Prince Charles was born on November 14, 1948, to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. He has been the Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay since 1952. The father of two and grandfather of four is 71 years old in November and has been next in line to the throne since he was aged three. But when Charles is crowned, will he be the oldest monarch at the start of his reign?

Queen Elizabeth II became Queen when her father King George VI died in February 1952, aged 25.

But Prince Charles, now aged 70, is still just the heir apparent to the British monarchy.

The Prince of Wales is the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales in British history.

But will Prince Charles be the oldest monarch crowned?

The Prince of Wales unofficially won the record as the oldest monarch to be crowned in Britain’s history in 2013, aged 65.

The oldest monarch at the start of his reign prior to Prince Charles was William IV, who succeeded to the throne in 1830 at the age of 64.

The oldest female monarch at the time of her ascension was Mary I, aged 37, when she became queen in 1553.

The oldest heir to the throne in history was Sophia of Hanover, who was declared the rightful heir to Queen Anne by the Act of Settlement of 1701, but never became Queen because she died in 1714 at the age of 83, two months before Anne.

Sophia’s son was then crowned George I.

The Prince of Wales already holds the record of being the longest-serving heir apparent, having been first in line to the throne since he was three years old.

The previous holder of that record was Edward VII, who was 59 when he succeeded Queen Victoria.

Given Prince Charles’s advancing years, there has been much speculation in the past about whether he would abdicate and allow Prince William to succeed to the throne – allowing the monarchy to skip a generation.

But the Prince’s aides have always made it clear that he has prepared his entire life to rule and that he has no intention of giving up the role he regards as his duty, as well as his birthright.

The Queen, aged 93, is still in robust health and therefore the Prince may still have a long wait before he becomes king.

While her father King GEorge VI died aged 56, her mother Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, died at the age of 101.

If Queen Elizabeth II lives to that age, the Prince of Wales would not be crowned until the age of 78.

The 70-year-old, is in Wales this week, undertaking 20 engagements across the country with his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.

The tour will mark the 50th anniversary of Charles’ investiture as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle on July 1, 1969.

The Queen first bestowed him with the title at the tender age of nine, on July 26, 1958, but formally invested him 11 years later.

In recent years, Prince Charles has been readying himself to takeover from his mother by attending meetings of the Duchy.

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