Before he became King Charles III, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II held the title Prince of Wales for longer than anyone in history.
Charles ascended to the throne following the death of his mother, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, on Sept. 8, 2022. After seven decades as heir to the queen, King Charles III would now rule.
In this photo, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, inspects a royal guard at Garden Island Naval Base in Sydney, Australia, Nov. 9, 2012, as part of a tour marking Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee.
Prince Charles, 1948
Britain’s Princess Elizabeth, the future queen, holds her son Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace, following his christening on Dec. 15, 1948. Seated at right is her grandmother Queen Mary, the mother of her father, King George VI, who stands behind them.
The royal family
Princess Elizabeth, and her husband, Prince Philip, pose with their children Prince Charles and Princess Anne at Clarence House, the royal couple’s London residence, in August 1951. The couple later had two more sons, Andrew and Edward.
Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II waves from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, following her coronation at Westminster Abbey in London on June 2, 1953. Also waving are the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles and Princess Anne.
Prince Charles
Prince Charles poses at Buckingham Palace in London, Nov. 13, 1957.
Mother and son
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles at Windsor in 1969.
Portrait
Britain’s Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, poses for a 1969 photo dressed in his investiture regalia.
Prince Charles, 1969
Britain’s Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, in the uniform of the Colonel in Chief of the Royal Regiment of Wales, salutes at the Regiment’s Colour presentation, at Cardiff Castle in Wales, June 11, 1969.
College Revue
Charles, Prince of Wales appears in the Trinity College, Cambridge annual revue, “Quiet Flows The Don,” in a parody of weather forecasts, as “Weather Tim Nobler,” February 23, 1970.
Polo
Prince Charles in a polo match around 1970.
Birthday portrait
Charles, Prince of Wales on leave from the army for his 26th birthday, in November 1974.
Cambridge University
Prince Charles leaves Senate House, Cambridge, after receiving his Master of Arts degree from the university, March 8, 1975. The prince spent three years at Trinity College, Cambridge, reading archaeology, anthropology and history.
At the wheel
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales arrives in his Aston Martin car to attend polo at Windsor Great Park on June 1, 1975 in Windsor, England.
Eligible bachelor
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, wearing a navy blue Ralph Lauren jumper and white jodhpurs, talks to Lady Sarah Spencer as they attend a polo match at Guards Polo Club in July 1977 in Windsor, England. Charles would later date and then marry Sarah’s sister, Diana.
Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer
Britain’s Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer pose following the announcement of their engagement on Feb. 24, 1981.
Royal wedding
Prince Charles and his bride, Diana, Princess of Wales, smile as they ride back to Buckingham Palace in a 1902 State Postillion Landau after their wedding at London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral, July 29, 1981.
Sealed with a kiss
Britain’s Prince Charles and Princess Diana kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London after their wedding on July 29, 1981.
Honeymoon
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales, pose for a photo on the banks of the river Dee in the grounds of Balmoral Castle during their honeymoon on August 19, 1981 in Balmoral, Scotland.
A prince Is born
Britain’s Prince Charles poses with his wife, Princess Diana, and their newborn son, Prince William, as they leave St. Mary’s Hospital in London on June 22, 1982, the day after William’s birth.
Royal family portrait
The Prince and Princess of Wales, Charles and Diana, pose for a family portrait with their sons, Prince Harry, left, and Prince William, at Kensington Palace in London on Oct. 6, 1984. Prince Harry was born on Sept. 15, 1984.
Charles and Diana
Britain’s Prince Charles and Princess Diana look their separate ways during a memorial service on their tour of South Korea on Dec. 20, 1992. Their marriage would end in divorce four years later.
At a parade
Princess Diana, Prince Harry, Prince William and Prince Charles watch the parade march past as part of the commemorations of V-J Day on Aug. 19, 1995, in London.
Tributes to Diana
Prince Charles, right, accompanies his sons Prince William and Prince Harry after they arrived at Kensington Palace to view tributes left in memory of their mother, Princess Diana, following her death in a car crash, Sept. 5, 1997.
The Funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales
The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince William, Earl Spencer, Prince Harry and Charles, Prince of Wales join the funeral procession for Diana, Princess of Wales on the journey to Westminster Abbey, in London, Sept. 6, 1997.
Diana’s Funeral
Prince Charles and his two sons, William and Harry, wait in front of Westminster Abbey in London after the funeral ceremony for Princess Diana on Sept. 6, 1997.
Queen Mother
Princes William and Harry and Prince Charles appear with the Queen Mother during celebrations to mark her 101st birthday, Aug. 4, 2001 in London.
