Queen Elizabeth II has died aged 96, making her eldest son – formerly known as the Prince of Wales – King Charles III.
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “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.”
The nation will enter a state of mourning ahead of the Queen’s funeral.
When does Prince Charles become King?
The death of Queen Elizabeth II means that Prince Charles automatically assumed the title of King Charles III.
Other title changes include Camilla, who becomes Queen Consort, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge could now become the Prince and Princess of Wales.
It also means that Prince William is now first in line to the throne, followed by his son Prince George.
When will Prince Charles’ coronation be?
Queen Elizabeth II was coronated on 2 June, 1953, over a year after she became Queen on 6 February 1952.
The reason there was a year between is because tradition states that an appropriate amount of time should pass between the monarch dying and celebrating the rise of the new monarch.
This is also why we celebrated events such as the Trooping of the Colour and the Queen’s Jubilee’s in June and not February as the day she became Queen was also the anniversary of her father’s death.
While it’s yet to be announced when Charles’ coronation will be, we expect it will be some time yet to allow a mourning period for Queen Elizabeth II.
