The royal coronation of King Charles III took place earlier today on May 6, formally recognizing Charles and his wife Camilla as the new king and queen of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth territories. Charles ascended to the throne following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on Sept. 8, 2022, but has finally been officially crowned.
It is the 40th coronation to be held at Westminster Abbey since the year 1066, with the last most-recent coronation having been the 1953 ceremony for Elizabeth II.
Given the record-breaking reign of Elizabeth II, which lasted 70 years and 214 days, the topic of who’s next in line for the British throne likely isn’t one that’s usually at the forefront of many minds, but with the 21st century bearing witness to its first-ever British coronation, perhaps that could change.
Who will succeed Charles III as king upon his passing?
Upon the passing of King Charles III, Prince William, the Prince of Wales and the first-born child of Charles and the late Princess Diana, will take the throne.
Following William’s death, he will be succeeded by his son Prince George, who in turn is currently set to be succeeded by his sister Princess Charlotte. Prior to 2013, George’s brother Louis would have taken the crown before Charlotte due to preference being given to male siblings regardless of birth order back then, but with the Succession to the Crown Act, which was passed in 2013, that rather archaic rule is no more.