Charles said of his “beloved mother” the late Elizabeth II: “We owe her the most heartfelt debt any family can owe to their mother; for her love, affection, guidance, understanding and example”.

He added: “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’.”

The King pledged his whole life as service as the new sovereign just as the Queen did, saying: “That promise of lifelong service I renew to you all today”.

And he used his speech to announce that he had created his son William the Prince of Wales, with Kate the Princess of Wales, and expressed his “love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas”, a symbol of his bid for reconciliation amid past troubles with the Sussexes.

READ ALSO: Britain begins period of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II

He also paid tribute to his “darling wife” Camilla – calling her “my Queen Consort”, saying he can “count on her loving help” and praising her by saying: “I know she will bring to the demands of her new role the steadfast devotion to duty on which I have come to rely so much.”

The King also set out his changing role, as he steps away from his considerable charity work which shaped his life as the heir to the throne.

“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,” he said.

The monarch pre-recorded the lengthy speech, which was just under 1,000 words and lasted around nine-and-a-half minutes in the Blue Drawing Room of the royal residence in central London, and it was played out at 6pm on Friday.

The King, dressed in a sombre black suit, black tie and with a black and white checked handkerchief in his breast pocket, said: “I speak to you today with feelings of profound sorrow.

“Throughout her life, Her Majesty The Queen – my beloved Mother – was an inspiration and example to me and to all my family, and we owe her the most heartfelt debt any family can owe to their mother; for her love, affection, guidance, understanding and example.

“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.”

Source: PA Media/dpa/NAN

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Gun salutes will ring out in the capital and bells will toll across the country, with churches, chapels, and cathedrals encouraged by the Church of England to open for prayers or a special service for mourners.

The Queen’s son and successor King Charles III spoke of his grief soon after Buckingham Palace announced the death of the 96-year-old monarch, who died peacefully on Thursday afternoon at Balmoral.

Charles will now turn his mind to matters of state as he begins his first full day as the nation’s new monarch having spent much of his 73 years in preparation for the role.

Tributes have flooded in from around the globe, hailing the Queen’s unwavering commitment to serving her country and the Commonwealth.

King Charles III acceded to the throne immediately upon the death of Elizabeth II at the age of 96 in the sanctuary of Balmoral Castle.

The new King and Queen consort – Charles and his wife Camilla – will return to London on Friday, and the new monarch is expected to address the nation on television Friday evening.

Gun salutes – one round for every year of the Queen’s life – will be fired in central London on Friday and the new monarch will hold his first audience with the prime minister.

Truss and senior ministers will attend a public service of remembrance at St. Paul’s in central London.

On Saturday morning, an Accession Council – the formal proclamation of Charles as King – will take place at St James’s Palace in London.

The first public proclamation of the new sovereign will then be read in the open air from the Friary Court balcony at St. James’s Palace by the Garter King of Arms.

Charles will hold audiences, and the media will be briefed by the Earl Marshal, who is in charge of the accession and the Queen’s funeral, on the coming days.

After the Queen’s health worsened, the royal family – including the Queen’s four children – Charles, the Princess of Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex – and grandsons the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex – cleared their diaries and rushed to be by her bedside on Thursday.

READ ALSO: Queen Elizabeth II: She was much cherished, admired icon -Tinubu

Royal doctors had recommended she remained under medical supervision, with the Palace issuing an unusually detailed update earlier in the day, saying royal doctors were concerned for her health.

The Duchess of Sussex, whose troubled relationship with the monarchy has long been documented, remained down south after initially planning to accompany Harry to Scotland.

The Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge, as Kate’s title is now, stayed in Windsor – less than a 10-minute walk from Meghan’s Frogmore Cottage residence – with her children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis having had their first full day at school.

Behind the scenes, the long-held London Bridge plans for the Queen’s death are being rapidly put into action, setting out the next 11 days according to a strict timetable which will feature a lying in state and then the solemnity and grandeur of a state funeral.

The arrangements have a more complex factor due to the Queen’s death being in Scotland – and have triggered Operation Unicorn – the contingency plans in case of such an event.

Members of the royal family will be expected in the coming days to hold a poignant vigil around the Queen’s coffin in St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, and the Queen’s coffin will have to be transported by RAF plane back to London.

She is expected to lie in state in a few days’ time in London, with her funeral held in Westminster Abbey in central London, most likely on Monday September 19.

