King Charles settles into life as monarch, after long wait

FILE PHOTO: King Charles III meets guests after a ceremony where he presented new Standards and Colours to the Royal Navy; the Life Guards of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment; The King's Company of the Grenadier Guards, and The King's Colour Squadron of the Royal Air Force, at Buckingham Palace in London, Britain. Picture date: Thursday April 27, 2023. Yui Mok/Pool via REUTERS

LONDON (Reuters) - After waiting longer than any British heir to become monarch, King Charles has quietly settled into his new role with little of the drama some commentators had expected, but with family divisions and some fundamental issues still looming.

The 74-year-old Charles, who will be formally crowned on Saturday, was the oldest sovereign to take the throne in a lineage that dates back 1,000 years when he succeeded his hugely popular mother Queen Elizabeth after her death last September. She had reigned for 70 years.