How old is King Charles III? Here’s how his age compares to other UK monarchs at their coronation

King Charles III will be crowned this Saturday after more than seven decades spent as the successor to Queen Elizabeth II.

The Queen’s eldest son officially became King Charles III with the passing of his mother on Thursday, 8 September. In a written statement on the day he said: “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.”

How old is King Charles III?

At 73, Charles is the oldest person in British history to become king.

Charles was born at Buckingham Palace on 14 November 1948.

He is considerably older than his mother when she was crowned. Elizabeth II ascended the throne on 6 February 1952 at age was 25.

Charles is the first new King in more than 70 years. The late Queen celebrated her Platinum Jubilee just before she died last autumn.

Before Charles, the oldest King to ascend the throne was King William IV, who was 64 when he was crowned in 1830.

The youngest British monarch at the start of her reign was Mary, Queen of Scots, who became Queen at six days old in 1542.

The youngest-ever King was Henry VI, who was only eight months and 26 days old at the time of his accession in 1422.

The greatest age difference of an outgoing British monarch and their successor was 54 years and 217 days between George II (born 30 October 1683) and his grandson George III (born 4 June 1738), who succeeded on the former’s death on 25 October 1760.

There are 23 years between Elizabeth II and Charles III.

Who were the King’s grandparents?

The King’s grandparents were King George VI and Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon, who was known as the Queen Mother.

George VI reigned from 11 December, 1936 until his death on 6 February, 1952. He had been battling ill health and failed to recover from a lung operation.

He was Duke of York before ascending to the throne, when his elder brother Edward VIII abdicated, to marry the twice-divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson.

The Queen Mother was born in 1900 and lived to the age of 101. She died on 30 March 2002, and is buried at King George VI Memorial Chapel at Windsor Castle.

She accompanied her husband on diplomatic tours to France and North America before the start of the Second World War, and was known for her strong spirit during wartime.

Elizabeth II was their eldest daughter, and they had another daughter, Princess Margaret, who died in 2002 at the age of 71.

The coronation of King Charles III

Here’s a full timetable of the coronation, including when Charles will actually be crowned, and details of the concert.

The ceremony has taken an astonishing amount of preparation, with Operation Golden Orb – decades in the planning – bringing in snipers and police officers from across the country to aid security. The coronation will also feature the biggest military procession in 70 years, no small feat of logistics, but still intends to be the most sustainable ever.

But the event has not been without controversy. The option for the public to pledge allegiance to the new monarch sparked resistance, including from i‘s own Stefano Hatfield, and the new King’s relationship with his second son will be under fierce scrutiny, with Jennie Bond blaming his emotional illiteracy for the breakdown of their relationship.

This week, The i Podcast looks at whether King Charles III could be the last monarch of a Commonwealth realm which was born from the British Empire and funded by the proceeds of slavery. Listen here: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Acast | Wherever you listen