King Charles III: What can we expect from the new King?

The UK has a new monarch after Queen Elizabeth II died on 8 September, aged 96.

From now on, the Queen's eldest son will be known as King Charles III. His wife Camilla becomes the Queen Consort, which is a term used for the spouse of the king.

Queen Elizabeth II's reign was longer than any other British monarch, lasting 70 years.

It means not much is known about what sort of King Charles will be, and what life will be like with him as the head of state.

However, we do know about some big moments of his life that have taken place, which may give some insight into how things could be in the future.

Read on to find out more.

King Charles III's childhood

King Charles (right) as a child

King Charles was born on 14 November 1948 at Buckingham Palace. He was the first child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh went on to have three other children after Charles. Princess Anne was born in 1950, Prince Andrew was born in 1960, and Prince Edward was born in 1964.

The King's childhood was different to most people in the UK. From the moment he was born, he was one of the most famous people in the world, and it was expected that one day, he would be King.

King Charles attended Cambridge University

Charles' attended Cheam School, a boarding school in Berkshire, as a child. It was the same school his father had gone to when he was a young boy.

He went on to study at Gordonstoun School in Elgin, Eastern Scotland, and then studied archaeology and anthropology before later switching over to history at Cambridge University. He also spent a term at Aberystwyth University.

Duties and divorce

Here, as a young prince, the King kneels before Queen Elizabeth as she crowns him Prince of Wales

Charles became Prince of Wales at a ceremony in Caernarfon Castle in 1969. Prince of Wales is the title given to the next in line to the throne.

1981 saw a big moment in his life. He married Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral. She then became the Princess of Wales.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana went on to have two children - Prince William, who was born in 1982, and Prince Harry, who was born in 1984.

Charles wanted his two boys to have as normal a childhood as possible, something he felt he didn't really have himself.

Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981

But then came a difficult period in his life. Prince Charles and his wife Princess Diana struggled with marital issues, and they decided to get divorced in 1996.

However, that wasn't the only hardship to come. A tragedy that shocked the world followed, when Princess Diana died in a car crash in 1997 at the age of just 36.

Prince Charles had sons Harry (left) and William (right) with Princess Diana

Despite the difficult moments in his life, there have also been positive ones too.

Charles found happiness in his second marriage in 2005 to Camilla, who is now Queen Consort.

Prince Charles married Camilla in 2005

Charles was also proud to see his two boys grow up, and have families of their own.

Prince William married Catherine in 2011 and they have three children, while Harry married Meghan in 2018 and went on to have two children.

However, recently, Charles has had a strained relationship with Harry, who is no longer an active member of the Royal Family.

Campaigning

The King has always been passionate about issues such as the environment and climate change.

Charles first spoke publicly about his concerns over pollution and plastics and their impact on the natural world in 1970 and was outspoken on these topics at a time when concerns over environmental issues were not widely accepted and were often ridiculed.

More recently in 2020, the then Prince gave a speech at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, where he described how he views the various environmental crises threatening the world.

"Global warming, climate change and the devastating loss of biodiversity are the greatest threats humanity has ever faced," Charles said at the time.

In an interview in February last year, Charles spoke of protecting the natural world for future generations.

"We know day by day, we are rapidly destroying the fabric of the natural world for ourselves, for our children and grandchildren," he said.

Prince's trust

Jamal Edwards, who passed away in February, was an ambassador for the Prince's Trust having received help from the charity

During his time as Prince of Wales, Charles had involvement with over 400 charities, either as a patron, president or member.

In 1976, he started his own charity called the Prince's Trust.

Created to help thousands of young people transform their lives, the charity supports disadvantaged 13-30-year-olds by helping them move into work, start businesses and gain education or training.

Following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III said: "It will no longer be possible for me to give so much of my time and energies to the charities and issues for which I care so deeply, but I know this important work will go on in the trusted hands of others."

Looking to the future

King Charles III with his mother Queen Elizabeth II

The Queen's death marks the end of one era and the beginning of another. Moving forward, some things will change quickly, and some will happen over time.

King Charles' image will eventually appear on our money, our stamps, and new post boxes will have C:R on them, instead of E:R.

And even though he is already King, at some point he will be officially crowned, at Westminster Abbey.

We do already know about some of the King's interests and passions, from his focus on the environment and the fight against the impact of climate change, to the welfare of young people.

He is, however, expected to say less on important issues now he is King.