UPDATED 12:52 P.M.
LONDON (Reuters) -Britain’s King Charles pledged on Friday to follow the example of his mother Queen Elizabeth in devoting himself to duty, during a solemn address to the nation in which he also spoke of his love for her and for his wife and children.
Charles became king on Thursday after Elizabeth died aged 96 at her Scottish residence, and on Friday he flew down from Scotland to London and delivered his first speech as sovereign.
“Queen Elizabeth was a life well lived; a promise with destiny kept and she is mourned most deeply in her passing,” the king said in the opening moments of his address.
“That promise of lifelong service I renew to you all today.”
Charles called the late queen an inspiration and example to him, praising her profound personal commitment to serving the people of the United Kingdom and her other realms.
Charles also spoke of his profound sorrow at losing his mother, saying that he felt it “beyond measure”.
The new monarch also praised his “darling wife” Camilla, now Queen Consort, and his eldest son and heir William and his daughter-in-law Kate, on whom he bestowed the titles of Prince and Princess of Wales.
Charles also expressed his love for his younger son Harry and daughter-in-law Meghan, a significant gesture towards a couple whose relationships with the rest of the royal family have been strained.
(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan and William James; Writing by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Kate Holton)
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UPDATE: 12:38 p.m.
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s King Charles pledged to give lifelong service to the people of the United Kingdom and his other realms in a solemn address to the nation a day after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth.
“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,” the king said.
“And wherever you may live in the United Kingdom, or in the realms and territories across the world, and whatever may be your background or beliefs, I shall endeavour to serve you with loyalty, respect and love, as I have throughout my life.”
(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan and William James; Writing by Estelle Shirbon)
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ORIGINAL STORY:
BALMORAL, Scotland (Reuters) – Britain’s King Charles will on Friday address a grieving nation following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth after seven decades on the throne, as a period of national mourning began for the only monarch most Britons ever knew.
Charles, who raced to be by the side of the queen at her Scottish home on Thursday, was heading back to London with his wife Camilla, now Queen Consort, before meeting the prime minister and making a televised statement.
The death of the queen, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and a towering presence on the world stage for 70 years, has drawn condolences from around the world.
Waking up to their first day without a woman once described by her grandson Harry as “the nation’s grandmother”, members of the public began gathering again outside Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle to lay flowers and take photos of the growing memorials.
Billboards across the city displayed messages of condolence and newspapers ran front-page photo tributes to the queen.
Buckingham Palace said there would a period of mourning to be observed by members of the family and the royal household until a week after the funeral, the date of which has not yet been confirmed but is expected in about 10 days time.
NATIONAL MOURNING
The government declared a period of national mourning which would continue until the state funeral. An online book of condolence was also opened.
At the remote Balmoral Castle in Scotland where she died on Thursday and where her family are gathered, people also arrived to pay their respects.
“She was amazing. She was like everyone’s granny. She always managed to capture the mood with her words,” said Kay McClement, 55, who came with a friend to leave flowers at the castle.
Thousands also gathered at Buckingham Palace, the queen’s home in central London, to lay flowers outside the famous black railings.
“I brought my young daughter here, because even though she won’t remember it, we can tell her she was here as history was happening,” said railway worker Liam Fitzjohn, 27. “She’s all we ever knew, we will never have a queen like that again.”
The government said it expected large crowds to mass at royal residences. “We expect significant crowding and delays on some public transport,” it’s statement said.
Elizabeth was head of state of the United Kingdom and 14 other realms including Australia, Canada, Jamaica, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
Charles, who automatically succeeded her as king, said the death was a moment of great sadness for himself and his family.
“I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world,” the 73-year-old said in a statement.
He will meet Prime Minister Liz Truss on Friday afternoon before later addressing the country.
There will be gun salutes at London’s Hyde Park and at the Tower of London and the bells at Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s will toll. At Windsor Castle, the Sebastopol Bell, captured during the 19th Century Crimean War and which is only struck to mark the death of the sovereign, will toll.
Regular business in parliament was replaced with a special session for lawmakers to pay tribute to the queen. Parliament will also convene on Saturday, something it rarely does, to approve a message of condolence to the king.
Bereft of its symbol of continuity and resilience, Britain begins its new era with a new king and new prime minister in grave economic crisis and following years of political division.
Long-running industrial action sparked by surging inflation was cancelled during the period of mourning. The BBC national broadcaster said that “as a mark of respect” it had called off its remaining ‘Proms’ concerts – whose patriotic, flag-waving finale was due to take place on Saturday.
News that the queen’s health was deteriorating emerged shortly after midday on Thursday when a palace statement said she had been put under medical supervision, prompting her family to rush to Scotland.
The queen had been suffering from what Buckingham Palace had called “episodic mobility problems” since the end of last year, forcing her to withdraw from nearly all her public engagements. Her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, died in 2021.
Her last public duty came only on Tuesday, when she appointed Truss prime minister – the 15th of her reign.
“She was the very spirit of Great Britain – and that spirit will endure,” Truss said outside her Downing Street office where the flag, like those at royal palaces and government buildings across Britain, was lowered.
MACRON’S MESSAGE
Condolences poured in from leaders around the world.
“To you, she was your queen. To us, she was the queen. To us all she (will) be with us forever,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in a heartfelt message to the British people.
Queen Elizabeth II, who was also the world’s oldest and longest-serving head of state, came to the throne following the death of her father King George VI on Feb. 6, 1952, when she was just 25.
She was crowned in June the following year. The first televised coronation was a foretaste of a new world in which the lives of the royals were to become increasingly scrutinised by the media.
Elizabeth became monarch at a time when Britain retained much of its old empire with Winston Churchill her prime minister, while Josef Stalin led the Soviet Union and the Korean War was raging.
(Reporting by Michael Holden, William James, Kate Holton, Humza Jilani, Farouq Suleiman, Muvia M, and Alistair Smout in London and Andrew MacAskill and Gerhard Mey in Balmoral; Editing by Kate Holton and Janet Lawrence)
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