King Charles III became the British monarch the moment his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died in September 2022.  But his official coronation is being held on Saturday in a symbolic event during which the crown will be physically placed upon his head.

It's a role the King has spent decades preparing for. As the eldest of the Queen's four children, Charles became heir apparent to the throne at the age of three. He studied for an Arts degree at Cambridge University, before serving in both the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force but he's spent the majority of his life carrying out royal duties.

Charles's wedding to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 was watched around the world.  The couple had two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, but the marriage broke down and they divorced acrimoniously in 1996.

Princess Diana's death in a car crash in Paris in 1997, not only led to an outpouring of public grief but it marked a time of low public popularity for the King. In later years his reputation appeared to recover as he pursued his charitable causes including the development of young people through the Prince's Trust and environmental concerns.

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There was also public excitement when Charles married his long-time partner Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005, decades after they had first been romantically involved.

Having led the country in mourning following the death of Queen Elizabeth the second, for many he is a man who is finally fulfilling his destiny.

"He established a relationship with public in the 70s, 80s, and 90s as someone who has his own opinions and some of them were quite outlandish and strange," Jonathan Spangler, a historian specializing in European monarchies at Manchester Metropolitan University, told CGTN Europe. 

"But he certainly has grown into himself and people that respect and like the monarchy have seen, I think, that he does fill the role quite adequately and he's not the loose cannon or the radical reformer that people feared he would be."

King Charles's family life has been back in the spotlight since January following Prince Harry's autobiography, "Spare" which included a number of damning claims.  Relations between father and son are now said to be strained.

The British Royal Family will be hoping this rift does not overshadow the coronation, as Charles formally steps into the role his mother held for 70 years. 

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