The eternal heir, now king: Looking back at the life of Charles III

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Charles III is the oldest monarch in British history to take the throne, after seven decades in the shadow of his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II. As a prince, he was a passionate environmentalist who helped support disadvantaged youth though his charity work. But he became deeply unpopular after his divorce from Princes Diana. Today, Charles is being crowned with his once-controversial second wife Camilla by his side as queen consort. The monarch, who is head of state of the UK and 14 other countries, will have one main challenge during his reign: to safeguard the future of the royal family, amid declining support for the monarchy in the polls. FRANCE 24's team looks back at his life.