Charles III will be officially proclaimed British King this Saturday. Proclamation is carried out by members of the Privy Council, which consists mainly of current and former members of the government, church officials, judges and other public figures. The council meets in the morning at St James’s Palace and the Royal Exchange, site of London’s first stock exchange.
Charles is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Liz Truss and the cabinet on Saturday. The 73-year-old received the new prime minister for an audience on Friday. Charles caused a little surprise when he announced the new titles for heir to the throne William and his wife Kate.
The king replaces his mother as head of the Privy Council. The members are to advise the monarch on matters of state.
Britain rings bells for the Queen
The world is in mourning over the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Citizens laid flowers in front of the palaces in London and Windsor and in Scotland, where the Queen died on Thursday. Politicians from around the world paid their respects to the Queen, who had been on the throne for 70 years.
At midday, bells rang across Britain in memory of the late Queen Elizabeth II. People stopped and listened to the bells outside Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, at Windsor Castle, where the Queen last lived, and in Scotland, where she died. Hundreds of churches agreed.
An hour after the bells rang from hundreds of churches in Britain, ceremonial cannon salutes were fired across the country in memory of the late Queen. Cannons were used at the Tower of London, in Edinburgh, Cardiff, Plymouth, York, Stonehenge and in Gibraltar, the British Overseas Territory at the southern tip of Spain, and on board several warships, as the Ministry of Defense reported. Soldiers, some in ceremonial uniform, fired a shot about every ten seconds, for a total of 96, one for each year of Elizabeth II’s age.
Return to London
Less than 24 hours after the Queen’s death, King Charles III. and his wife Camilla returned to London. Coming from Scotland, the two landed on Friday afternoon at the Northolt military airport, a good 20 kilometers north-west of London.
With the arrival of King Charles III. At Buckingham Palace in London, the national flag, which was flying at half-mast, was lowered on Friday and replaced by the royal standard. This flag represents the head of state and is always raised where the monarch is present. It is the only flag that is never flown at half-staff.
In the afternoon, the new king received the new British Prime Minister Liz Truss for an audience for the first time. Truss has only been in office since Tuesday – when she was still attending an audience with the Queen, who had also commissioned her to form a government. The new monarch then delivered a televised speech to the nation on Friday evening. A memorial service was also held at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
“It was so touching” – Personal words of the king
When he met Truss on Friday, Charles was very personal. Charles said of his mother’s death, video recorded: “That was the moment I dreaded and I know a lot of people felt the same way.” Truss greeted the monarch with a curtsey and offered him her condolences. “It was so touching this afternoon when we arrived to see all these people who had come to offer their condolences and flowers,” said Charles.
The prime minister assured the new king of British loyalty. He also deserves loyalty, said the conservative politician in Parliament in London to a full house of mostly black-clad MPs.
Truss said of the Queen: “Her Majesty was one of the greatest leaders the world has ever seen. Her words of wisdom have strengthened us in the most difficult of times. In the darkest moments of the pandemic, she has given us hope that we can meet again to meet (with others).” King Charles has also done a lot for the country in his life, for example through his efforts to protect the environment. “We owe him loyalty and devotion,” she said. “The crown will live on, the nation will live on, and in that spirit I say, long live the king.”
“God Save The King” – national anthem with new lyrics
The new prime minister also attended a church service on Friday where the British national anthem was sung for the first time on an official occasion, with the changed line “God Save The King”. In addition, the personal pronoun was changed in the rest of the text. Already while bathing in the crowd of Charles in front of Buckingham Palace, some people had started singing the anthem with the new line. The first official performance took place in London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral. During Elizabeth’s 70-year reign, the motto was always “God Save The Queen”.
Death at Balmoral Castle
Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday at the age of 96 at her Scottish country estate of Balmoral. On Tuesday she had formally commissioned Liz Truss to form a government there. It was the last picture the public saw of the Queen. She had a cane in her hand and was stooped, but she gave her familiar beaming laugh again.
She was in her 70s, longer than any other British monarch before her. Elizabeth II was the head of state of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and more than a dozen other countries, including Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
Behind his father Charles, Queen’s grandson Prince William (40) is heir to the throne. Number two in line to the throne is nine-year-old Prince George, followed by his siblings Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Although Elizabeth had no political power as a British monarch, she was considered one of the most important figures of her time. With an unwavering sense of duty and steadfastness, she led Britain through major changes.
The palace said there would be seven more days of mourning after the Queen’s funeral. Until then, the flags at the royal castles should also fly at half-mast. The funeral is expected to take place on Monday September 19th. However, this has not yet been confirmed by the palace.
appreciations around the world
Truss praised the Queen as “the rock on which modern Britain was built”. The country grew and prospered under their rule. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said Elizabeth II was admired around the world for her “grace, dignity and devotion”. “The world will long remember her dedication and leadership.” The Prime Minister will attend a service on Friday evening, a spokeswoman for the cathedral said.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz praised the Queen as a “role model and inspiration for millions, including here in Germany”.
British musician Elton John was “deeply sad”. “Queen Elizabeth was a big part of my life from childhood to now and I will miss her dearly,” the musician wrote on Twitter.
US President Joe Biden called the Queen a unique stateswoman and “more than a monarch.” As in Great Britain and the USA, the flag of the United Nations will be flown at half-mast for the next few days.
China’s head of state and party leader Xi Jinping spoke of a great loss for the British people, according to Chinese state television in his letter of condolence to King Charles.
Mourning also prevails in other states that used to belong to Great Britain and are now united in the Commonwealth. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern praised the monarch’s “unwavering sense of duty”. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese highlighted her calm demeanor. In Brazil – not a Commonwealth country – a three-day national mourning was ordered.
Queen since 1952
Born in 1926, the Queen became Queen in 1952. At that time Great Britain was still a colonial power. In 1997 Hong Kong was handed over to China as the last major colony. The Queen later maintained contact with the former territories through the Commonwealth. She completed hundreds of trips abroad, including several to Germany. She last visited the Federal Republic on a state visit in 2015. Her stations included Berlin, Frankfurt am Main and the former Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
The most important trip is her visit to Ireland in 2011. This was celebrated as a gesture of reconciliation. The last time a British head of state had visited Dublin was before the country gained independence from Britain in 1911. However, the monarch always stayed out of political affairs. She also did not comment on her country’s exit from the European Union (Brexit).
Elizabeth fell in love with Philip Mountbatten when she was 13. The Greek prince from a Danish-German noble family was her great support throughout her life. The marriage lasted until Philip’s death in April 2021, when he died at the age of 99.
