Photos Show What King Charles’ Reign Has Been Like so Far

Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022, at Balmoral in Scotland, and the public got its first glimpse of the new monarch the next day.

Before Buckingham Palace announced the Queen died at 96, members of the royal family rushed to be with her, including Charles; Camilla, queen consort; Prince William; Prince Harry; Prince Andrew; Prince Edward; and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.

The public did not see him as monarch until September 9, when he left Balmoral to return to London.

The same day, the monarch met with then-Prime Minister Liz Truss, the last Prime Minister to have a weekly audience with Queen Elizabeth.

The king was greeted by a large crowd of people and cheers of “long live the king” when he arrived at the palace on September 9. 

He then had his first engagement as monarch, meeting with then-Prime Minister Liz Truss. She resigned just a week after meeting the king.

Charles also gave his first address as monarch that day, during which he paid tribute to the Queen, gave Prince William a new title, and sent his love to Prince Harry.

In the prerecorded address, the king paid tribute to the Queen for her work as monarch and as his mother.

He also named William and Kate Middleton the Prince and Princess of Wales. Charles had held the title Prince of Wales since 1958, and no one had been named the Princess of Wales since Princess Diana until Charles appointed it to Kate. 

During his speech, he did not announce a title change for Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, but he voiced his “love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas.” 

The following day, Charles was officially proclaimed king by the Privy Council at St James’s Palace at the first meeting of an Accession Council to be broadcast live in history.

Although Charles became monarch the moment Elizabeth died, he was officially proclaimed king in a ceremony called the Accession Council two days after she died.

The ceremony was followed by the king’s first meeting of the Privy Council, ushering in Charles’ reign as king.

Four days after his mother’s death, Charles and his siblings stood vigil over her coffin at St Giles’s Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland, for a Service of Thanksgiving.

The Queen’s four children — Charles, Princess Anne, Andrew, and Edward — processed behind her coffin as it was brought to the cathedral.

They then stood vigil with the Royal Company of Archers around her coffin for around 10 minutes in what is known as the Vigil of the Princes.

The king showed a public moment of frustration in the early days of his reign when he had a leaky pen during a signing ceremony at Northern Ireland’s Hillsborough Castle. “I can’t bear this bloody thing!” he said.

As a CBS News video showed, the monarch’s pen started leaking after he signed a book with the wrong date. He handed the queen consort the pen, venting his frustration as he saw ink on his fingers.

“Oh god, I hate this,” he said. The ink got on Camilla’s hands until an aide took it from her.

“I can’t bear this bloody thing!” the king said. “What they do, every stinking time.” 

Charles was photographed with Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and Harry for the first time in years on September 14, 2022, as they awaited the arrival of Queen Elizabeth’s casket at Buckingham Palace.

When the photo was taken, Harry and Charles hadn’t been photographed together since Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021, while Meghan and the king were last pictured together in November 2019.

The Sussexes’ relationship with the monarch had been strained since Meghan and Harry stepped back as senior royals in January 2020 and further fractured after they sat for an interview with Oprah Winfrey that aired in March 2021.

A photo of the royals released on September 18, 2022, set a more relaxed tone for the monarchy’s new leadership under Charles. The couples appeared more affectionate with one another compared to previous portraits.

In the photo taken on September 18 at the palace, Camilla, the queen consort, and Charles wrap their arms around each other and stand next to William and Kate. Kate’s arm also appears to be on William’s back. 

The photo had a more relaxed image than previous royal portraits, thanks to the casual public display of affection between the couples.  

The picture, taken by royal photographer Chris Jackson, marked the first portrait of the new “fab four.” 

The king left a note on his mother’s coffin during her funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 19, 2022, that read, “In loving and devoted memory. Charles R.”

During the historic funeral, the king laid a wreath with a note on the casket after processing behind it.

The wreath was made of flowers from a plant descended from a plant that was in the Queen’s wedding bouquet when she married Prince Philip.

On October 3, 2022, Charles and Camilla visited Dunfermline, Scotland, to name it a new city. The kilt-wearing sovereign was met with cheers from the crowd.

As Insider previously reported, the town was made a new city as part of Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee.

Cheering crowds greeted the monarch, who was wearing a kilt.

Just a month after meeting Liz Truss, Charles appointed his second Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, on October 25, 2022.

Sunak is the first Hindu person and person of color to be the British prime minister.

Ahead of his meeting with Sunak, the king had a final audience with Truss, where she submitted her resignation, as the royal family shared on its website.

The king made a rare television appearance in an episode of the BBC’s show “The Repair Shop” to celebrate 100 years of the network on October 26, 2022.

—The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) October 26, 2022

The king filmed an episode of the BBC series, which features experts repairing heirlooms, when he was still the Prince of Wales on September 21, 2022, according to Country Living. 

The king submitted two royal heirlooms to be repaired by host Jay Blades and his team, as the royal family shared on its website: a vase made for Queen Victoria to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee and a clock from the 18th century that belonged to the Dumfries House.

The king laughed throughout the episode, and he seemed to be emotional when he discovered the show’s team was able to fix the vase he had submitted.

The palace announced on October 28, 2022, that Charles appointed himself Captain General of the Royal Marines, the ceremonial head of the Royal Marines, replacing Harry.

After Harry was stripped of those titles and patronages when he stepped back as a senior royal in January 2020, the position of Captain General of the Royal Marines was vacant.

On October 28, 2022, the palace shared that the king chose himself to fill the role. The announcement came a day after the release date and title for Harry’s memoir, “Spare,” were announced to the public. 

Charles hosted leaders at the palace in honor of the Sharm el-Sheikh Climate Change Conference (Cop27) a day later.

The Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change meets annually, and the 27th annual event was held in Egypt in November 2022.

The king could not attend the Cop27 Summit, but he hosted a reception celebrating the event at the palace on November 4. 

Leaders and famous people attended the event, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and designer Stella McCartney.

A heckler egged Charles and the queen consort during a walkabout in Yorkshire ahead of a statue unveiling on November 9, 2022.

During the walkabout, a protester threw eggs at them, as a representative of the North Yorkshire Police service told Insider at the time.

No eggs hit the monarch or queen consort, and police arrested the 23-year-old. 

After a weekend of remembrances, Charles marked his 74th birthday with a ceremony that included a rendition of “Happy Birthday” by the Band of the Household Cavalry and a gun salute at the King’s Troop at Green Park in London.

The palace also announced the king would become The Ranger of Windsor Great Park, a title previously held by his father, Prince Philip, on his 74th birthday. 

The king hosted the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, for a state visit on November 22, 2022.

Ramaphosa visited the UK for two days for the state visit, according to the royal website.

Charles and Camilla greeted Ramaphosa at the royal pavilion on November 22, and they held a reception for the president at the palace that evening.

On November 24, 2022, Charles held a luncheon for Members of the Order of Merit, a group of people who are honored for their “exceptional” service.

The Order of Merit consists of a group of people who performed “exceptionally meritorious service in Our Crown Services or towards the advancement of the Arts, Learning, Literature, and Science or such other exceptional,” according to the royal family’s website.

During the November 24 luncheon, six new members were invested in the Order.

The king joined Olena Volodymyrivna Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine, at the opening of a new welcome center for displaced families from Ukraine on November 30, 2022.

The king spent time with Ukrainian families, staff, and volunteers at the welcome center, which is part of the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile.

The center will help Ukrainian citizens settle in the UK amid the ongoing war with Russia.

Charles visited Guru Nanak Gurdwara, a new temple in Bedfordshire, England, on December 6, 2022.

The king learned about the Guru Nanak Gurdwara’s programming during the visit. According to the royal family, he spent time with volunteers, even sitting in on a session in the non-profit’s prayer hall.

The king was spotted for the first time after the premiere of Netflix’s “Harry & Meghan” at a service for an Ethiopian church on December 8, 2022.

The king’s appearance came amid multiple reports from outlets like People, The Independent, and Page Six, citing unnamed palace sources that the royal family was not given a chance to comment on the docuseries before it premiered.

However, a Netflix source whose identity is known to Insider said Charles and William’s offices were contacted directly about the show.

Charles and Camilla released their first Christmas card as king and queen consort on December 11, 2022. The card featured a photo of Camilla smiling at Charles at the Braemar Games in Scotland.

The king and queen consort released the card on Twitter on December 11, which read, “Wishing you a very happy Christmas and New Year.”

The picture was taken by royal photographer Samir Hussein on September 3, just five days before the Queen died.

The king visited the Palace of Westminster to thank those involved with the queen’s lying in state on December 14, 2022.

Before her funeral at Westminster Abbey, Elizabeth’s coffin lay in state at Westminster Hall for five days so the public could pay their respects to the monarch.

Three months after her casket’s arrival at the Abbey, Charles visited the House of Parliament to thank those involved in his mother’s lying in state.

He also unveiled a plaque commemorating the event.

The following day, the king and queen consort stopped by a community kitchen in London.

Continuing their appearances at community-oriented events, Charles and Camilla visited London’s Community Kitchen on December 15.

According to the royal family’s website, they spoke to students and volunteers during their tour of the space.

Charles and the entire royal family appeared together the day volume two of Harry and Meghan’s Netflix series premiered on December 15, 2022.

On December 15, the extended royal family attended the “Together at Christmas” Carol Service at Westminster Abbey. 

Many royals arrived wearing outfits in the same color, contradicting statements Meghan made about royal protocol in Netflix’s “Harry & Meghan.”

On December 25, 2022, Charles stepped into his mother’s shoes with his first filmed Christmas address to the Commonwealth, continuing a 90-year tradition for England’s monarchs.

He gave his address from St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, where the queen and Prince Philip are buried.

The king thanked members of the public during his speech, but he also spoke of grief, nodding to his parents again.

The king also led the royal family’s annual walk to St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham for a Christmas Day service.

All senior members of the royal family attended the service, even Andrew.

Prince Louis, 4, made his debut at the event, walking with Prince George, 9, and Princess Charlotte, 7, for the first time.

The king appeared in public for the first time two days after Harry released “Spare” on January 12, 2023, in which Harry opened up about his relationships with Charles and William.

Some of Harry’s revelations about his relationship with his father in his memoir were shocking, as he wrote that he and William asked the king not to marry Camilla. Harry also wrote that Charles didn’t want to pay for Meghan to become a senior royal.

The royal family has yet to comment on the book publicly, and the king didn’t mention it at his first appearance after it was released, which was a visit to the Aboyne and Mid Deeside Community Shed. 

The king toured the Kellogg’s factory in Manchester on January 20, 2023, to celebrate 100 years of the brand in the UK.

The king was photographed at the factory, which is the largest cereal factory in Europe, wearing a lab coat over his suit.

According to the royal family, Kellogg’s holds a special relationship with the royal family, as Kellogg’s holds a Royal Warrant and has delivered cereal to the palace for years.

The king and queen consort marked Holocaust Memorial Day at the palace on January 27, 2023.

Charles and Camilla lit a candle in honor of the Holocaust at the palace on January 27, 2023.

They were accompanied by Holocaust survivor Dr. Martin Stern and Amouna Adam, who survived the genocide in Darfur, during the candle-lighting ceremony.