In 1938, upon the death of his uncle, Sultan Iskandar Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Idris Murshidul Azzam Shah Rahmatullah, he was appointed as Raja Muda. Raja Yusuf ascended the Perak throne in 1948 following the death of his cousin Sultan Abdul Aziz al-Mu’tasim Billah Shah Ibni Almarhum Raja Muda Musa.