King Charles's reign as monarch reaches milestone this relative could never obtain

King Charles's reign as monarch has reached a new milestone, which has eclipsed the reign of this relative and former monarch.

• King Charles has been on the throne for almost a year since his mother's passing in September 2022.
• At the end of July 2023, the King marked a unique milestone that has been reached by some, but not all other monarchs.
• In other royal news, Prince Harry and Meghan make a romantic purchase that's set to shake up their careers.

On September 8, 2023, the King ascended the throne following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II. While he wasn't officially coronated until May 2023, the King's reign is now nearing its one-year anniversary which is just one month away.

In comparison to Her Majesty's 70-year-long reign that broke records across the globe, the King's reign to date appears to be rather short in comparison. However, in just less than a year on the throne, the King's time as monarch has already outstripped one of his relatives.

King Edward VII, who was later known as the Duke of Windsor, was the King's great-uncle and the brother of the King's grandfather, King George VI. King Edward VII was only on the throne for 325 days when he abdicated so that he could marry Wallis Simpson. At the time this union was forbidden as Wallis had been married and divorced twice, and therefore was not considered to be a suitable future Queen.

This meant that King Edward was monarch between January 20, 1936, and December 10, 1936, amounting to just 325 days.  

In comparison, as on August 8, 2023, King Charles has been on the throne for 11 months, amounting to 334 days. Meaning he has surpassed his uncle's reign by nine days. 

After King Edward VII abdicated, Queen Elizabeth II's father King George VI became the King and quickly had to learn how to transition from being the spare to the heir. 

The love story between Wallis Simpson and King Edward VII has been portrayed in a number of TV shows and films. In particular, his character was portrayed in The Crown and known as 'Uncle David' or 'Uncle Dickie'. This role was portrayed by Alex Jennings in Seasons 1 and 2, Derek Jacobi in Season 3, and Sam Woolf in Season 5. In later seasons he was portrayed as a somewhat mentor to the young Prince Charles, who he kept in contact with via letters of correspondence. 

Times have changed considerably in the last century and now the monarch, King Charles is not only divorced himself but also married to a divorcee, who is now the Queen consort. That being said, his sons and heirs are from his first marriage to Princess Diana, not Camilla. And it is still rumoured that King Charles' wife needed to be a 'virgin' before marrying the then Prince of Wales.