As his Coronation looms, very few - if any - can offer King Charles real-life advice on how to approach his reign.
But luckily the long, illustrious and sometimes infamous history of the monarchy in Britain means he can just look back at his own ancestors for inspiration.
With kings and queens in this country stretching back more than 1,000 years, he is sure to learn a thing or two from his predecessors and their successes.
But according to historian Dr Tracy Borman, there are also some monarchs he should steer clear of taking tips from.
The expert - who is a joint chief curator for Historic Royal Palaces and the researcher who discovered Danny Dyer's royal connections - is about to head on a UK tour called 'How To Be A Good Monarch', which will see her share tumultuous tales of the good, the bad, the disasters and triumphs of the monarchy...
So what can Charles learn from his relatives from centuries gone by and what should he absolutely avoid doing? Here Tracy reveals all...
Keep the mystery
While other monarchies have been toppled or fallen, Britain's has remained relatively stable right into the 21st century.
For Tracy, this is down to its ability to reflect the changing times while still being a bastion of tradition.
However, she believes there is one thing that has typified or defined the monarchy throughout the ages - its sense of mystery.
She told the Mirror: "So even in this age of mass communication, we still don't know what goes on behind closed doors. It has been the same throughout history.
"The monarch kind of keeps themselves a bit separate, they are seen as not like other mortals - and that makes people fascinated by them."
Manage your image like the Tudors
One dynasty that promoted this sense of mystery to their absolute advantage according to Tracy was the Tudors, who she described as the "masters of PR".
She explained: "They deliberately enhanced their privacy and they had a separate suite of private apartments that they went into at the end of the day.
"And those who were favoured could follow them and there is this idea that they are almost otherworldly beings.
The Tudors were probably the masters of PR but then the Stuarts that followed them didn't necessarily buy into that in the same way. They thought all that pomp and pageantry and ceremony was a bit pointless.
"They believed that God put them on Earth to rule and that nobody could oppose them, which led to disaster with the civil war and the execution of the monarch and the ending of the monarchy for a while.
"So managing your public image is still the key to success. And it is the most challenging thing, especially today because you have to strike a balance between not being totally aloof and out of touch."
Put duty before all else
Meanwhile another two monarchs Charles could learn from are his mother Elizabeth II and her namesake Elizabeth I, thanks to their devotion to duty.
Tracy explained: "If you are a dutiful monarch and you put your position before everything else, that goes further than pretty much anything and your subjects can forgive you for a lot if you prove to be hardworking and dutiful.
"Elizabeth II is a prime example of that. There were others as well her namesake Elizabeth I, who is my own personal favourite. She sacrificed everything to be Queen, she didn't marry and put her personal happiness to one side because she thought it was for the good of her country.
"So even monarchs have made disastrous decisions if they work hard and do their duty, people tend to forgive them for it. "
Never disrespect your predecessor
But according to Tracy one thing subjects never forgive their monarchs for is criticising their predecessor - something Charles should never do.
She said: "Even if that predecessor was unpopular, it doesn't tend to go down very well if the first thing you do is to criticise the one who went before.
"Even with Henry VIII whose father Henry VII was very unpopular by the time of his death, Henry completely distanced himself from him and made it clear he was a new brew and very different to his father. And I don't think people respected that. You need to honour the dead, even if the dead were no good at their job.
"Blood wasn't thicker than water through history when it came to the monarchy."
Always change but always stay the same
For Tracy, one quote that sums up the perfect monarch is that they need to be "always changing, always the same".
And she added: "They need to innovate like Elizabeth II. She finally introduced equality into succession so that female heirs now have equal precedence with male heirs.
"There were even bigger innovations under Henry VIII who got rid of the Pope and set up the Church of England.
"But at the same time, you've got to uphold that tradition, and like I was saying before if you don't, people start to question the monarchy, if you don't make it seem this absolutely invincible machine, that never changes, it is vulnerable."
Have some charisma
It is all well and good being dutiful and respectful, but according to Tracy, having the common touch always helps.
She explained: "It helps if you are very charismatic and just have a popular touch. Elizabeth I was a prime example of that. Her sister Queen Mary was queen before her and Mary absolutely didn't have the popular touch she was very awkward in her public appearances.
"Whereas Elizabeth wasn't she was always smiling and waving and chatting to people - and I think people really relate to that. "
Ignore his great-uncle
And are there any monarchs King Charles should just ignore and not learn anything from? Plenty, according to Tracy.
But she noted: "I would say his great uncle Edward VIII. He abdicated because of Wallis Simpson and arguably it was the best thing he could have done for the monarchy because he was completely ill-suited to be King - he was very lazy and vain and quite cruel actually.
"And probably King John as well as he usually tops the polls of the worst monarch. He rebelled against every member of his family and tried to stitch them up, taxed his people heavily, everybody hated him."
Be clear and decisive
But according to Tracy, this charisma means nothing if people aren't clear about what you stand for.
She explained: "Henry V was the victor of the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 and what I really admire about him is he was a very decisive, very clear and fair leader so everybody really knew where they stood with him, and I think people really respect that.
"Even if they don't agree with you if you are clear on your stance then that tends to go down very well."
Tracy Borman will be at theatres around the UK from April 17 with How To Be A Good Monarch – 1000 Years of Kings & Queens – for ticket information visit www.tracyborman.co.uk/theatre. Tracy’s new book Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter Who Changed History is published on May 18 by Hodder & Stoughton but will be on sale at theatres on the tour.
