King Charles III pays homage to the Queen with picture of her a taken at Trooping the colour 2009

By William On Sep 10, 2022

King Charles III paid a sweet tribute to his late mother the Queen during his first address to the nation.

The monarch, 73, shared the address from the Blue Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace, the same room where Queen Elizabeth II recorded some of her Christmas messages.

On his desk, viewers could see a picture of the Queen smiling and dressed in a blue jacket and hat, taken on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at Trooping the Colour in 2009.

Also on the desk was a vase holding a posy of sweet peas mixed with Rosemary which represents remembrance.

King Charles III paid a sweet tribute to his late mother the Queen by keeping a picture of her, right, as he addressed the nation as King for the first time King’s Charles III’s four attention to the Queen: 1. posy and Rosemary flowers. 2. A vase adorned with Corgis she used to keep in her audience room. 3. A picture of her taken at Trooping the Colour 2009 on his desk; 4. He also recorded the message in the Blue Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace, where Her Majesty recorded some of her Christmas messages

The picture on King Charles III’s desk was taken on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in 2009, during Trooping the Colour

Charles also paid tribute to the ‘loving help of my darling wife Camilla’, and said her loyalty meant she had been given the title of Queen Consort

The vase itself, which used to adorn the Queen’s audience room, offered another sweet nod to his mother, a design featuring corgis, famously her favourite type of dog.

The location of this room itself was also significant, as the King’s message was recorded in the Blue Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace, where Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II recorded some of Her Christmas speeches.

Charles III’s speech in full

‘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.

‘Alongside the personal grief that all my family are feeling, we also share with so many of you in the United Kingdom, in all the countries where The Queen was Head of State, in the Commonwealth and across the world, a deep sense of gratitude for the more than 70 years in which my Mother, as Queen, served the people of so many nations.

‘In 1947, on her 21st birthday, she pledged in a broadcast from Cape Town to the Commonwealth to devote her life, whether it be short or long, to the service of her peoples. That was more than a promise: it was a profound personal commitment which defined her whole life. She made sacrifices for duty.

‘Her dedication and devotion as Sovereign never waivered, through times of change and progress, through times of joy and celebration, and through times of sadness and loss.

‘In her life of service we saw that abiding love of tradition, together with that fearless embrace of progress, which make us great as Nations. The affection, admiration and respect she inspired became the hallmark of her reign.

‘And, as every member of my family can testify, she combined these qualities with warmth, humour and an unerring ability always to see the best in people.

‘I pay tribute to my Mother’s memory and I honour her life of service. I know that her death brings great sadness to so many of you and I share that sense of loss, beyond measure, with you all.

‘When The Queen came to the throne, Britain and the world were still coping with the privations and aftermath of the Second World War, and still living by the conventions of earlier times. In the course of the last 70 years we have seen our society become one of many cultures and many faiths.

‘The institutions of the State have changed in turn. But, through all changes and challenges, our nation and the wider family of Realms – of whose talents, traditions and achievements I am so inexpressibly proud – have prospered and flourished. Our values have remained, and must remain, constant.

‘The role and the duties of Monarchy also remain, as does the Sovereign’s particular relationship and responsibility towards the Church of England – the Church in which my own faith is so deeply rooted.

‘In that faith, and the values it inspires, I have been brought up to cherish a sense of duty to others, and to hold in the greatest respect the precious traditions, freedoms and responsibilities of our unique history and our system of parliamentary government.

‘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.

‘And wherever you may live in the United Kingdom, or in the Realms and territories across the world, and whatever may be your background or beliefs, I shall endeavour to serve you with loyalty, respect and love, as I have throughout my life. 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.

‘This is also a time of change for my family. I count on the loving help of my darling wife, Camilla. In recognition of her own loyal public service since our marriage 17 years ago, she becomes my Queen Consort.

‘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. As my Heir, William now assumes the Scottish titles which have meant so much to me.

‘He succeeds me as Duke of Cornwall and takes on the responsibilities for the Duchy of Cornwall which I have undertaken for more than five decades. Today, I am proud to create him Prince of Wales, Tywysog Cymru, the country whose title I have been so greatly privileged to bear during so much of my life and duty.

