energy, and alternative medicine, in contrast to his mother, who would not express her opinions in public.

The debate over the future of Britain's largely ceremonial monarchy, which is viewed by some as a sign of national unity and by others as an obsolete holdover from feudal times, is likely to intensify in the wake of his accession to the throne.

"We know the monarch and certainly the monarch's family – they're not meant to have political voices. They're not meant to have political opinions. And the fact that he's been flexing, if you like, his political muscle is something that he will have to be really careful with ... lest he be seen as unconstitutional," said Owens, who wrote "The Family Firm: Monarchy, Mass Media and the British Public, 1932-53."

Charles, who will preside as the leader of the United Kingdom and 14 other nations, including Papua New Guinea, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, has defended his actions.

"I always wonder what meddling is, I always thought it was motivating," he said in "Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70," a 2018 documentary. "I've always been intrigued if it's meddling to worry about the inner cities, as I did 40 years ago and what was happening or not happening there, the conditions in which people were living. If that's meddling, I'm very proud of it."

But Charles recognised in the same interview that because being king is different from being the Prince of Wales, he wouldn't be allowed to speak out or become involved in politics as monarch, Associated Press reported.

Charles has stated that he wants to make financial cost savings, better represent contemporary Britain, and limit the number of working royals.

For a man whose office once referred to the monarchy as "the focal point for national pride, unity, and commitment," tradition also counts.

As a result, Charles has led a life of polo and palaces, drawing criticism that he is out of touch with reality and being made fun of for having a valet who purportedly squeezes toothpaste into his brush.

But what caused many to doubt his suitability for the monarchy was the collapse of his marriage to Diana. Then, as he grew older, his gorgeous young sons took the show from a man known for being as old as his Saville Row suits.

Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life" author Sally Bedell Smith said that despite his destiny, he was continuously eclipsed by other members of the family.

"I think the frustrations are not so much that he's had to wait for the throne," Smith told PBS. "I think his main frustration is that he has done so much and that ... he has been sort of massively misunderstood. He's sort of been caught between two worlds: the world of his mother, revered, now beloved; and Diana, the ghost of whom still shadows him; and then his incredibly glamorous sons."

Before "the people's princess" passed away in a vehicle accident in Paris in 1997, it took many Britons a long time to forgive Charles for his acknowledged adultery with Diana. But once he wed Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005 and she was made the Duchess of Cornwall, the public's attitude softened.

Even though Camilla was a major factor in Charles and Diana's separation, her humble demeanour and down-to-earth humour eventually won over many Britons.

She made Charles appear more approachable, if not happier, in public, which made him smile more when he cut ribbons, went to places of worship, unveiled plaques, and waited for the crown.

When Queen Elizabeth II declared in February 2022 that it was her "sincere wish" that Camilla be referred to as "Queen Consort" once her son succeeded her, she gave an end to speculation over her place in the Royal Family.

On November 14, 1948, Prince Charles Philip Arthur George was born at Buckingham Palace. The three-year-old Prince became the Duke of Cornwall in 1952 when his mother succeeded to the throne. At age 20, he was made Prince of Wales.

The future king's school years were difficult since he was tormented by peers at Gordonstoun, a Scottish boarding school that takes pride in developing character through challenging outdoor activities and also educated his father, Philip.

Charles was the first British royal to get a degree in history in 1970 while attending Trinity College, Cambridge University.

He then served in the military for seven years, first becoming a pilot in the Royal Air Force and later joining the Royal Navy, where he gained helicopter piloting experience. In 1976, he retired from the service after serving as the HMS Bronington's commander.

Before he left for sea, Charles started dating Camilla; however, the relationship failed, and she later wed a cavalry officer.

When Lady Diana Spencer was 16 years old and he was dating her older sister, they first met in 1977. Diana reportedly didn't see him again until 1980, when she accepted an invitation to spend time with Charles and the royal family, which sparked rumours of their engagement.

In February 1981, they made their engagement public. When a reporter questioned them if they were in love during a live television appearance announcing their engagement, it became clear that there was some difficulty in their relationship. "Of course," Diana answered immediately, while Charles said, "Whatever 'in love' means."

Although Diana giggled at the response, she later said that Charles' remark "threw me completely."

"God, it absolutely traumatized me," she said in a recording made by her voice coach in 1992-93 that was featured in the 2017 documentary "Diana, In Her Own Words."

On July 29, 1981, the couple exchanged vows in a publicly televised ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral. Less than a year later, Prince William, the current heir to the throne, was born. His brother, Prince Harry, was born in 1984.

The public fairytale quickly fell apart. In 1994, Charles confessed his adultery to a TV interviewer. Diana brought up her husband's relationship with Camilla in a separate interview, stating: "There were three of us in this marriage."

Charles' reputation was damaged by the revelations among many people who admired Diana for her fashion sense and humanitarian efforts with AIDS patients and landmine victims.

Harry and William were stuck in the middle. While the princes honoured their late mother, they also commended Charles for being a good father and for being an early supporter of causes like the environment.

The decision by Harry and his wife, Meghan, to leave their royal responsibilities and go to California in 2020 is a sign that tensions within the royal family still exist. They later claimed in a television appearance that a royal family member had "concerns and conversations" over the colour of their unborn child's skin before he was born. William was compelled by the shocking information to openly admit the family wasn't prejudiced.

Charles persisted, gradually filling in for the ailing queen. He was named the queen's choice to succeed her as head of the Commonwealth, a grouping of 54 countries with ties to the British Empire, in 2018. Following the passing of her husband, Prince Philip, on April 9, 2021, the process quickened.

He occasionally stepped in at the last second as Elizabeth declined.

The queen asked Charles to preside on the eve of the state opening of Parliament on May 10, 2022, assigning him one of her most significant constitutional responsibilities as proof that a transition was taking place.

In a 2018 documentary, Camilla claimed that Charles was at ease with the idea of being king.

"I think his destiny will come," she said. "He's always known it's going to come, and I don't think it does weigh heavily on his shoulders at all."