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King Charles decided to keep his name, as his mother did when she became Queen. This is not common in the British royal family. Queen Victoria’s first name, for instance, was Alexandrina. He is now King Charles III.
The Queen's title was “Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.” Charles might change one of the words now that he is king.
Now, the former Duchess of Cornwall will be called Queen Consort.
It has been speculated that the word “Faith” might be changed to “Faiths,” or “Defender of the Faith” might become “Defender of Faith.”
When questioned about it in an interview with the BBC in 2015, Charles said: “I would rather be seen as ‘Defender of Faith,’ all those years ago, because, as I tried to describe, I mind about the inclusion of other people’s faiths and their freedom to worship in this country. And it’s always seemed to me that, while at the same time being Defender of The Faith, you can also be protector of faiths.”
During the coronation ceremony, the king will take an oath to maintain the Church of England, and will be “anointed, blessed and consecrated by the Archbishop.”
Now that Charles is king, William becomes Duke of Cornwall and Prince of Wales. The new heir to the throne will be under even more scrutiny.
Although Charles is known to have strong opinions about a myriad of topics, namely social and environmental issues, things might change slightly now that he is king.
Unlike Queen Elizabeth II, who was a reserved monarch and avoided expressing strong opinions about many topics, Charles is known to be quite the opposite.
'God Save the Queen' is now 'God Save the King.' The royal family’s official website states that “there is no authorized version of the National Anthem as the words are a matter of tradition. [...] The words used today are those sung in 1745, substituting 'Queen' for 'King' where appropriate.”
It is likely that fewer members of the family will undertake public duties now that Charles is king. He seems to favor more involvement of his direct family, rather than having more people on the payroll.
“The idea somehow that I’m going to go on in exactly the same way, if I have to succeed, is complete nonsense. I do realize that it is a separate exercise being sovereign,” he has said.
The current monogram has the letters “EIIR,” which stands for “Elizabeth II Regina.” We will have to wait and see what the new king’s cypher will look like. Banknotes and stamps will also bear Charles’ portrait.
Other initiatives include the Campaign for Wool (to repopularize the use of wool), and the Prince’s Countryside Fund (PCF), which aims to improve sustainability in Britain’s rural areas.
Charles has been vocal about environmental issues since he was in his twenties. From climate change to sustainability, Charles has been involved in numerous initiatives over the years.
In 2014, he founded The Prince’s Accounting for Sustainability Project (A4S), which “aims to inspire action by finance leaders to drive a fundamental shift towards resilient business models and a sustainable economy.”
Unlike his first cousins, the children of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle did not have a title. But now they will be called Prince Archie and Princess Lillibet.
Charles also created the Sustainable Markets Initiative in 2009 to respond to the increasing threats posed by climate change and biodiversity loss.
This is because Prince Harry’s children have moved up in the family hierarchy. Instead of being great-grandchildren, they become the grandchildren of the current monarch.
Charles has always been passionate about the arts. So much so that he has become a patron or president of more than 70 arts organizations, including: the Royal College of Music; the Royal Opera; the Royal Shakespeare Company; the Royal Ballet, the Royal Television Society; the Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus; Welsh National Opera; the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama; The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland; and The Royal Academy Trust.
In 2019, Charles became a royal patron of the Faculty of Homeopathy. A decision that was controversial, given that the government stopped funding homeopathic remedies as part of the National Health Service in 2017. Will the new king be an endorser of alternative medicine?
Charles has been campaigning for traditional urban design and architecture for decades. This may have an impact on how the UK will look in the future.
A painter himself, the new king may raise the profile of the arts. Additionally, Charles has also been involved in the educational side of the arts. He founded both The Prince's Foundation School of Traditional Arts and The Royal Drawing School.
Unlike Queen Elizabeth II, Charles became king in his seventies. As Prince of Wales, he assumed numerous royal duties over the years, and he’s likely better prepared than his mother was when she became queen.
Sources: (Reader's Digest) (Prince of Wales) (The Royal Family) (CNN) (BBC)
See also: The strange rules and traditions of the British royal family
"I didn't particularly want to see this country, which I mind about and love greatly, disappear under a welter of ugliness," he said.
For his coronation, King Charles might also invite leaders of other religions “to be seated prominently” and give readings, according to UCL’s Constitution Unit.
With the Queen's passing on September 8, Prince Charles automatically became king, even though his official coronation will likely take several months to arrange. This, of course, raises a lot of questions. What kind of king will he be? What will change? What will the British monarchy look like now?
One change that many hope to see is the removal of his brother, Prince Andrew, as a counselor of state. The role of counselor state is automatically given to the spouse of the monarch and the next four people in the line of succession over the age of 21, under British law. Those appointed may be called on to fill in for King Charles if he is absent or unable to fulfill his duties. There has been an outcry for Charles to take action to change the law so that Prince Andrew can be removed, as concerns grow over the proximity of an accused sex offender to the crown. Andrew was an associate of the late billionaire and convicted sex trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein. At the beginning of 2022, he paid US$12 million to settle a sexual assault lawsuit brought against him by one of Epstein's most vocal accusers, who claimed that Prince Andrew had sex with her when she was 17 years old and had been trafficked by Epstein. The late Queen Elizabeth stripped Andrew of his military titles following the scandal.
While Prince Andrew has held the role of counselor of state since 1981, his visibility during the proceedings following the Queen's death has triggered a revival in the conversation about the disgraced royal.
While we wait to see if the new sovereign will address the issue, click on to learn what other changes we can expect now that Charles is king.
What happens now that Charles is king
The coronation countdown is finally over!
CELEBRITY British royal family
With the Queen's passing on September 8, Prince Charles automatically became king, even though his official coronation will likely take several months to arrange. This, of course, raises a lot of questions. What kind of king will he be? What will change? What will the British monarchy look like now?
One change that many hope to see is the removal of his brother, Prince Andrew, as a counselor of state. The role of counselor state is automatically given to the spouse of the monarch and the next four people in the line of succession over the age of 21, under British law. Those appointed may be called on to fill in for King Charles if he is absent or unable to fulfill his duties. There has been an outcry for Charles to take action to change the law so that Prince Andrew can be removed, as concerns grow over the proximity of an accused sex offender to the crown. Andrew was an associate of the late billionaire and convicted sex trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein. At the beginning of 2022, he paid US$12 million to settle a sexual assault lawsuit brought against him by one of Epstein's most vocal accusers, who claimed that Prince Andrew had sex with her when she was 17 years old and had been trafficked by Epstein. The late Queen Elizabeth stripped Andrew of his military titles following the scandal.
While Prince Andrew has held the role of counselor of state since 1981, his visibility during the proceedings following the Queen's death has triggered a revival in the conversation about the disgraced royal.
While we wait to see if the new sovereign will address the issue, click on to learn what other changes we can expect now that Charles is king.