The motto is ‘The queen is dead, long live the king’ but the ascension also sets off a stream of changes as etiquette, tradition and circumstance move royals into new roles.
As plans for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral are firmed up, royals inherit new titles and there are repercussions for members of the ruling family, including Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who opted out of front-line royal life and moved to California where they live with their two children.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex plunged the royal family into one of its most challenging periods in modern royal history.
Throughout it, the couple made efforts to publicly praise the queen, even naming their daughter Lilibet after the queen’s family nickname since childhood.
But while Harry and Meghan appear to have invested their time developing their bond with the queen, their relationship with Charles and William has been greatly troubled.
Here's a look at what is happening, after the death of the queen:
Charles III
The queen's son and successor has become King Charles III of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. He is also king of other Commonwealth realms.
He is defender of the faith and supreme governor of the Church of England.
In 2015 he said he would be sworn in as defender of the (Anglican) faith when he became king. "It always seems to me that while at the same time being Defender of the Faith, you can also be protector of faiths," the royal said.
King Charles is also now the Duke of Lancaster
Camilla
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The Union flag is lowered at the Houses of Parliament following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 08, 2022 in London, England. Getty -
The Union Flag lowered at half mast at Buckingham Palace following the official announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, London, Britain, 08 September 2022. EPA -
The Union Flag above Downing Street, in central London is flown at half mast following the announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II. PA -
Defence Forces military police lower the Irish flag to half mast outside government buildings in Dublin following the announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II. PA -
The Union flag flies at half mast at Hillsborough Castle, Northern Ireland. PA -
Flags being lowered to half mast outside The Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood in Edinburgh following the announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II. PA -
The United States national flag flies at half-staff over the White House by proclamation of US President Joe Biden, to honor the late Queen Elizabeth II of Britain following her death, in Washington, DC, USA, 08 September 2022. EPA -
The US flag flies at half-staff at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on September 8, 2022 following the death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. AFP -
Frame grab from a video showing a member of the British Embassy staff lowering the flag outside the embassy to half staff upon news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II in Washington, DC, USA, 08 September 2022. EPA -
The Australian flag files at half-staff at the Australian Embassy, Thursday, September 8, 2022, in Washington, after Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest-reigning monarch and a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, died Thursday after 70 years on the throne. AP -
The Canadian flag flies at half-staff over the Canadian Embassy in Washington, Thursday, September 8, 2022, after Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest-reigning monarch and a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, died Thursday after 70 years on the throne. AP -
The Union flag flies at half-staff at the British Embassy in Washington, DC, on September 8, 2022, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. AFP -
A Canadian flag flies at half-staff at the top of the Peace Tower after the death of Britian's Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022 in Ottawa. AFP -
The New Zealand flag at half-mast outside Parliament, in Wellington, New Zealand following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Friday, September 9, 2022. AP -
A Union flag flies at half-mast at the British embassy in Berlin, Germany 08 September 2022, following the death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. EPA -
The Brazilian and the MERCOSUR flags fly at half-mast at the Planalto Palace after the death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, in Brasilia, on September 8, 2022. AFP -
The Union flag at half-staff due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II, at the British Consulate General, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 08 September 2022. EPA -
Union flags flies at half-mast at the British embassy in Madrid, Spain, 08 September 2022, following the death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. EPA
She is now queen consort, like the queen mother was, rather than a queen regent, who rules in her own right, such as Elizabeth II.
Queen Elizabeth II publicly endorsed her daughter-in-law to be known as queen consort in her platinum jubilee message to the nation in February.
William is first in line to become king
He is still the Duke of Cambridge but also becomes the Duke of Cornwall, taking over the title from King Charles III.
Prince William is not yet the Prince of Wales, a title traditionally, but not automatically, given to the male heir to the throne.
In Scotland, he inherits the Scottish titles the Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland.
His wife, Kate, becomes the Duchess of Cornwall, in addition to being the Duchess of Cambridge. She is also now the Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland, which was also previously Camilla's title. She will presumably become the Princess of Wales, the official title of her late mother-in-law Princess Diana, after her husband's investiture.
George, Charlotte & Louis - second, third and fourth in line
Prince William and his wife Kate's children have become Prince George of Cornwall and Cambridge, Princess Charlotte of Cornwall and Cambridge, and Prince Louis of Cornwall and Cambridge.
They will eventually become "of Wales" when William is the Prince of Wales.
Harry - fifth in line
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's titles will not change. The couple have stopped using their "Royal Highness" styles, but they still retain them.
Archie - sixth in line
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor is now technically a prince due to rules set out by King George V in 1917.
When Archie was born he was too far down the line of succession for such a title, according to George V's restrictions, but now, as the son of a son of a sovereign, he can be "His Royal Highness" and a prince.
During Harry and Meghan's interview on Oprah shortly after leaving the UK, one of their complaints was that the family did not want Archie to be a prince and had refused to give him a title.
Lilibet - seventh in line
Archie's younger sister Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor is now technically a princess.
If she uses the title, she will be Her Royal Highness Princess Lilibet of Sussex.
Like Archie, Charles would have to issue a Letters Patent to remove this.
