The former Prince Charles became the king of the United Kingdom and its 14 realms on Thursday after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died at the age of 96.
Charles, the queen’s eldest son and the longest-serving heir in British history, became king immediately after his mother passed, as prescribed by the British laws of succession. He also inherited other assets including land and property.
Charles Philip Arthur George will officially be known as King Charles III. He is set to address the U.K. for the first time as king on Friday, according to The BBC. He will then officially be proclaimed king during a ceremonial gathering on Saturday.
At 73, he will be the oldest British monarch ever crowned.
The queen, who reigned for 70 years, “died peacefully” at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
“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,” the king said in a statement on Thursday. “We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved mother.”
“I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world,” he added. “During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held.”
Great Britain’s national anthem will change from God Save the Queen to God Save the King. The lyrics will be updated to swap out “queen” in favor of “king” and female pronouns will change to male pronouns.
Meanwhile, bank notes featuring the queen will remain legal tender at least until the period of official mourning ends, at which point the Bank of England is expected to provide additional information.
The queen was the first British monarch to appear on bank notes, per the Telegraph.
Charles was unanimously voted to be the next leader in 2018.
PHOTOS: Queen Elizabeth II
The queen said at that time: “It is my sincere wish that the Commonwealth will continue to offer stability and continuity for future generations, and will decide that one day the Prince of Wales should carry on the important work started by my father in 1949.”
Charles became Britain’s heir apparent at only 3 years old, when his mother assumed the throne at age 25. Charles, the eldest of the queen and the late Prince Philip’s four children, has several titles including Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay and Earl of Carrick.
Charles married Diana Spencer in 1981 and had two children, Prince William and Prince Harry. The pair later separated in 1992, seven years before Diana’s death.
Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005 and she became the Duchess of Cornwall. When the pair wed, an agreement was made that Camilla would be known as princess consort rather than queen. However, the queen said in February that she would like Camilla to be known as queen consort upon Charles’s ascension to the throne.
It is unclear what title Camilla will take now that Charles is king.
William is now first in line to the throne and is expected to inherit the title Duke of Cornwall, at which point he would inherit the Duchy of Cornwall, which is a 150,000 acre estate with a yearly income of $27 million.