King Charles promises ‘lifelong service’ as he pays tribute to Queen in first address to nation

Touching final message to ‘my darling Mama’: ‘May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest’

King Charles III has promised “lifelong service” to the United Kingdom as he paid a moving final farewell to “my darling Mama” in his first address to the nation as its new monarch.

In a broadcast from Buckingham Palace, the King spoke of his “feelings of profound sorrow” at the Queen’s death on Thursday at the age of 96 and vowed to continue her tradition of constitutional monarchy.

He announced that he was creating his eldest son and heir William and wife Kate Prince and Princess of Wales and wife Camilla Queen Consort.

And he made clear he wanted to draw a line under rifts within the royal family following younger son Harry and wife Meghan’s withdrawal from official duties, with an affectionate message offering “my love … as they continue to build their lives overseas”.

The address came after a poignant journey from the place of Elizabeth II’s death in Balmoral to London, where he and Camilla were given a rapturous reception by a crowd of thousands outside the palace.

As his royal Bentley drew up there were cries of “God save the King” from the crowd of thousands, some of whom had waited hours through sometimes heavy rainfall for a first glimpse of the new monarch.

Charles was given a peck on the cheek by one woman and another clutched his hand with both of hers and kissed it.

In a sign of the great personal loss which accompanies his accession to the throne, the new King told well-wishers: “I have really dreaded this day.”

His address was beamed into St Paul’s Cathedral, where prime minister Liz Truss joined 2,000 members of the public in a service of thanksgiving for the Queen’s life.

The service witnessed the first official rendition of the national anthem of Charles’s reign, under its new title “God Save the King”.

Wearing a dark suit and black tie, King Charles paid tribute to the Queen’s “love, affection, guidance, understanding and example”.

A service of prayer and reflection was held on Friday night at St Paul’s Cathedral (PA Wire)

And he said: “Queen Elizabeth’s was a life well lived; a promise with destiny kept and she is mourned most deeply in her passing. That promise of lifelong service I renew to you all today.”

In touching words addressed directly to “my darling Mama, as you begin your last great journey to join my dear late Papa”, he concluded: “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.

“May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”

In promising to follow his mother’s example of royal service until death, Charles also promised to uphold the principle of constitutional monarchy in place since the Glorious Revolution of 1688.

“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,” he 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.”

Charles said he was counting on “the loving help of my darling wife, Camilla” – now Queen Consort – for support in his new role.

And he confirmed that as well as inheriting his former title of Duke of Cornwall and his old Scottish titles, William will follow him in becoming Prince of Wales, an honour granted to heirs to the throne since 1301.

“With Catherine beside him, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I know, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations, helping to bring the marginal to the centre ground where vital help can be given,” said King Charles.

The royal couple look at floral tributes outside Buckingham Palace on Friday (PA)

After his return from Balmoral, Charles held his first audience with the prime minister, who had earlier chaired a special cabinet meeting in honour of the Queen and led MPs in tributes in the House of Commons.

Liz Truss – who visited the Queen just three days earlier in Balmoral to be invited to form a government – hailed her as one of the greatest leaders the world has ever known”.

“She reinvented the monarchy for the modern age,” said the PM.

“She was a champion of freedom and democracy around the world. She was willing to have fun – whether on a mission with 007 or having tea with Paddington Bear.”

Her predecessor Boris Johnson described how he had “choked up” with tears earlier this year when asked to talk about the Queen in the past tense for an obituary programme being recorded for the BBC.

“I was so overcome with sadness that I had to ask them to go away,” said Mr Johnson, who described the late monarch as “Elizabeth the Great” – a soubriquet previously applied only to Alfred among British sovereigns.

A crowd of thousands stood in solemn silence in Hyde Park as 96 rounds – one for each year of the Queen’s life – were fired by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery in a gun salute lasting 16 minutes.

No members of the royal family were present at St Paul’s for what was billed as an opportunity for ordinary citizens to give thanks for the Queen’s life.

The King greets well-wishers as he walks by the gates of Buckingham Palace on Friday (PA)

They heard the bishop of London Dame Sarah Mullally hail the late monarch as “a remarkable constant in the lives of millions, a symbol of unity, strength, forbearance and resilience… this nation’s unerring heartbeat through times of progress, joy and celebration, as well as in much darker and more difficult seasons”.

Ms Truss, dressed in black, gave a Bible reading from Romans 14.7-12 reflecting the Queen’s faith and selfless service: “We do not live to ourselves and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord and if we die, we die to the Lord.

“So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”  

It was just over three months since the cathedral was the setting for a service of thanksgiving during the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations.

Charles will on Saturday morning be formally proclaimed King at an Accession Council in St James’s Palace attended by the prime minister and around 200 members of the Privy Council.

The ceremony, including Charles making his declaration and oath, will be televised for the first time in history.

The King has declared a period of royal mourning lasting until seven days after his mother’s funeral, on a date which has not yet been announced.

But union flags on royal residences and prominent public buildings will be raised to full mast for 26 hours over the weekend in recognition of his reign, before being returned to half-mast for the remainder of the mourning period.