Who would ever want to be King Charles?

Published February 20, 2026 5:00am ET



After seven decades of waiting in the shadow of Britain’s longest-reigning sovereign, King Charles III is learning first-hand a timeless Shakespearean warning — “heavy is the head that wears the crown.”

It has been a rough reign for the King, whose time on the throne has been defined by illness, heartbreak, and royal scandal, culminating in the arrest of his brother on Thursday.

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