Side-by-side: King Charles’ first year as head of state compared to the late Queens’ in pictures

A year ago today, King Charles succeeded his late mother Queen Elizabeth II as monarch and was crowned in a regal ceremony inside Westminster Abbey. 

King Charles’ Coronation was watched by more than 20 million people in the UK and millions more around the world, yet today, His Majesty wishes to mark the day ‘in his mother’s mould’ with very little fuss.

In the year since that stunning day, His Majesty has had a lot to deal with, both personally and as a father, son, husband and as head of the Royal Family.

He continues to undergo cancer treatment after his diagnosis in February, which was followed by the Princess of Wales’s own shock health news that she too is suffering from cancer.

His time on the throne has been short, but far from uneventful. Reports have suggested that Charles had more engagements compared to the Queen in her first year.

Here, FEMAIL takes a look at key moments from King Charles’ year as head of state in comparison to his late mother Queen Elizabeth’s following her Coronation in 1953.  

One year ago today, pomp and pageantry reigned at King Charles’ Coronation on May 6, 2023.

The Coronation harked back 70 years to the glorious crowning of his late mother Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away on September 8, 2022.

Queen Elizabeth was crowned as head of state on June 2, 1953, in St Edward’s Chair inside Westminster Abbey, just as King Charles was seven decades on.

His Majesty wielded regalia including the Sovereign’s Orb, the Sceptres with Dove and Cross and the Sword of State and Sword of Offering, mirroring his mother’s actions on her own Coronation Day.

Also present in the Abbey 70 years on from their attendance at Her Late Majesty the Queen’s crowning were the Duke of Kent, his siblings Princess Alexandra and Prince Michael and cousin the Duke of Gloucester.  

Trooping the Colour 

King Charles saddled up to become the first monarch in more than 30 years to take part in the Trooping the Colour ceremony as his official birthday parade began on the morning of June 19, 2023. 

The King rode onto Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall as the nation’s head of state, and was joined on horseback by the royal colonels, including the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh.

Travelling in a carriage were the Queen, the Princess of Wales, along with Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, eight, and five-year-old Prince Louis.

It was the first time a reigning monarch has ridden on horseback at Trooping the Colour since Queen Elizabeth’s horse Burmese carried her during the 1986 ceremony.

On June 6 in 1953, Queen Elizabeth took the salute at the Trooping the Colour Ceremony on Horse Guards Parade, the occasion marking Her Majesty’s official birthday.

The late Queen lead the procession out of Buckingham Palace and was joined by Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, Princess Anne and Prince Charles, who arrived on Horse Guards Parade.

New stamps ushered in  

British stamps began featuring the King’s profile from April 4, 2023, but the late Queen’s image is still in use under specific conditions.

On July 31, 2023, stamps featuring the The Queen without a barcode became obsolete, but those with barcodes attached to the side remain valid for use.

Charles’s image, adapted from the design of artist Martin Jennings for use on coins by the Royal Mint, appeared on all new stamps with presentation packs on sale prior to his coronation.

In Queen Elizabeth’s case, stamps featuring her profile were released just a day after her coronation, with Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Stamp Set including four distinct values.

The last set of new stamps showing the late Queen’s head were issued by Royal Mail in February 2023, featuring the centenary of the Flying Scotsman steam locomotive.

This marks the end of an era, with this familiar version of Queen Elizabeth II’s silhouette having appeared on special stamps since 1968.

First State visit 

On March 30 in 2023, King Charles made his first State visit – accompanied by The Queen Consort – to Germany. 

He became the first British monarch to address the Bundestag in Berlin – and did almost the entire historic speech in German – as his state visit went from strength to strength.

There were nods of approval and several rounds of applause from MPs as His Majesty spoke about the ‘friendship’ between ‘our nations’, and at times the royal looked emotional to be there.

Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth II’s first official State visit following her Coronation was to Panama on November 29 in 1953, before going on to visit Norway on June 24 in 1955 and Sweden on June 8 in 1956.

First summer at Balmoral 

On August 17, 2023, the Royal Family gathered at church in Balmoral as they enjoyed the first summer break at the estate since the Queen spent her final days there before her death.

As the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s passing approached, all senior working royals were seen going to church near the grounds of the royal estate where she died on September 8, 2022.

King Charles and Queen Camilla were joined by his son Prince William and daughter-in-law Princess Catherine for their traditional Sunday morning service.

Britain’s longest-reigning monarch died at the age of 96 on September 8 at her Scottish residence, with members of the royal family travelling to Scotland to be with her beforehand.

Balmoral was among her most treasured homes, with the Queen spending many of her summers holidaying there with family over the years.

