Britain has a new monarch: What to know about King Charles III

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in Scotland on Thursday, the United Kingdom is swiftly readjusting to the accession of her eldest son, Charles. According to Buckingham Palace, he will take the sovereign title King Charles III, and his wife, Camilla, will be known as the queen consort.

According to Buckingham Palace, Charles will be known as King Charles III. He will not be King Charles of Wales. There had been media speculation that he could have opted for another name, such as Arthur or George. He will inherit other titles, such as head of the Church of England and of the Commonwealth.

Who were Charles I and Charles II?
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Charles I succeeded his father, James I, in 1625. His reign was troubled and led to the English Civil War. He married a Catholic, which offended many English Protestants, and he dissolved Parliament a number of times when faced with opposition. He was defeated by Parliament in the Civil Wars and imprisoned for treason. He refused to cooperate and was later executed in London in 1649, as England briefly became a republic run by Oliver Cromwell.

After his death, the Scots invited Charles I’s son, Charles II, to come to Scotland and proclaimed him king. Charles II was crowned at Scone in 1651, prompting English forces to retaliate. He fled to France, and the English government announced that England and Scotland would become one commonwealth, with a union taking effect from 1652.

Charles II spent the next nine years in exile. Then, in 1660, after Cromwell’s death, he was invited back to London and restored to the British throne.

One to hold a grudge, Charles II made sure that anyone who signed his father’s death warrant was executed; even Cromwell’s body was dug up and beheaded. The final phase of his reign was consumed with attempts to settle religious dissension, and he died in 1685 with no legitimate children.

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