In his first address to the nation as monarch on Friday, September 9, King Charles III speaks of his mother’s ‘love, guidance, and example’ and pledges the rest of his life to service.
The King paid a deeply personal tribute to his “darling Mama” as she begins her “last great journey”, pledging the remainder of his life to service in her image.
In his first speech as monarch, King Charles III spoke movingly of Queen Elizabeth II’s “love, affection, guidance, understanding and example”, describing a “sense of loss, beyond measure” that was felt by all.
Read Also: Queen Elizabeth II Dies As Longest-Serving British Monarch
He said in the first television address of his reign;
As the Queen herself did with such unswerving devotion, I too now solemnly pledge myself, throughout the remaining time God grants me, to uphold the constitutional principles at the heart of our nation.
Addressing his “darling Mama”, who died on Thursday at the age of 96, he said;
As you begin your last great journey to join my dear late Papa, I want simply to say this: thank you.
Thank you for your love and devotion to our family and to the family of nations you have served so diligently all these years.
He announced that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were now the Prince and Princess of Wales, thanked his “darling wife, Camilla” – describing her for the first time as “my Queen Consort” – and also expressed his love for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Schedule
At 10 am on Saturday, he will be formally proclaimed monarch at a historic Accession Council in the State Apartments of St James’s Palace.
Buckingham Palace has confirmed the King’s wish that the Royal family observes seven days of mourning following his mother’s funeral, expected to be held on Monday, Sep 19.
On Friday, it was confirmed that Joe Biden, the US president, would be among those attending what is expected to be one of the largest gatherings of world leaders in history.
Earlier in the day, King Charles III had greeted wellwishers outside Buckingham Palace, who offered their condolences but also cheered his arrival.
At 4 pm, he had his first in-person meeting with Liz Truss, the Prime Minister, at the palace. In a released clip of the meeting, he told her his mother’s death was “the moment I’ve been dreading, as I know a lot of people have, but we try to keep everything going.”
Ms Truss had earlier welcomed his “sense of duty and service” in an address to the House of Commons, calling it the beginning of “our new Carolean age”.
Later, the first official rendition of God Save The King was heard at St Paul’s Cathedral at the end of a memorial service for the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Her death had been marked by a 96-gun salute from the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery at Hyde Park at 1 pm, in unison with salutes across the UK.
Guidance from the Cabinet Office, issued on Friday, stated that there was “no obligation” for events or sporting fixtures to be cancelled or for entertainment venues to be closed, but recommended doing so on the day of the state funeral “as a mark of respect”.
The Football Association has announced that all English fixtures will be postponed. Rugby matches will go ahead with a one-minute silence and players wearing black armbands.
The King’s speech was recorded in the Blue Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace, where Queen Elizabeth II recorded some of her Christmas messages.
