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King Charles III has pledged to serve the country “with loyalty, respect and love” in an emotional address in which he paid tribute to his mother, the Queen, saying: “May ‘flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.’”
Speaking with “feelings of profound sorrow”, 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 a speech that reflected his transition from heir to the throne to king, he also acknowledged his role must change.
He spoke of the “roles and duties of monarchy” and the sovereign’s relationship with the Church of England, in which, he said, his own faith was rooted.
“I have been brought up to cherish a sense of duty to others, and to hold in the greatest respect the precious traditions, freedoms and responsibilities of our unique history and our system of parliamentary government,” he said.
“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 added: “My life will of course change as I take up my new responsibilities. It will no longer be possible for me to give so much of my time and energies to the charities and issues for which I care so deeply. But I know this important work will go on in the trusted hands of others.”
To William, who now inherits Charles’s title of Duke of Cornwall, he added another. “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.”
Kate now inherits the title of William’s mother, Princess of Wales. A source said the new Princess of Wales “appreciates the history associated with this role but will understandably want to look to the future as she creates her own path”.
Charles said in his address: “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.
“I want also to express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas,” he said in the address, pre-recorded at Buckingham Palace earlier on Friday.
It was when paying tribute to his mother that he was at his most emotional. “Her dedication and devotion as sovereign never wavered, through times of change and progress, through times of joy and celebration, and through times of sadness and loss,” he said.
