Prince Charles, heir to the throne of United Kingdom since the age of three, is now king following the death of mother, Elizabeth II, and will be officially proclaimed at St James’s Palace in London as soon as practicably possible.

The Prince of Wales becomes king immediately, though his official coronation will not take place for some time.

It is expected Charles will hold his first audience with the prime minister later today.

A formal proclamation will be made as soon as possible at an accession council at St James’s Palace.

Members of the privy council, which advises the monarch on matters of state, will be summoned.

Traditionally invitees include members of the House of Lords, the lord mayor, aldermen and other leading citizens of the City of London, as well as the high commissioners in London of member nations of the Commonwealth.

Charles, now King Charles, has been next in line to the throne for seven decades – by a distance the longest wait in the history of the British monarchy.

Neither he nor his courtiers have ever wished to speak publicly about the moment it is over.

The prospect of the Queen’s death has always been considered a matter of great private sadness.

“He never wanted to think about accession because it meant the death of his mother,” a former aide said on Thursday.

But with the Queen’s doctors voicing concern for her health and her other children and grandchildren scrambling to be with her, the role of heir that has defined Charles’s life since the age of three, when his mother acceded to the throne in 1952, appeared to be drawing nearer.

A new, inevitably shorter, chapter of Charles’s life will begin. Becoming monarch of the United Kingdom and 14 Commonwealth realms from Canada to Australia will allow him to answer a question that has followed him for decades: after a lifetime of outspoken interventions in public life, what kind of king will he be?

In the immediate days he faces the twin challenges of personal bereavement and leading the nation in mourning.

“He will be focused on the personal and the family, but for the palaces it will be a question of [choosing] the right things to say and do that lead the nation in mourning but also establish the first steps of the new reign,” said another former aide.

Charles, they added, had a “deep emotional facility” with bereaved people, which they predicted would serve him and the country well in any period of mourning.

On Thursday, the focus of attention was squarely on the family as the Queen’s children and grandchildren gathered around the Queen.

The Duke of Cambridge, who is in line to become the Prince of Wales and first in line to the throne, rushed from Berkshire to Balmoral, while Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, remained in Windsor to take care of their children, George, Charlotte and Louis, who had their first full day at their new school.

Now his father has become king, the Duke of Cambridge will also take on the responsibility, and multimillion-pound income, of the Duchy of Cornwall estates.

The Queen’s second son, the Duke of York (who remains stripped of royal duties over his links to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein), and the Earl and Countess of Wessex were on the same RAF plane as the Duke of Cambridge, which touched down in Aberdeen just before 4pm.

They were joined at Balmoral by the Princess Royal, the Duchess of Cornwall, who is in line to become Queen consort, and the Prince of Wales. The couple have been carrying out engagements in Scotland in recent days and Charles was said to have been making regular morning visits to see his mother as she continued to struggle with her mobility.

A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who happen to be on a visit to the UK from their home in California, were also travelling to Scotland. They had been due to attend the WellChild awards ceremony in London on Thursday evening. The Press Association news agency later reported that Harry would be travelling alone.

It was only in April 2021 that Charles lost his father, Prince Philip, who died aged 99 at Windsor Castle. His “dear papa”, he said shortly afterwards, “was a very special person”.

The official plans for the Queen’s death, codenamed London Bridge, will now be activated.

The nation and other countries of which she was head of state will enter a 10-day period of mourning.

Details of her state funeral, accorded to monarchs, will be announced in due course, after being officially signed off by the king.

Tradition dictates that the framed formal announcement of her death is affixed to the railings at Buckingham Palace.

Ceremonial gun salutes will be fired as a mark of respect as royal residences open to the public will close.

Her death was announced by Sam Knight who wrote about the plans:

“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.”

 

Additional information from The Guardian