King Charles III will make his first address to the nation in his new role as the U.K.’s reigning monarch at 6PM local time on Friday.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, made the announcement as Parliament sat for an extended session to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, who died on Thursday afternoon at Balmoral, her castle in the Scottish Highlands.
On Friday late morning the King left Scotland to travel to London, where he is scheduled an audience with Prime Minister Liz Truss this afternoon.
Buckingham Palace confirmed that Charles will officially be anointed king on Saturday at 10AM at St James’s Palace in London. The Accession Council, a ceremonial body comprised of senior politicians past and present as well as Commonwealth high commissioners, senior government employees and the Lord Mayor of London, will preside over the ceremony.
This is then set to be followed by the coronation at Westminster Abbey although there may be a significant delay between the two events due to the planning required. The King’s mother succeeded to the throne in February 1952 but was only crowned 16 months later, in June 1953.
The U.K. has suspended all political activity for 10 days and events across the country and even abroad have been cancelled while the country officially enters an extended period of mourning. At King Charles’ request it will continue until seven days after the Queen’s funeral. The date of the funeral has not yet been confirmed but is expected to take place in the next two weeks. Prince Phillip’s funeral took place eight days after his death on April 9, 2021.
King Charles has only made one public statement since acceding to the throne on Thursday afternoon, but his address to the nation is widely expected to pay tribute to the woman he called “Mummy” as well as emphasizing the country’s unity, longevity and continuity.
“The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family,” he said in a written statement on Thursday. “We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.“
“The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family. We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.
“During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held.”
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