‘With Catherine beside him, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I know, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations, helping to bring the marginal to the centre ground where vital help can be given. I want also to express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas.

‘In a little over a week’s time we will come together as a nation, as a Commonwealth and indeed a global community, to lay my beloved mother to rest. In our sorrow, let us remember and draw strength from the light of her example.

‘On behalf of all my family, I can only offer the most sincere and heartfelt thanks for your condolences and support. They mean more to me than I can ever possibly express.

‘And 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’.’

As well as paying tribute to his mother via the decorative touches, Charles also made moving references to the Queen through his words during the address.

He called her his ‘darling mama’ and vowed to ‘renew’ her ‘promise of a life of service’ as he gave the speech.

The new monarch, holding back tears, hailed Elizabeth II as an ‘inspiration and an example to me and to all my family’ as he spoke of his ‘profound sorrow’ at her death aged 96 at Balmoral Castle yesterday.

In a speech that was screened at a service of prayer and reflection at St Paul’s Cathedral, the King extended an olive branch to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, saying he wished to ‘express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas’.

Charles, 72, also paid tribute to the ‘loving help of my darling wife Camilla’, and said her loyalty meant she had been given the title of Queen Consort.

The King began his address by telling the nation: ‘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.

‘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.’

The King said he was creating his son and heir, William, Prince of Wales adding: ‘With Catherine beside him, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I know, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations, helping to bring the marginal to the centre ground where vital help can be given.’

Charles said that he life ‘will of course change as I take up my new responsibilities.’

He added: ‘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.’

The King ended his address by saying: ‘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’.’

MPs applauded the King’s address after they watched it in silence in the Commons chamber.

Some could be seen wiping away tears during the speech.

The Commons had been suspended for a short period to allow MPs to watch the speech on televisions in the chamber.

This evening’s service at St Paul’s is being attended by 2,000 members of the public who were handed tickets on a first-come-first-served basis.

Prime Minister Liz Truss will give a reading at the service, having met Charles, 73, earlier today at their first in-person meeting at Buckingham Palace.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Labour leader Keir Starmer, Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng and Foreign Secretary James Cleverly were all in attendance at the service and sat together.

They could be seen chatting together ahead of the service.

In a separate area, the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Lord Speaker are sat together while Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Nadhim Zahawi is sat with Lord High Chancellor Brandon Lewis.

The rest of the congregation looked solemn as they listen to the music playing at the start of the service.

Earlier, huge crowds cheered the new monarch as he arrived at Buckingham Palace in a vintage Rolls-Royce alongside Camilla, the Queen Consort, before he got out and began shaking hands with countless well-wishers.

In moving scenes, shouts of God Save the King broke out before an impromptu rendition of the National Anthem, with the words changed to reflect the new monarch.

As the sun shone on an otherwise dull, damp day, the Royal Standard was raised above Buckingham Palace for the first time of his reign.

Onlookers shouted three cheers for Charles at Buckingham Palace as one woman leaned over to kiss him on the hand and another asked ‘Can I kiss you?’ before pecking him on the cheek.

The King’s historic Accession Council will be held on Saturday at 10am in St James’s Palace.

It will be televised for the first time in its history, showing the King being formally proclaimed monarch and Charles making his declaration and oath.

A Principal Proclamation will be read in public for the first time by the Garter King of Arms in the open air from the balcony overlooking Friary Court at St James’s an hour later at 11am.

It will be followed by a flurry of proclamations around the country, with the second one in the City of London at the Royal Exchange at midday on Saturday, and further proclamations in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales at midday on Sunday.

At Buckingham Palace yesterday, onlookers held out red roses for the King as the Queen Consort followed behind at a distance before joining her husband at his side to view the floral tributes left outside the gates.

The King was heard telling well-wishers, ‘Thank you so much, it’s so kind, it really is’, ‘God bless you’ and ‘I’ve really dreaded this day’ during the 15-minute walkabout.

One woman shouted to him, ‘We love you King Charles and we loved your mum’.

As a bugle sounded, Charles, dressed in mourning black suit and tie, walked side by side with Camilla – who seemed close to tears – through the main entrance of Buckingham Palace.