Charles and Camilla
Britain’s Prince Charles and his bride Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, leave St George’s Chapel in Windsor, England, following the church blessing of their civil wedding ceremony on April 9, 2005.
Memorial
Prince Charles, left, Prince Harry, center, and Prince William arrive for the Memorial Service for Diana, Princess of Wales at the Guards’ Chapel in London on Aug. 31, 2007. The service marked the 10th anniversary of Diana’s death.
Sustainable agriculturalist
Britain’s Prince Charles speaks at “The Future of Food” conference at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., May 4, 2011. Charles became an advocate for numerous environmental causes.
Royal family in 2012
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh are joined by members of the royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the Trooping the Colour ceremony and the Horse Guards Parade on June 16, 2012 in London.
The Order of the Garter service
Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge attend the Order of the Garter Service at St. George’s Chapel on June 17, 2013 in Windsor, England.
Knights of the Garter, previously limited to members of the aristocracy, are today personally chosen by the monarch in recognition of their public service.
Prince Charles in 2013
Prince Charles arrives at St. Mary’s Hospital in London where Prince Williams’ wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, gave birth to a baby boy on July 22, 2013.
Braemer Highland Games
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales attend the annual Braemer Highland Games at The Princess Royal and Duke of Fife Memorial Park on Sept. 7, 2013, in Braemar, Scotland.
Visit to India
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, visit a Mumbai mobile creche during an official visit to India on Nov. 9, 2013, in Mumbai, India.
Trooping the Colour
Prince George of Cambridge, the first grandchild of Prince Charles, attends the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony at Horse Guards Parade, June 13, 2015 in London.
Hyde Park Barracks
Britain’s Prince Charles, Prince of Wales tours the stables of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, the Hyde Park Barracks in west London, October 24, 2017.
Malaysia
Britain’s Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall depart after visiting the Sri Mahamariamman Temple in George Town, the capital of Malaysia’s Penang state, Nov. 7, 2017. The two were on a seven-day visit in Malaysia.
Dominica visit
The Prince of Wales talks to residents Sarah Charles and Thomas Serrant in Pointe Michel on Dominica, during his tour of hurricane-ravaged Caribbean islands, Nov. 19, 2017.
With Meghan, Duchess of Sussex
Britain’s Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the Prince of Wales’s 70th Birthday Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in London, May 22, 2018.
Trooping the Colour
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and wife of Prince Harry, are seen during Trooping the Colour on June 9, 2018 in London.
D-Day anniversary
Britain’s Prince Charles, Prince of Wales chats with D-Day veteran William Allen, at a service of remembrance at Bayeux cemetery on June 6, 2019 in Bayeux, northern France, as part of D-Day commemorations marking the 75th anniversary of the World War II Allied landings in Normandy.
The funeral of Prince Philip
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales follows the coffin of his father, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh as it is carried on a specially-designed Land Rover Defender hearse during his funeral procession to St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on April 17, 2021 in Windsor, England.
The coffin, draped in his Royal Standard flag, was bearing his Royal Navy cap, sword and a bouquet of lilies, white roses, freesia and sweet peas,
Climate advocate
Britain’s Prince Charles, Prince of Wales speaks during the opening ceremony of the COP26 U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, Nov. 1, 2021.
State Opening of Parliament
Britain’s Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, accompanied by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, follow the Imperial State Crown through the Royal Gallery after delivering the Queen’s Speech during the State Opening of Parliament in London, May 10, 2022.
The 96-year-old Queen Elizabeth II bowed out of the ceremony on her doctors’ advice.
Carnival
Britain’s Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Britain’s Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall pose for pictures with performers as they attend a “mini-Carnival” display in the courtyard meeting at The Tabernacle, in London, July 13, 2022. It was the first Carnival celebration held since the start of the COVID pandemic.
Becoming king
Britain’s King Charles III speaks during a meeting of the Accession Council inside St. James’ Palace in London on September 10, 2022, to proclaim Charles as the new king.
The eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II vowed in his first speech to mourning subjects that he would emulate his “darling mama,” who had died on September 8.
“In taking up these responsibilities, I shall strive to follow the inspiring example I have been set,” he said.
Queen’s funeral
Britain’s King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort sit in front of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II during her state funeral at Westminster Abbey in London, September 19, 2022.
King Charles III
Britain’s King Charles III attends the state funeral and burial of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II on September 19, 2022.
Queen’s funeral procession
King Charles III, with his sons Prince William, Prince of Wales and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, march in the procession following the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey, in London, on September 19, 2022.
Royal duty
King Charles III during the procession of the coffin towards Buckingham Palace following the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey on September 19, 2022 in London, England.
