King Charles III first speech following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in full

King Charles III made some significant references to how he will rule and run the royal household. Read and listen to his 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 seventy years in which my Mother, as Queen, served the people of so many nations.

In 1947, on her twenty-first 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.

Britain's King Charles III makes his first televised address to the Nation. Picture: AFP.

Her 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 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 seventy 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.

Future King Prince Charles listens to his grandmother (left) during the coronation ceremony of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Picture: AFP.

Queen Elizabeth II on her Coronation day June 2, 1953, became the longest-serving monarch serving the Commonwealth during her 70-year reign. Picture: AFP.

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.

Customers of the Old Coffee House pub watch as King Charles III addresses the nation for the first time since becoming King. Picture: Getty.

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 seventeen 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.

A service of prayer and reflection at St Paul's Cathedral following the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth. Picture: Getty.

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”.

DECODING KING CHARLES’ FIRST SPEECH

“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 theme of continuation was strong throughout King Charles’s speech, the new sovereign seeking to reassure his subjects that although they have just suffered a profound loss, the devotion to duty they associated with Queen Elizabeth would also be a feature of his reign. The young Queen Elizabeth’s pledge at the age of 25 to devote her life to service helped define the modern royal family, and will likely be the gold standard for all new monarchs.

“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.”

In other words: I will not meddle. As prince, Charles was lambasted at times for seeking to influence and even lobby politicians on matters close to his heart. By addressing the conventions of constitutional monarchy, the King was saying he would not interfere or overreach.

“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.”

Known and sometimes criticised for his forthright views on many matters, especially the environment and climate change, King Charles was here signifying that as Sovereign, it will no longer be appropriate for him to be quite so vocal. The reference to the work being handed on to the “trusted hands of others” could suggest Prince William may be primed to play that role.

“In [Queen Elizabeth’s] life of service we saw that abiding love of tradition, together with that fearless embrace of progress, which make us great as Nations.”

Note: tradition and progress. Queen Elizabeth’s reign was notable for many modernisations, from the use of television for royal speeches, to moving away from the rule of primogeniture (the idea that male heirs best female heirs). King Charles is suggesting here that the modernisation of the monarchy will continue.

“In the course of the last seventy years we have seen our society become one of many cultures and many faiths.”

While the King stressed his own faith is “deeply rooted” in the Church of England, the King here is reflecting the multicultural and pluralistic reality of the modern United Kingdom, and the Commonwealth. Given the accusations of racism flung at the royal family by Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, it was notable the King addressed this concept in his first speech.

“I count on the loving help of my darling wife, Camilla. In recognition of her own loyal public service since our marriage seventeen years ago, she becomes my Queen Consort.”

The memories of Diana will never fade, and Camilla’s presence as the wife of the King of England still sits uneasily for some, but King Charles has a simple message here for the haters: he truly loves his “darling” wife. They are a package deal, he seems to be saying - but he’s also careful to note she will be known as Queen Consort, not Queen, in accordance with Queen Elizabeth’s wishes.

“I want also to express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas.”

After several paragraphs of praise and support for William and Catherine, the King’s message of love for Harry and Meghan was like an olive branch with thorns. The brevity was telling, while commentator Piers Morgan also noted King Charles did not use their titles. “I wonder if he’s going to take the titles away and say, ‘Look, if you want to be celebrities, you can’t do it as members of the royal family,’” Morgan said.

Originally published as King Charles III first speech following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in full