Prince William paid a touching tribute to his father, telling him, “Dad, we are all so proud of you.”
He also told King Charles that he had no doubt that the late Queen Elizabeth, his “very proud mother,” would be “satisfied” looking down from heaven.
William delivered his emotional speech from Windsor Castle as the country celebrated the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla with the Official Coronation Concert, a glorious mix of music, dance and the spoken word.
Set on a spectacular podium shaped like a multi-tiered Union flag, it was an unashamedly patriotic culmination of a long weekend of celebrations.
Events to mark Saturday’s coronation will conclude today with a ‘day of service’ dubbed the Big Help Out, as senior royals join volunteers across the country.
Prince William paid a touching tribute to his father, telling him, “Dad, we are all so proud of you.”
King Charles and Prince William seen in the Royal Box during the Coronation Concert in the grounds of Windsor Castle
The then Prince of Wales, Charles, the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William on the balcony of Buckingham Palace
Their Majesties arrived last night to cheers and flag waving from the 20,000 strong crowd, with Camilla looking elegant in a royal blue Anna Valentine jumpsuit.
The Prince of Wales, who has become an increasingly confident speaker in recent years, opened his address with: ‘Good evening, Your Majesties. Good evening, Windsor!’
After thanking everyone who helped make the evening so special, William said he wanted to say “a few words about my dad and why I think this weekend is so important.”
The father-of-three couldn’t resist joking about one of concert star Lionel Richie’s most beloved songs: “Don’t worry, unlike Lionel, I’m not going to stay all night.”
William got serious and barely left a dry eye in the crowd — let alone the millions watching around the world — telling them, “As my grandmother said when she was crowned, coronations are a declaration of our hopes. for the future.
“And I know she’s up there lovingly watching us. She would be a very proud mother.
“Even though parties are great, the core of the pageantry is a simple message: service. My father’s first words when he entered Westminster Abbey yesterday were a promise of service. It was a promise to keep serving.”
In a heartfelt tribute to his father, with whom he did not always agree, William praised the king’s legacy on everything from charities such as the Prince’s Trust to his pioneering work on the environment and efforts to promote interfaith and cultural harmony. promote.
He added, “Dad, we’re all so proud of you.”
The prince also said he wanted to express his “pride and gratitude for the millions of people serving, in the armed forces, in classrooms, hospital wards and local communities,” some of whom were in the audience. William said, “I wish I could name you all. Your service inspires us. And tonight we celebrate you too.’
He concluded with his own inspiring promise to the nation as his father’s son and heir, saying, “I pledge myself to serve you all—King, Country, and Commonwealth. God protect the king!’
Windsor, Queen Elizabeth’s favorite residence and a seat of royal power for over 1,000 years, was an inspired venue for last night’s concert.
Stars like Richie, Katy Perry, Take That and Andrea Bocelli got the audience going.
The Royal Ballet, Royal Opera, Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal College of Music and Royal College of Art also came together for the first time to create a one-off performance starring actor Ncuti Gatwa, who takes over the title role in Doctor Who later this year.
Downton Abbey actor Hugh Bonneville, the evening’s host, warmed up the crowd with some light-hearted jokes, including referring to the watercolor-painting King as “the artist formerly known as Prince.”
Organized by the BBC, the concert also featured video sketches by Tom Cruise, Dame Joan Collins and Sir Tom Jones reciting little-known facts about the new monarch.
The stage resembled the Union Flag, with catwalks protruding from the center and multiple levels for the 70-piece orchestra and band.
As darkness fell behind the castle, the ancient facade came alive with projection and light, at one point connecting to nine other locations across the country for a dazzling ‘Lighting up of the Nation’.
The audience included dozens of winners of the Queen’s Coronation Champions Awards, supported by the Daily Mail.
Earlier in the day, William and Kate joined well-wishers on Windsor’s Long Walk for a surprise performance at a Big Lunch event, one of thousands of street parties held across the country, including Downing Street.
Prince William imagined paying a touching tribute to his father King Charles at tonight’s coronation concert
Prince William and Princess Kate paid a surprise visit to a Coronation Big Lunch in Windsor earlier today
Around 20,000 people attended the Coronation concert in the grounds of Windsor Castle headlined by Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Take That
The Princess of Wales told guests her daughter, Charlotte, eight, was “tired” after making sure her little brother, Louis, five, behaved during the coronation service.
But she and George, nine, later joined their parents at the Royal Box in Windsor. Unfortunately, it was long past Louis’s bedtime.
Yesterday it emerged that the king gave a private toast to Prince Archie at Buckingham Palace on Saturday to mark his grandson’s fourth birthday.
Prince Harry’s son was at home in California with his mother Meghan and sister Lilibet.
Charles’ estranged youngest son did fly to the UK to see his father briefly crowned, but left straight after to fly back to his family, without taking part in any of the other official or family celebrations.
Last night, Charles and Camilla thanked the coronation organizers and the spectators who filled The Mall on Saturday.
A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said: “Their Majesties were deeply moved by yesterday’s events and deeply grateful to both everyone who helped make it such a glorious event – and to the many people who have shown their support en masse in London and beyond.’