Media reports galore with the news of a "gentle succession", wherein Queen Elizabeth II will share some of the monarch duties with her son Prince Charles.
There is a widespread anticipation, as it is a sign of what is to come, that Prince Charles may eventually become the King. The British royal family attracts of the admiration and respect of people from across the world. And anything do with the British royal family piques the interest of masses, and so does the questions related to royalty.
In April Queen Elizabeth II will turn 88, of which, 62 years she ruled as the Queen of the Great Britain. The historic "job-share" arrangement with Prince Charles now will see the Queen gradually relinquishing some of her traditional duties as monarch. While it has emerged that Prince Charles will be taking on head of the state-style responsibilities, his path towards kingship may still be a long one.
In the meantime, here are some interesting facts the British royal family:
-- There might be a lot of questions, for example - what will the 66-year-old Prince Charles call himself when he becomes the king. Will he be King Charles III? Prince Charles can choose the title of King Charles III or any other name he wants. The kings often take different ruling names, for example, Prince Charles' grandfather's given name was Prince Albert but he chose to rule as King George VI. It is now speculated that Prince Charles may follow the footsteps of his grandfather and rule as King George VII.
-- Similarly, once Prince Charles becomes the King, his wife Camilla will be Queen consort. Camilla had earlier taken up the title of Duchess of Cornwall to avoid hurting the sentiments of supporters of Diana, who was the Princess of Wales.
-- Queen Elizabeth II, in her 62 years of rule, has witnessed 12 Presidents rule the United States of America, namely Harry Truman (1945-1953), Dwight Eisenhower (1953-61), John Kennedy (1961-63), Lyndon Johnson (1963-69), Richard Nixon (1969-74), Gerald Ford (1974-77), James Carter (1977-81), Ronald Reagan (1981-89), George Bush (1989-93), William Clinton (1993-2001), George W Bush (2001-09) and Barack Obama (2009-present).
-- Queen Elizabeth II is currently the second longest reigning monarch in British history. The longest reigning British monarch was the Queen's great great grandmother Queen Victoria, who ruled for 63 years.
-- Incidently,this makes Prince Charles - The Prince of Wales, the longest-serving heir apparent in British history as he has been waiting in the succession line for over 60 years.
-- The British line of succession as it now stands - Charles, Prince of Wales, he will be followed by Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, then it will be the turn of Prince George of Cambridge; Prince Harry of Wales; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; Princess Beatrice of York; Princess Eugenie of York; Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex; James, Viscount Severn, and finally Lady Louise Windsor.
