Britain goes to the polls, and a wipeout is in the works. What to know about the election

separately announced this year that they were being treated for cancer. And Princess Anne, the king's younger sister, was briefly hospitalized for what was reported to be a minor head injury and concussion.

The king has kept a limited schedule of public engagements while undergoing chemotherapy for prostate cancer. The diagnosis and course of treatment for Catherine, the former Kate Middleton, were initially kept under wraps to such an extent that bizarre conspiracy theories proliferated about the nature of her illness and state of her marriage to Prince William, the heir to the throne. The rumors died down somewhat after the princess appeared publicly in June for an elaborate ceremony called Trooping the Color.

"The firm," as it is known to royal watchers, is smaller than it once was; after becoming monarch, Charles trimmed the number of so-called working royals who carry out engagements on his behalf.

Prince William's younger brother, Harry, and his American wife, the former actress Meghan Markle, remain in California after a tumultuous break with the family in 2020. They live in Montecito with their son, Archie, and daughter, Lilibet, whose given name was the late queen's childhood nickname.

The king and Sir Keir

As is known to every watcher of "The Crown" or those familiar with hit plays like "The Audience," the British monarch is supposed to remain above politics — but meets regularly with the sitting prime minister. The late queen cycled through 15 of them, including Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher, meeting then-Prime Minister Liz Truss only days before the monarch's death. Press reports have noted that Charles and Starmer — Sir Keir, following his knighthood in 2020 — share a similar low-key temperament, as well as some common interests such as fighting climate change.

The regional picture

The British electoral contest, significant enough on its own, coincides with tense times in other major Western European powers, set off in large part by the June elections held across the continent for the European Parliament. French President Emmanuel Macron is battling the far-right National Rally in a second-round snap election on Sunday, called after his bloc's bruising loss to the far right in the European vote and again in Sunday's first-round balloting. German politics were shaken up by the strong performance of the far-right Alternative for Germany in the EU election, although Chancellor Olaf Scholz did not seek to change the national election calendar as a result.

Surely you're joking

A rotating roster of satirical candidates is a longstanding British political tradition, and their presence serves as a goofy sendup of the pageantry — perhaps edging into pomposity — associated with august occasions such as a national election. Perennial joke characters such as Lord Buckethead and Count Binface — in British usage, bins are trash cans — are treated with full ceremonial honors.

The prime minister, seen as in danger of losing his parliamentary seat to a Labor challenger, will also be forced to share an election-night stage with a costumed Count Binface — the self-described intergalactic warrior, who is among the parliamentary candidates in Sunak's wealthy London suburban constituency.