Newsonline reports that Charles succeeded as England’s King immediately, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch of the UK. Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96 at Balmoral castle, Scotland on Thursday, the Royal Family announced.
“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon… The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
“The death of my beloved mother, The Queen is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family,” a statement from the King at the time of the death of Queen Elizabeth II read.
According to the BBC, Charles, the eldest son of the Queen and the former Prince of Wales will lead the country in mourning as the new King and head of state for 14 Commonwealth realms. BBC reported that one of his first acts would be to decide whether he would be called King Charles III or by any other name. Charles’ wife will be called Queen Consort, a title used for the wife of the monarch.
Other members to undergo a change of titles
The Queen’s death means that other members of Britain’s Royal family will also undergo chage of titles. Prince William will inherit Charles’ title and become Duke of Cornwall, while his wife Catherine will become the Dutches of Cornwall.
Over the next 24 hours following the Queen’s death, Charles will be officially declared the King of England. The ceremony, according to the BBC, will take place at St James’ Palace in London in front of the Accession Council, a ceremonial body that consists of senior MPs, the Lord Mayor of London, commonwealth high commissioners and civil servants.
In 1952, when the last accession took place, about 200 people attended the ceremony. While Charles’ accession ceremony is likely to be attended by about 700 people, the actual number may be lesser due to the sudden death of the Queen.
