Charles Mountbatten-Windsor has waited more than 70 years to fulfill the job that he was born to do. With the passing of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on Thursday, the former Prince of Wales has automatically become Britain’s next sovereign. But the process of his coronation, and the national period of mourning that will precede it, has only just begun. Britain has officially entered a period of national mourning, which will last until the date of the Queen’s state funeral in around 10 days’ time. In the interim period, several ceremonial events will be underway, including the formal accession ceremony for King Charles III at St. James’s Palace on Saturday, where he will formally be proclaimed the new monarch. While Charles will already be assuming his royal duties as the monarch, including an address to the nation, his symbolic accession to the throne, the coronation, will have to wait. This is partly a matter of logistics. Although much of what happens after the monarch’s passing has been meticulously planned, King Charles III’s coronation will require even more detailed planning. Read more about what happens next at the link in our bio. Photograph by @robbiel1 for TIME