KING CHARLES: A DATE WITH DESTINY

As the queen's eldest son takes his place on the throne, he faces a delicate balancing act: to preserve the traditions of the past while ensuring the future of the monarchy. We take a closer look at the man who's been preparing for his new role for seven decades

- NICOLA WHITFIELD

A TWEEDY radical. A fussy intellectual. A red cheeked landowner who looks as if he's stepped out of an 18th-century painting. These are just some of the words that I have been used to describe the man who's now the king of the United Kingdom after a seven-decade apprenticeship.

These descriptions might seem harsh but let's not forget that over the years there was speculation about Charles ever becoming king. The collapse of his marriage to Princess Diana made him deeply unpopular - who could support a man who'd betrayed the People's Princess, carrying on with his mistress while Diana grew increasingly fragile and unhappy?

Charles was also viewed as a bit of an eccentric, a dotty fellow who admitted he not only talked to plants but listened to them too.

And he was seen as spoilt, insisting on taking his own bedding, toilet seat, and loo paper with him on tour instead of putting up with whatever his hosts bestowed on him.

Some hoped he might be skipped and the throne given to Prince William instead. Diana's eldest son was young, better-looking, well-liked - if the queen lived a long life and Charles was an old man when she died, perhaps Wills would rule. But that's not the way it works.

Charles has been groomed for decades to take over from his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and only his death would've prevented him wearing the crown.

And things have moved on a lot since Diana died. King Charles III, while he has yet to top popularity polls, has earned respect and admiration and is generally viewed as a hard-working individual who'll do his mother proud. So just what sort of king will he be? 

HE'LL TREAD MORE CAREFULLY

The royal family have always been expected to keep their noses out of contentious issues but Charles has made his opinions clear on a number of matters.