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King Charles III delivered his first address to the world on Friday, paying tribute to his mother and announcing changes to the royal family.
Speaking from Buckingham Palace in London on Friday at 6 p.m. local time in a pre-recorded speech, Charles sought to “pay tribute to my mother’s memory and honor her life of service.” Queen Elizabeth II, he said, brought an “abiding love of tradition together with that fearless embrace of progress, which makes us great as nations.”
“Queen Elizabeth was a life well lived; a promise with destiny kept and she is mourned most deeply in her passing,” he said, adding that, after over 70 years on the throne, “she was a constant presence in a changing world.”
He mentioned her famous pledge on her 21st birthday, in 1947 from Cape Town, South Africa, that her “whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service.” Charles said “that was more than a promise. It was a profound personal commitment, which defined her whole life.”
Turning to himself, Charles “renewed” her vow and made a declaration of his own. “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. “Whether you may live in the United Kingdom or in the realms and territories across the world and whatever may be your background and beliefs, I shall endeavor to serve you,” echoing his mother’s pledge.
Charles briefly spoke of the Church of England, of which he is now the supreme governor.
