King Charles settles into life as monarch, after long wait

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After waiting longer than any British heir to become monarch, King Charles has quietly settled into his new role with little of the drama some commentators had expected, but with family divisions and some fundamental issues still looming.

The 74-year-old Charles, who will be formally crowned on Saturday, was the oldest sovereign to take the throne in a lineage that dates back 1,000 years when he succeeded his hugely popular mother Queen Elizabeth after her death last September. She had reigned for 70 years.

Since then, while the new king has given glimpses of future changes to the institution, the man who was known for his forthright defense of the environment while prince of Wales has not continued to voice the strong views that some critics believed would damage the institution.

"I think we are all quite surprised at how well King Charles has begun," royal author Tina Brown told Reuters.

In recent years Charles had said he well understood that when he became head of state he could no longer engage in some of the campaigning he had done as heir, and as promised, there have been no fireworks.

Charles does not enjoy same support as his widely admired mother, but his public approval ratings are generally positive. An opinion poll last week showed many more people holding favorable views of him than negative, although there also appeared to be a wide segment of indifference - people who didn't hold a view either way.

"I think he has struck the right notes," Harshan Kumarasingham, senior lecturer in British politics at the University of Edinburgh, told Reuters.

"He hasn't completely jettisoned all the things of his mother's reign but he has tried to put his own stamp on the monarchy and on Britain."

However, some dark clouds remain for Charles.

Reuters

King Charles settles into life as monarch, after long wait

King Charles. Monarch

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Britain