CHARLES, the former Prince of Wales, is now King, following the death of Queen Elizabeth.

The Queen's death was announced at 6.30pm on Thursday evening, which marked the end of the longest reigning British monarch in history – upon which Charles immediately became King.

Following the death of his mother, he said: “We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.

"The death of my beloved mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family."

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King Charles is known for running a number of charities. The arts, the built environment, responsible business and enterprise, young people, global sustainability and rural affairs have been the focus of his work.

His youth charity, the Prince’s Trust, helps disadvantaged and vulnerable young people, using practical support including training, mentoring and financial assistance, and is seen as one of his greatest successes.

As patron of more than 400 organisations, Charles carries out nearly 550 royal engagements a year.

He has also found himself under great scrutiny.

The Metropolitan Police launched an investigation into an alleged cash-for-honours scandal in 2022 after Charles and his former closest confidant, Michael Fawcett, were reported over the claims.

Fawcett was accused of promising to help secure a knighthood and British citizenship for a Saudi billionaire donor to another of Charles’s charities, the Prince’s Foundation.

Later, Charles faced allegations that he was given cash worth three million euros – some of it in a suitcase – for his Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund (PWCF) by a former Qatari prime minister between 2011 and 2015, with sources saying he would never again handle large cash donations to be passed to his charities.

The King’s wife Camilla is now the Queen, serving as a Queen Consort alongside the new monarch.

The wife of a King automatically becomes a Queen Consort and only a change in legislation would prevent her from doing so, but there had been much controversy over whether Camilla would use the title.

Queen Elizabeth announced on the eve of her Platinum Jubilee in February 2022 that she endorsed the Duchess of Cornwall to be known as Queen when the time came.

The Queen said it was her “sincere wish” that Camilla would take the title and called on the public to back both her daughter-in-law and Charles when he became King.

Camilla later said she felt “very honoured and very touched” by the public seal of approval.

It ended years of debate over what the duchess – Charles’s former mistress – would eventually be called.