King Charles is taking a well deserved break on Thursday as he steps away from his royal duties for the first time since his mother, The Queen died last week.
Immediately upon Queen Elizabeth’s death on Thursday September 8, Charles became the King and set in motion a week of back-to-back royal engagements that have taken him to all four corners of the UK.
Yet now, one week on since his mother’s death, the King has finally been given a day to himself in what has been described as a “private day of reflection” ahead of ongoing preparations for his mother’s funeral on Monday.
Travelling by helicopter to his wife Camilla’s Wiltshire estate, King Charles then made the 30 minute drive to his private residence in Highgrove, where he will step away from all public duties for the day, before returning to his engagements on Friday September 16.
This brief period away from the public will allow the King to pause, but it is understood he will be working in preparation for his new role and will already be receiving his red boxes of state papers.
The day of personal reflection had always been included In the plans for Operation London Bridge, the protocol that had been preparing for the sad eventuality of the Queen’s death, and offers the new King a few moments away from the limelight to privately grieve for his departed mother.
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Her Majesty’s state funeral is due to take place on Monday, but immediately following the ceremony, King Charles is set to tour the UK, visiting each of the four nations.
Starting in England, he will then travel to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – yet aside from dealing with his own grief and the obstacles of the Queen’s funeral arrangements, there will also be many more state occasions demanding his attention in the coming weeks and months, including preparations for his coronation.
Thursday’s break however, comes just hours after King Charles walked alongside his brothers, sister, and two children in the procession that carried the Queen’s coffin from Buckingham palace to Westminster Hall on Wednesday, where she will now remain lying in state until Monday’s funeral.
Watched by tens of thousands lining the route from Buckingham Palace, the King delivered his mother to the hands of the nation for a period of four days.
Over a million people are expected to visit the coffin in the next three days as mourners from all over the country travel to London to bid a final farewell to the country’s longest reigning monarch.
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