United Kindgdom: After the longest reigning monarch breathed her last on Thursday afternoon, tributes poured in from across the world. Britain’s new ruler King Charles III will address the nation on Friday. This will be his first public speech following the death of his mother. He will decide on the length of the royal household’s period of mourning, which is expected to last a month, while the UK government will observe 10 days of official remembrance, when limited business is conducted.
Latest reports state Charles will be officially proclaimed King on Saturday. This will happen at St James’s Palace in London, in front of a ceremonial body known as the Accession Council that comprises of a group of senior MPs, past and present, and peers as well as some senior civil servants, Commonwealth high commissioners, and the Lord Mayor of London.
Addressing the media for the first time after the death of Queen Elizabeth, UK PM Liz Truss said during her 70-year reign, the Queen provided the nation with stability and strength through thick and thin.“She was the very spirit of Great Britain and that spirit will endure. She has been our longest ever reigning monarch and it is an extraordinary achievement to have presided with such dignity and grace for 70 years,” said Truss.
Gun salutes one round for every year of the queen’s life will be fired across Hyde Park in central London and from the Tower of London, the ancient royal fortress on the River Thames. Muffled church bells will toll at Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral and Windsor Castle, among other places, and Union flags will fly at half-mast.
The UK’s longest-serving monarch died Thursday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after reigning for 70 years. She was 96. Her death brings to an end the longest reign in the history of the United Kingdom, and one of the longest reigns by any head of state. “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow,” the Royal Family tweeted.