Wow - even with all I've watched and read about the Windsors recently I wasn't really aware he was quite that old. Google just told me if he ascends to the throne he will be the oldest person in modern history to ever be crowned. At this point though it is a reasonable possibility his mother might outlive him.
Yes, and if the Queen dies at the same age as her mother, at 101, Charles will be 79.
I think, more than likely, he will reign for only a few short years, before dying and Will ascends to the throne.
I know that there is much speculation & debate whether Charles really
wants to be King, with all the rules & regulations suddenly placed on him as King. But, I don't see why that really would stop him from wanting to be King. Since he was young enough to understand, he was told he'd be King someday. All this time, he's been rather, a man without a real job. Just "prince in waiting." Being an average male, like others, he was taught the societal Western norm that the male is supposed to become the bread winner and head of the household. I would think, it would be the same that the first Prince would expect to be King. He may not really want all the trappings in the end, but I suspect, he would still want the
title. Supposedly, he (and the rest of the Royal family,) were very jealous when Diana got all the spotlight just for what she wore every day, while they were attending boring charity functions and planting yet another tree.
And I think he wouldn't have fought so hard to give Camilla some sort of title of stature, and what she will be known as, when he does ascend to the throne, if it wasn't important to him.
And with walking Meghan down the aisle partway, he's showing he may actually be a "more relaxing of the traditional rules" king. He wants to create a way for his son to rule happily. So he may very well be an important
transitional King.
I think, it would be best if he does get to reign for a few short years before Will moves up. Also, how will it affect the Queen if she loses her son and most likely, her husband, in a few short years? As much as any of that may be expected as they all are of an age to go, the actuality and living through the daily grief is a different story.