Back view of King Charles standing in a navy suit on a royal balcony looking out over a crowd.

Monarch of the United Kingdom and 14 Commonwealth realms

King Charles III

Best known for Taking the British throne in 2022 after seven decades waiting as heir apparent

Born: 1948
From: British
Working since: 1969
Also known as: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Charles III

Talk about waiting for your turn. Charles spent over seventy years waiting in the wings. Most people are putting their feet up in their seventies, but he took on the top job at 73 when Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022. Suddenly the lifetime of talking to plants, building eco-villages, and waiting around was over.

Now he's running the family firm with Queen Camilla by his side. It hasn't been a quiet reign. Between tell-all memoirs from California, sibling drama, and his own health battles, he's never far from the front pages. Love him or loathe him, he's doing the crown his way.

Follows: X @royalfamily · instagram @theroyalfamily

Latest: King Charles Faces Fresh Fury as Earl Spencer Drops New Bombshell Diana Book · 19 September 2026

King Charles in brief

—Waited 70 years as heir apparent, setting an all-time British record.
—First British heir to earn a university degree, finishing Cambridge in 1970.
—Started The Prince's Trust in 1976 with his own Navy pension money.
—Crowned alongside Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey in May 2023.
—Made a point of speaking openly about his 2024 cancer diagnosis.

Latest on King Charles

King Charles shields his face from cameras amid new drama surrounding Earl Spencer and Princess Diana.

Royals19 September 2026

King Charles Faces Fresh Fury as Earl Spencer Drops New Bombshell Diana Book

By Felicity Arundel

Earl Spencer is releasing a new book about Princess Diana containing harsh claims about King Charles, prompting royal watcher Jennie Bond to question when the family drama will end.