Despite a life of preparation, Charles faces growing pains as King

Shortly before 8 pm Friday, King Charles III took up his post at one end of the catafalque in Westminster Hall, standing a last vigil over the coffin of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, along with his sister and brothers.

It was a deeply personal moment, but like so many during the king’s hectic first week on the throne, one bathed in the glare of television cameras. Many of those moments have been majestic and poignant, not least in Cardiff, Wales, where Charles, who until last week was the Prince of Wales, travelled Friday.