King Charles III: I will serve with “loyalty, respect and love”

King Charles III said this evening he felt a sense of loss “beyond measure” at the passing of his mother Queen Elizabeth II in his first address to the nation as sovereign.

The new monarch said the Queen’s “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.”

In a heartfelt tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, Charles III said to his mother – who he called “mama” – “thank you, thank you, for your love and devotion.”

King Charles III came to the throne yesterday evening, after his mother passed away at Balmoral.

In his address to the nation, the King said: “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.”

The King added: “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.”

Queen Elizabeth II was 96 years old, and had served on the throne for some 70 years – Britain’s longest reining monarch.

Signing off, King Charles III said to his ‘mama: “May ‘flights of angels sing thee to your rest.”

Today King Charles III returned to London from Balmoral today, stopping to greet crowds of mourners outside Buckingham Palace.