Prince Edward and Sophie attend Royal Variety Performance for first time as evening's guests of honor

Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday. And with that the curtains came down on a 70-year-old royal reign. Britain's longest-reigning monarch took up the pledge of dedicating her “whole life” to public service on her 21st birthday in 1947. Following her death, the royal responsibilities will now rest on the shoulders of Prince Charles, her eldest son. (Image: Twitter/@ClarenceHouse)

For Prince Charles, who has been living in the shadow of the Queen almost his entire life, the moment of reckoning is finally here. While Twitter went ballistic with memes and funny GIFs about the royal finally bagging a job at the age of 73, the man himself has big shoes to fill, matching the Queen’s empathy and public service. (Image: Twitter/@ClarenceHouse)

At 73, Prince Charles becomes the oldest person to assume the UK throne. He will be the head of the United Kingdom and 14 other countries. And while no date has been set for his coronation, royal watchers expect it to be concluded in a month’s time. Charles's second wife, Camilla, will now be known as the Queen Consort. (Image: Twitter/@ClarenceHouse)

Charles is the first British royal who was not educated at home by a royal tutor. He was educated at Hill House School in West London and Trinity College in Cambridge University. In 1970, he became the first British royal ever to earn a university degree. (Image: Twitter/@ClarenceHouse)

During his time at Cambridge, Charles received pilot training from the Royal Air Force. He spent seven years in uniform, training as a Royal Air Force pilot before joining the Royal Navy, where he learned to fly helicopters. Charles ended his military career as commander of the ‘HMS Bronington; a minesweeper, in 1976. (Image: Twitter/@ClarenceHouse)

Charles married Lady Diana Spencer on July 29, 1981, in a globally televised ceremony. The couple, married for a decade, had two children, Prince William, who is now heir to the throne, and Prince Harry who renounced his royal title last year. However, the couple’s romance was short-lived after speculations of Charles’s extra-marital relationship gained ground. He admitted to adultery to a TV interviewer in 1994. (Image: Twitter/@ClarenceHouse)

In an interview to the BBC’s Martin Bashir in 1995, Princess Diana spoke in candid terms about life in Buckingham Palace. She admitted to having an affair and said that Charles's affair with Camilla Parker Bowles had made her feel worthless. Her famous comment - "three of us in the marriage” - would go on to haunt the royal family for years to come. More than 20 million people watched the interview and it caused huge controversy. (Image: Twitter/@ClarenceHouse)

Diana and Charles’s turbulent marriage hit the headlines when they separated in 1992. Their marital difficulties became increasingly publicised, and they finally divorced in 1996. A year later, Diana died from injuries she sustained after her driver unintentionally rammed the car into a wall in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris when chased by the paparazzi's cameras. Charles decided to make it official with Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005 and she became the Duchess of Cornwall. It is said that Charles was in love with Camilla even before he met Diana. (Image: Twitter/@ClarenceHouse)

Championing The Arts

Apart from his royal duties, Prince Charles has been an active supporter of arts, especially when it comes to classic Shakespeare works. Not many know that he had even made an appearance in a skit for the BBC’s Shakespeare Live in 2016. His teenage years saw him participate in Shakespeare’s plays. (Image: Twitter/@ClarenceHouse)