King Charles III pictured working with the red box at Buckingham Palace for the first time ever

The Royal Family has released its first photo of King Charles III with the iconic Red Box, signifying His Majesty's formal induction into official government duties. 

• King Charles III has been photographed with the royal red box for the first time ever.
• The iconic dispatch box has been used to deliver important government documents to the King or Queen since the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. 
• In other royal news, Prince George and Princess Charlotte praised for 'evident understanding of their royal duties' following Queen Elizabeth's funeral.
  

King Charles III has been pictured with the royal red box for the first time ever, symbolizing His Majesty's takeover of the late Queen Elizabeth II's constitutional duties in light of her recent death. 

The iconic dispatch container, made by Barrow Hepburn & Gale, holds official important documents from government ministers in the UK and its Commonwealth nations. It is delivered to the reigning British monarch on a daily basis, who will provide signatures and briefings for upcoming meetings after sorting through its contents. The Queen reportedly received red boxes every day of her 70-year-long reign except Christmas. 

A Royal Family spokesperson revealed on September 11 that King Charles III would initially receive six red boxes, with up to a dozen expected to be made in the coming months. All of the crimson boxes are locked, engraved with the royal cypher and built to last for many years. 

The latest photo of Charles with his first Red Box was taken in the Eighteenth Century room at Buckingham Palace, where the King is expected to hold a 'flat above the shop' in his new role as Head of State. 

In the background, a framed portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip can be seen. The beloved monarch and her King-Consort passed away on September 8, 2022, and April 9, 2021, respectively, and have since been buried next to each other at Windsor Castle. 

As the eldest of Queen Elizabeth II's children, Charles automatically became King upon her death aged 96 at Balmoral Castle earlier this month. At 73, he is the oldest person ever to assume the British throne. 

Despite his older age, it doesn't look like has any plans to give up his hard-working reputation any time soon. 

"I think he’s going to get to work very fast," Katie Nicholl, royal correspondent for Vanity Fair, told the Royal Beat this week. 

"He is very aware that this is an age where there isn’t that deference to the Royal Family. They have to justify who they are, what they do, and why we fund them. It’s not going to be a completely smooth path; we are absolutely in that honeymoon period where he’s riding the wave of public sympathy... But questions are going to be asked, people are going to want to know what’s next, and I think he’s going to be pretty open and pretty transparent."