Inside the Moment King Charles Was Addressed As "His Majesty" For the Very First Time After Queen Elizabeth's Death
"He had climbed into the car as both Prince of Wales and Duke of Rothesay...he would climb out of it as King Charles II."
On the two-year anniversary of the late Queen Elizabeth's passing, royal watchers, fans of the monarchy and history buffs are revisiting the moment her son, Charles, was referred to as "his majesty" for the very first time.
Back in January, biographer and Daily Mail contributor Robert Hardman released his most recent book, Charles III New King. New Court. The Inside Story. In the book, Hardman detailed the moment then-Prince Charles was racing to his mother's bedside, only to find out he was too late and was officially the new King of England.
Two years ago, on Sept. 8, 2022, Hardman writes that "King Charles succeeded to the throne at the wheel."
"To be more precise, he had just turned off the B976 onto the back drive of the Balmoral estate and was driving through a part of the world as dear and familiar to him as any, when he learned that he was now sovereign of the United Kingdom and fourteen other realms, covering a large part of the Earth's surface," he continued.
According to Hardman, then-Prince Charles has visited his mother at Balmoral Castle "earlier in the day." He then drove back to his nearby home, Birkhall, before he had planned to return to his mother's side.
The author went on to write that Charles' late mother's private secretary, Sir Edward Young, called him as he was driving. Then-Prince Charles pulled over to accept the call, and it was at that time that the Prince was informed that his mother had died and he was the King of England.
"History will record that, seven decades later, on the afternoon of 8 September 2022, (Queen Elizabeth's) son and heir was on an unmarked Scottish country road, at the wheel of his car, when he was first addressed as 'Your Majesty.'
"In the manner of his late mother, he had climbed into the car as both Prince of Wales and Duke of Rothesay (his title when in Scotland)," he continued. "Twenty minutes later, he would climb out of it as King Charles II—with the new Queen at his side."
Two years later, and King Charles has navigated a difficult time of change and resiliency for the monarchy.
Not only is the royal family continuing to weather the tumultuous rift between its most senior members and Prince Harry, King Charles is also continuing to battle an unspecified cancer diagnosis while his daughter-in-law, Princess Kate, also deals with ongoing cancer treatments.
In addition, the monarchy has weathered an onslaught of rumors, specifically regarding Princess Kate, her health, her wellness, and her marriage to Prince William.