Source: PA Media/dpa/NAN

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Mallam Garba Shehu, his media aide, quoted him as saying: “My family and I, and the more than 200 million Nigerians have learned with immense sadness of the passing of the Queen and the end of her unique and wonderful 70 year reign. Her late Majesty was the only British Sovereign known to 90 per cent of our population.

READ ALSO; Independence anniversary: Queen of England congratulates Nigeria

“Our thoughts and sincere condolences are with the Royal Family and the people of the United Kingdom and the entire Commonwealth as we join the entire world in mourning her loss.

“The story of modern Nigeria will never be complete without a chapter on Queen Elizabeth ll, a towering global personality and an outstanding leader. She dedicated her life to making her nation, the Commonwealth and the entire world a better place.”

The president said he welcome “Your Majesty’s ascension to the throne in line with tradition and prays King Charles the Third’s reign will witness the continuing robust and sisterly relations between our two nations.”

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The event is to be a “ceremonial royal funeral”, rather than a state funeral, which “very much reflects the duke’s wishes”, a palace spokesman said.

A national minute’s silence will be observed as the funeral begins at 15:00 BST at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor.

Members of the public will not be allowed to attend as the proceedings have been scaled down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funeral will be shown live on television.

Given the current pandemic restriction which allows only 30 mourners to attend, the event will be reduced in scale.

At this moment, there is no confirmation yet on the rest of the guest list.

“In line with government guidelines and public health measures, there will be no public processions and the duke’s funeral will take place entirely within the grounds of Windsor Castle,” the palace spokesman said.

The Queen has approved the prime minister’s recommendation that there be eight days of national mourning, to end on the day of the duke’s funeral, the palace said.

During the national mourning time, union flags will remain at half-mast but the Royal Standard, which is flown when the Queen is in residence at one of the royal palaces, will be at full mast.

The Royal Family will observe two weeks of mourning and royal engagements will continue, with mourning bands worn where appropriate.

The Sky News reported that Prince Harry will be travelling from his home in the United States to attend, although his pregnant wife Meghan has been advised by doctors not to travel.

Earlier Saturday, gun salutes were held across Britain on land and at sea in memory of the duke who passed away on Friday at the age of 99.

The royal family website has asked people not to leave flowers and tributes at royal residences.

The website encourages members of the public to consider making a donation to a charity instead of leaving floral tributes.

Prince Philip was born on the Greek island of Corfu on June 10, 1921.

He married Princess Elizabeth in 1947, five years before she became Queen, and was the longest-serving royal consort in British history.

The couple had four children, eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Source: Xinhua/NAN

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Buckingham Palace said: “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

“His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.”

Boris Johnson said he “inspired the lives of countless young people.”

Speaking at Downing Street, the prime minister added: “He helped to steer the Royal Family and the monarchy so that it remains an institution indisputably vital to the balance and happiness of our national life.”

Mr Johnson said he received the news of the duke’s death “with great sadness”.

“Prince Philip earned the affection of generations here in the United Kingdom, across the Commonwealth, and around the world,” he said.

Paying tribute to the duke’s role as the longest serving consort in history, Mr Johnson also remembered Prince Philip as one of the last surviving people to have fought in the Second World War.

“From that conflict he took an ethic of service that he applied throughout the unprecedented changes of the post-War era,” Mr Johnson said.

“Like the expert carriage driver that he was, he helped to steer the Royal Family and the monarchy so that it remains an institution indisputably vital to the balance and happiness of our national life.”

Condolences from Scotland

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was “saddened” by the death of the duke.

She tweeted: “I send my personal and deepest condolences – and those of scotgov and the people of Scotland – to Her Majesty The Queen and her family.”

The prince married Princess Elizabeth in 1947, five years before she became Queen, and was the longest-serving royal consort in British history.

In March, the Duke of Edinburgh left hospital after a month-long stay for treatment.

He underwent a procedure for a pre-existing heart condition at another London hospital – St Bartholomew’s.

Prince Philip and the Queen had four children, eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Their first son, the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, was born in 1948, followed by his sister, the Princess Royal, Princess Anne, in 1950, the Duke of York, Prince Andrew, in 1960 and the Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, in 1964.

Prince Philip was born on the Greek island of Corfu on 10 June 1921.

His father was Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, a younger son of King George I of the Hellenes.

His mother, Princess Alice, was a daughter of Lord Louis Mountbatten and a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

Source: BBC

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