If you’d been heir apparent as long as King Charles III was (70 years and 214 days, but who’s counting), you’d expect endless speculation on how you’d handle the job when it finally came your way.
On 8 September, King Charles III ascended to the throne of the United Kingdom and several Commonwealth countries and began to prove his mettle as monarch. With a coronation date set for 6 May 2023, we’ll focus on the first four months of his reign as he settled into his new role.
Our first article on King Charles III was, predictably, one outlining the news: The Queen is dead; long live The King! From there, we began to cover a king paying tribute to a queen—a son saying goodbye to his mother—with heartfelt words remembering a “cherished Sovereign and much-loved mother.”
In the immediate aftermath of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, details trickled out: King Charles and Princess Anne had been at their mother’s bedside when she passed, and the Accession Council would take place on 10 September.
In the midst of all the breaking news, tributes poured in, as did well-wishes for King Charles III. King Charles took time to praise his consort, Queen Camilla, and in a moving accession speech, he paid tribute to his mother and his predecessor.
And then there was the history: we documented the first time ‘God Save The King’ had been played since 1952; the proclamation of King Charles III; the Norwegian relative who inspired a king’s name; his first meeting with his first Prime Minister, Liz Truss; the proclamations that took place around the UK and the Commonwealth; and the first time The King’s Guard was changed since 1952.
One of King Charles’s most important duties was to visit the four realms of the United Kingdom as quickly as possible. We covered his visits here: Northern Ireland, Wales; and Scotland. And amid national, public mourning, quiet reflection at Highgrove.
As the transition began to install King Charles at Buckingham Palace, staffers at Clarence House, long the seat of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, were left in the dark over their employment. And the laws were under scrutiny as well: the Counsellors of State changed with King Charles’s accession, and a third of them did not carry out official public duties.
The day before Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral, world leaders, including those from the Commonwealth, arrived in London. King Charles met with Commonwealth leaders and then world leaders from every nation in attendance. And in the midst, he and the new Prince of Wales (Prince William) met with first responders working on Operation London Bridge.
And with a new reign came the calls for strengthening ties with other countries. Rumours floated that King Charles and Queen Camilla would undertake their first outgoing state visit to France, though this has yet to be announced if it was true.
After Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, public mourning ended, but royal mourning continued, leading the flags to be flown at half-mast despite the new reign. And we speculated when the new King and Queen would move from Clarence House to Buckingham Palace and if the Christmas at Sandringham traditions would continue (they did, for 2022, anyways).
King Charles III’s first official portraits were revealed at the month’s end; his cypher—CRIII—was used for the first time as well. With much needing to change from reign to reign, it was announced that stamps and coins would change only when needed, but we still covered how they’d look.
In his first official message as King of Canada, Charles sent condolences to Atlantic Canadians following Storm Fiona. He also won his first race since becoming the owner of Queen Elizabeth II’s horses and sent a message to the people of Indonesia following a football stadium disaster.
As the Royal Family transitioned to a new reign, an image was released of its four principals: King Charles, Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales to signify unity. Prayers for the Royal Family were also updated, and the King met with the Governor of Victoria, Australia. He also sent a message after an explosion in Creeslough, and we answered the question of King Charles III requiring a passport.
Some things never change, including King Charles’s passion for painting. He lent out several of his paintings to an exhibit.
In October, it was announced that King Charles III’s coronation would take place on 6 May 2023 and that it would blend history with modernity in a new ceremony. We looked at the crown King Charles will wear at his coronation, and to celebrate the news, we looked back on five famous moments from British/English coronations—and wondered if anything that happens in May 2023 will make the list.
And we speculated on the guest list and revealed the poignant way he plans to include Jewish faith in his ceremony. It was later revealed that a bank holiday would be added to the calendar for his coronation.
On a visit to Scotland with Queen Camilla, the couple thanked the Scottish people for their tributes to the late Queen. Later, King Charles would visit Aberdeen to see the work of its refugee programme. In East London, the royal couple saw the work of youth-based charities.
As political turmoil started to plague Liz Truss’s premiership—who will ever forget the lettuce that outlasted her?—King Charles continued with more ‘firsts’. This time, his first meeting with Ambassadors to receive credentials. Later, he was on standby to appoint the second Prime Minister of his very short reign—he’d appoint Rishi Sunak by the end of October.
Four Harry Potter coins made history for the first to share Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III portraits on them; his art sold at auction, the first time a monarch’s artwork had been sold. At the end of October, the issue of the Regency Act reached the House of Lords, who did not want those not carrying out duties to be called to stand in for King Charles.
And then the House of Lords said the quiet part out loud: that the final months of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign had an air of regency around them for all the hard work King Charles III did to step in for his ailing mother.
But the end of October also brought a new plight: protestors targeted King Charles III’s waxwork at Madame Tussaud’s. Then, other protestors began to throw eggs and charge at the King on walkabouts.
King Charles sent condolences to South Korea after a mass casualty on Halloween; the royal couple then championed African fashion design at the V&A, and on a visit to York, King Charles III unveiled the first statue of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II. He also dealt with leftovers from Boris Johnson’s premiership and met with King Abdullah II of Jordan at Buckingham Palace.
As Remembrance Sunday came about, King Charles III prepared to lay his first wreath as monarch, and we shared a look at its design. We also covered the first time he led the nation in mourning on Remembrance Sunday, as well as the first Queen Consort wreath laid since 1952. When it was evident that King Charles was wearing his mother’s cypher on his military uniform, we covered why that was.
A few days later, on 14 November, King Charles celebrated his first birthday as monarch with all the traditional trappings afforded to the Sovereign. In November, King Charles hosted several audiences with world leaders, including King Harald and King Felipe. Then, King Charles hosted his first state visit, welcoming the President of South Africa to London.
King Charles visited St Bartholomew’s Hospital, where Prince Philip received his final treatments; kept on ladies-in-waiting; and continued his work with Ukraine, accompanied by First Lady Olena Zelenska to open a welcome centre for Ukrainian refugees.
As the Sussexes premiered their much-publicised Netflix documentary, King Charles bypassed commenting on the programme altogether. As the year drew to a close, a new mural honouring both King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth II was unveiled in Northampton.
King Charles and Queen Camilla unveiled their first Christmas card portrait of their reign—a poignant image taken in Scotland mere days before Charles’s accession. At the Palace of Westminster, the King unveiled a memorial to his mother; at a café, they unveiled a plaque under the sign “Keep Calm—and Eat a Cupcake.”
As a man who pledged to serve those of many faiths and none, King Charles started by celebrating Chanukah. He also began looking to hire people to care for his horses at Sandringham.
King Charles arrived in Sandringham ahead of the Christmas season, where he planned to spend the holidays with his family (including his cousins, the Earl Snowdon and Lady Sarah Chatto). On Christmas Day, he gave the first Christmas Message of his reign (Australian broadcasters were under fire for leaking it early).
