Prince Charles is the heir apparent to the British throne and he is the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth. But since Her Majesty hasn't stepped down from her royal duties, will the Prince of Wales the oldest King to be crowned?
Born on November 14, 1948, Prince Charles has been the Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay since 1952. He has been next in line to the throne since the age of three, but many were wondering if he would be the oldest monarch at the start of his reign.
His mother Queen Elizabeth became the Queen at the age of 25 after her father King George VI died in 1952. The Prince of Wales, however, would be turning 71 years old this coming November, yet he's still the apparent heir to the British monarchy.
He is reportedly the longest-serving heir apparent, as well as the Prince of Wales in British history. Also, Prince Charles unofficially won the record being the oldest monarch crowned in British history back in 2013, at the age of 65.
Prior to him, the oldest monarch at the start of his reign was Prince William IV. He reportedly succeeded the throne in 1830, aged 64. Meanwhile, Mary I was the oldest female monarch at the time of her ascension. She reportedly became the Queen in 1553 at the age of 37.
Sophia of Hanover, on the other hand, was the oldest heir to the throne in history. She was declared the rightful heir to Queen Anne by the Act of Settlement of 1701. However, she never had the chance to become the Queen as she died in 1714 at the age of 63 - which is just two months before Queen Anne. And then, Sophia's son was crowned George I.
Going back to Prince Charles, he's holding the record as the longest-serving heir apparent, in which Edward VII was the previous holder. He was 59 years old when he succeeded Queen Victoria. And since the Prince of Wales is getting older, there were rumors he would abdicate to allow his son Prince William to succeed to the throne.
Yet, his aides said he made it clear he prepared his entire life to rule, so he has no intention to give up the role. Queen Elizabeth is still in good health at the age of 93, thus the Prince needs to wait a little more time before becoming the King.
Her Majesty's mother, the Queen Mother, died at the age of 101. So, if the monarch would live to that age, then Prince Charles would become the King at the age of 78.
