On 8 September 2022, King Charles III acceded to the throne of the United Kingdom after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and was proclaimed king two days later, on 10 September 2022, by the Accession Council in St James’s Palace in London.
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At 73 years old at the time of his accession, he is the oldest person to assume the throne in British history.
In April 2011, at the age of 62, Charles also became the longest-serving heir apparent (the previous record, of 59 years, two months and 13 days, had been held by his great-great-grandfather, King Edward VII, heir apparent to his mother Queen Victoria).
He had held the title since he was three years old, and for more than seven decades he juggled duty, expectation and all the scrutiny that came with his role.
Charles was born on 14 November 1948, the first child of Princess Elizabeth and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. A late-night news item broadcast the announcement that Princess Elizabeth "was safely delivered of a prince",
with the newsreader offering "royal congratulations" on behalf of the listeners. Prince Philip reportedly declared that the new-born Charles resembled "a plum pudding". Charles was followed by a younger sister, Princess Anne, on 15 August 1950 who, Dr Ed Owens writes for HistoryExtra, was “cast in the role of energetic and fun-loving playmate to her quieter and shyer brother”.