Elizabeth II and Prince Charles (now King Charles III)

Queen Elizabeth died on September 8th. The head of the monarchy was Prince Charles, his eldest son, who would be named Charles III. What changes await the British monarchy, what will happen in the coming days, and why did Charles become Charles? Spletnik collected answers to the main questions.

Why did Prince Charles take the name Charles III?

One of the most popular questions: why do we call Prince Charles III now? The name change has caused confusion for many, but it’s one of those traditions: When ascending the throne, members of the royal family can choose their throne name from any of their second Christian names. He could have chosen the names Prince Charles, Philip, Arthur or George.

Officially, Queen Elizabeth II. The son of Elizabeth remained by the name – in English he is called King Charles III. But in Russia there is a long tradition of translating the names of British monarchs in the German way. For example, George in Russia was called George, but Charles, respectively, will become Karl. Before that, there were already two kings with this name in the history of Great Britain – Charles I of the Stuart dynasty ruled from 1625 to 1649, Charles I’s son Charles II was on the throne from 1660 to 1685, so the new king will be Charles III .

Camilla Parker Bowles, wife of Prince Charles, has been declared Queen Consort. What does that mean?

Queen consort (from English. consortium – “accomplice, partner”) – the king’s wife. The queen consort does not have the political and military powers of a proxy. In this, she differs from the reigning queen, who has all the powers of the monarch and takes over the throne after the death of her predecessor.

Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles

When will the coronation take place?

Officially, Charles III will be proclaimed king of Great Britain on September 10, but at the time of the queen’s death the throne has already passed to him.

He will be proclaimed king at St James’s Palace in London in front of a ceremonial body known as the Board of Succession. It includes members of the Monarch’s Privy Council: a group of high-ranking current and former MPs, representatives of the nobility and certain high-ranking officials, the Mayor of London and its ambassadors in Commonwealth countries.

The solemn coronation will take place “as soon as possible,” according to British media. In practice, this event can take months. Thus, after the death of his father, George VI, II, who inherited the throne. Elizabeth took the crown 16 months after becoming queen.

How have the titles of other members of the royal family changed?

In connection with the change in the British monarchy, the titles of some family members also changed. After becoming King Charles III, Prince Charles relinquished the title of Prince of Wales and is now officially owned by no one. This title is personally complained of by the king and given to a man – the heir to the throne, that is, his eldest son. An exception to this tradition was the conferment of the title of Princess of Wales by Henry VIII Tudor in 1525 to his daughter, the future Queen Mary I of England. Currently, the title should go to Prince William, but the king himself should appoint him.

Prince William and Kate Middleton

At the same time, the title of Prince William has already changed. He and his wife, Kate Middleton, were the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. They will now become the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge. They inherited titles that belonged to Prince Charles and his wife Camilla Parker-Bowles.

Queen After Elizabeth’s death, the children of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, son Archie and daughter Lilibet are officially recognized as a prince and princess.

II. How will Elizabeth’s death affect life in England in the days ahead?

After Elizabeth’s death, 10 days of mourning were declared in the UK. All entertainment events are canceled for this period, the stock market and the banking sector are closed.

The match between West Ham United and Romanian FCSB in London yesterday started with a moment of silence in memory of the Queen. Significant changes also await London Fashion Week – the holding dates (16 – 20 September) will fall only on the Queen’s funeral. The WWD website says all shows will be canceled on the day of the funeral. The Burberry brand has already announced the cancellation of its show – it was supposed to take place on September 17. The British Fashion Council also said all parties would be cancelled.

Bank of England, Queen II. It announced that British pound notes featuring Elizabeth will remain legal tender in the UK for the time being. Announcements regarding the change of banknotes will be made after the mourning period. According to the rules, new banknotes with a portrait of the current monarch, namely Charles III, must appear in circulation. The changes will affect not only the United Kingdom, but also Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Jamaica and a dozen other countries that are still officially British monarchs.

II. Elizabeth’s funeral

Queen Elizabeth will be buried in the King George VI Memorial Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle. The funeral of her husband, Prince Philip, who died in 2021, will later be moved here.

media reaction

Not surprisingly, British newspapers are today Queen II. It came out with editorials on Elizabeth’s death. Time magazine also dedicated the cover of its new issue to him.