King Charles III on Friday said his heir William with his wife Catherine beside him will continue to inspire and lead national conversations. Britain’s new monarch also remembered his younger son Prince Harry and his wife Meghan in his address to the nation from Buckingham Palace, as scores gathered outside to mourn the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
William, the new royal heir, and Catherine have now assumed the titles of Prince and Princess of Wales, along with inheriting the Duchy of Cornwall from Charles, who ascended the throne after having been the heir since the age of three.
The king said he was proud to create William the Prince of Wales, as he had once been created by his mother at the tender age of nine in 1958. “As my heir, William now assumes the Scottish titles which have meant so much to me,” King Charles III said, adding, “he succeeds me as Duke of Cornwall and takes on the responsibilities for the Duchy of Cornwall which I have undertaken for more than five decades.”
“Today, I am proud to create him Prince of Wales, Tywysog Cymru, the country whose title I have been so greatly privileged to bear during so much of my life and duty,” he said.
At 73 years of age, Charles is perhaps the oldest monarch to take the throne after being longest-serving royal heir since his Elizabeth’s accession in 1952.
“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,” Charles further said.
Acknowledging Harry and Meghan, who stepped back from their duties as senior royals and walked out in 2020 amid a massive scandal, he said: “I want also to express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas.” The couple has two children — Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
The king thanked the nation for their support and condolences and said, “In a little over a week’s time, we will come together as a nation, as a Commonwealth and indeed a global community, to lay my beloved mother to rest. In our sorrow, let us remember and draw strength from the light of her example. On behalf of all my family, I can only offer the most sincere and heartfelt thanks for your condolences and support. They mean more to me than I can ever possibly express.”
“Queen Elizabeth 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.”
His Majesty The King addresses the Nation and the Commonwealth. pic.twitter.com/xQXVW5PPQ2
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 9, 2022
His statement, pre-recorded in the Blue Drawing Room in Buckingham Palace during the afternoon, was broadcast on UK television. Moving into their new home at the Buckingham Palace, King Charles III and his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, greeted large crowds gathered outside the palace, before holding his first meeting with Prime Minister Liz Truss. The monarch returned from Balmoral Castle in Scotland and was met with emotional crowds, who expressed their condolences.
Charles vowed “lifelong service” in his first address to a nation in mourning, and said Queen Elizabeth II was a “life well lived”. He said he will carry on his “darling mama’s” lifelong service to the UK and beyond. He was pictured sitting next to a photograph of his mother and wearing a black suit and tie.
“And to my darling Mama, 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. May ‘flights of angels sing thee to thy rest’,” he added.
Elizabeth was the country’s longest-serving monarch and was the Platinum Jubilee of her reign this year. “Queen Elizabeth 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,” the king said.
Not ignoring the massive transition in his life from heir to king, Charles said it would no longer be possible for him to devote much of his time and energies to charities and issues he cared deeply about. “But I know this important work will go on in the trusted hands of others,” he said, adding that he would be counting on the help of his “darling wife, Camilla” in his new role.
Charles will be formally proclaimed king at the Accession Council on Saturday morning in the State Apartments of St James’s Palace. It will mark the first time in history that the ceremony will be televised. However, he has begun his royal duties already and would have discussed the plans for the Queen’s funeral with Truss during their first audience.
(With PTI inputs)
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