After the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, on Thursday, September 8, Prince Charles becomes king of the United Kingdom and 14 other countries, the longest-awaited heir to the throne in British history.
Charles faces tough challenges in his new role, given that his mother was widely popular and respected but left at a time when the royal family's reputation has been tarnished and Buckingham Palace is facing accusations of racism.
Charles faces these challenges at the age of 73, as the oldest monarch to take the throne in a royal line that stretches back 1,000 years.
Throughout his life, he was torn between modernizing the monarchy, trying to find his place in a rapidly changing and more egalitarian society, while simultaneously trying to maintain the traditions that give the institution its appeal.
This tension is also reflected in the lives of his sons.
