 At this time , Archduke Charles was in his twenties and did not expect to become emperor for some time , especially while Franz Ferdinand remained in good health . This changed on 28 June 1914 when the heir and his wife Sophie were assassinated in Sarajevo by Bosnian Serb nationalists . Charles and Zita received the news by telegram that day . She said of her husband , " Though it was a beautiful day , I saw his face go white in the sun . 
