Charles III became King of the United Kingdom on Thursday following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
The new monarch, whose full name is Charles Philip Arthur George, became the oldest person to ascend to the British throne at 73 years old. Before becoming king, he served as the Prince of Wales since 1958.
According to Fox 5 NY, Charles will serve as head of state for the U.K., Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, along with several other countries. His wife, Camilla Rosemary Shand, will serve as Queen Consort.
King Charles is expected to meet with Britain's new Prime Minister Liz Truss before making a televised speech to the nation Friday evening. According to the Daily Mail, the King will move into Buckingham Palace, the longtime residence of the late Queen.
As Christian Headlines previously reported, Queen Elizabeth passed away peacefully on Thursday at the age of 96. With a reign spanning seven decades, she is the longest-serving monarch in British history.
"The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family," King Charles said in a statement on Thursday.
"We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother," he added. "I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world."
"During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held," the King concluded.
He is the first King Charles to sit on the throne since the 1600s when father and son King Charles I and Charles II ruled in turn.
King Charles III was born in Buckingham Palace on Nov. 14, 1948. After his mother became Queen in 1952, Charles became the Duke of Cornwall at three years old and the Prince of Wales at 20.
The King married twice in his life, first to the late Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in 1997 at 36. The couple married in 1981 and had two children together, Princes William and Henry – known as Harry.
After 15 years of marriage, Charles and Diana divorced in 1996 after Charles admitted to infidelity with his current wife, Queen Consort Camilla, whom he married in 2005.
Related:
Queen Elizabeth II Passes Away at 96
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Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