First Visit to a Commonwealth Country

The King has arrived in Kenya on October 30, 2023, on his first state visit to a Commonwealth nation since he became sovereign.

He touched down on the official RAF Voyager aircraft in Nairobi at 7pm UK time (10pm local) accompanied by his wife, Queen Camilla.

Although there was no ceremonial welcome, His Majesty’s trip began with a visit to a monument and fig tree celebrating the African nation’s independence from Britain.

The royal couple met local children, including groups taking part in a The Prince’s Trust International Enterprise Challenge. Charles also visited entrepreneurs during a visit to a Tech and Innovation showcase in the Kenyan capital.

However, King Charles found himself mired in Britain’s colonial past during his current four-day trip, and at a state banquet in Nairobi, he told of his ‘greatest sorrow and deepest regret’ at what he called Britain’s ‘abhorrent and unjustifiable acts of violence’ in the country during British rule, in particularly between 1952 and 1960.

According to the official Royal website, one third of The Queen’s total overseas visits were to Commonwealth countries.

Following her crowing as head of state in June 1953, Her Majesty’s first visit to a Commonwealth Country was to Bermuda in on November 24 in 1953, before visiting Jamaica on November 25, and Tonga on December 19. 

First State opening of Parliament

On November 7, 2023, King Charles used the first King’s Speech for more than 70 years – his first as British monarch – to pay a poignant tribute to his ‘beloved mother’ Queen Elizabeth II at the State Opening of Parliament.

Addressing MPs and peers in the House of Lords, he spoke of Her Majesty’s ‘legacy of service and devotion’ with his wife Queen Camilla next to him.

It was a historic and emotional moment for the King, who stepped in for his mother in May 2022 as she battled mobility problems before she passed away in September.

The first State Opening of Parliament presided over by Queen Elizabeth II took place on 4 November 1952. 

This preceded her Coronation and was her first major state event. Large crowds gathered outside to catch a glimpse of the new monarch on the traditional royal procession to the Palace of Westminster. 

Making her speech from the throne in the House of Lords chamber, she began with a tribute to her late father, according to the official Parliament website. 

Christmas message to the nation 

Charles made his first Christmas address to the UK and the Commonwealth on December 25, continuing a tradition that began in 1932. 

The King’s speech paid homage to all of the working royals as it deployed a montage of royal highlights of the last 12 months of 2023.

The Christmas broadcast, the first since Charles’ crowning as head of state, was delivered standing up in Buckingham Palace’s centre room which opens onto the famous balcony overlooking The Mall. The Queen Victoria Memorial could be seen in the background.

The King recognised all faiths, describing how ‘great religions of the world’ celebrated festivals with a special meal, and how it was the responsibility of ‘people of all faiths and of none’ to care for the natural world. 

At the end of 1953 The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh were at the start of a six-month tour of the Commonwealth on the Royal yacht. 

On Christmas Day, they were in Auckland, New Zealand, where The Queen recorded her Christmas Broadcast for the radio at Government House. 

With family at Annual Christmas day service St Mary’s Magdalene Church

The King and Queen celebrated Christmas Day alongside other members of the royal family at Sandringham on December 25, after attending a morning church service at St Mary Magdalene Church.

The private Norfolk estate hosted the traditional royal festivities, with most of the family present – except for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who spent the day in LA with their children, Prince Louis and Princess Lilibet.

Charles and Camilla were joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, for morning service at St Mary Magdalene Church, as well as other Royal family members.

Her Majesty, accompanied by her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, arrived in New Zealand on December 23, 1953, which meant The Queen spent Christmas in Auckland during her first year as reigning monarch.

On the 25th, she attended a Divine Service at St Mary’s Cathedral, before giving her annual Christmas address.

In her speech, she addressed the Tangiwai disaster, which had occurred the night before, in which 151 people died – it remains New Zealand’s worst railway disaster.

Presented with first banknotes bearing portrait 

On April 9, 2024, King Charles greeted the governor of the Bank of England for a historic meeting where he was presented with the first banknotes bearing his portrait.

The King praised the notes as ‘very well designed’ and expressed his surprise at being only the second monarch to feature. He received a leather-bound booklet containing the historic legal tender from Andrew Bailey at Buckingham Palace.

British coins featuring Elizabeth were first made available in 1953, a year after she ascended to the throne, according to the nation’s coin supplier, Royal Mint. In 1960, Elizabeth became the first British royal to have a photo featured on paper bills. 

Her likeness also appears on currency in Commonwealth countries, such as Canada, New Zealand and Australia, among others. Further, she appears on coins and bills made available by the Eastern Caribbean central bank.