King Charles III becomes monarch after death of mother, Queen Elizabeth II

Prince Charles was with the Queen at Balmoral facing the sad reality the death of his beloved mother would lead to the greatest transition of his life: from heir to king.

And then, on Thursday afternoon, it happened: Buckingham Palace announced she had passed away.

In the immediate days he faces the twin challenges of personal bereavement and leading the nation in mourning.

Now his father has become king, the Duke of Cambridge will also take on the responsibility, and multimillion-pound income, of the Duchy of Cornwall estates.

They were joined at Balmoral by the Princess Royal, the Duchess of Cornwall, who is in line to become Queen consort, and the Prince of Wales. The couple have been carrying out engagements in Scotland in recent days and Charles was said to have been making regular morning visits to see his mother as she continued to struggle with her mobility.

A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who happen to be on a visit to the UK from their home in California, were also travelling to Scotland. They had been due to attend the WellChild awards ceremony in London on Thursday evening. The Press Association news agency later reported that Harry would be travelling alone.

The younger members of the family have increasingly taken on royal duties. William and Kate have increased their profile, stepping into formal roles at the request of the Queen. For example the Duke of Cambridge last year took on the role of lord high commissioner and opened the general assembly of the Church of Scotland.

Charles will take over a role meant to represent stability in times of change, at a time of great political and social flux. But with decades of active duty as the Prince of Wales behind him he will hope to rise to that task. Not least, despite his age he will represent a different generation to the Queen, becoming the first British monarch to have gone to school.

The new king has met scores of foreign leaders, interacted with numerous British governments and established a network of charities and causes that have plugged him into at least some of the concerns of ordinary British people and led him into conflict with others.