Prince William, Kate pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II on first anniversary of her death
Prince William and Catherine paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II as King Charles released a new image of the late monarch to mark the first anniversary of her death. See the portrait.
World
Don't miss out on the headlines from World. Followed categories will be added to My News.
In silent reflection, the Prince and Princess of Wales marked the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death at a small private service in Wales.
Arriving late delayed by fog, Prince William and Catherine attended St Davids Cathedral in St Davids, the smallest city in Britain, in Pembrokeshire on Friday – exactly a year since the monarch died, at the remarkable age of 96.
Hundreds of mourners lined the streets to St. Davids Cathedral, a place of pilgrimage and worship for more than 1,400 years since Patron saint of Wales settled there with his monastic community in the sixth century.
It is the only cathedral in Britain where the erstwhile sovereign had a special stall in the quire among members of the chapter, the governing body of the cathedral and were sat on four occasions.
After the short private service, they met members of the local community in the adjoining cloister, including locals who met the Queen during her visits to St Davids.
Earlier they paid tribute to the Queen by posting a gallery of pictures on their Instagram with her great-grandchildren, writing “we miss you.”
For his part, King Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, joined private prayers at Crathie Kirk church, close to Balmoral Castle, where they reflected on the life of the late monarch.
The couple later spoke to wellwishers gathered close to the church, who included Balmoral Estate staff, members of the royal household and the public.
Also at the church were the late Queen’s niece and nephew, Lady Sarah Chatto and the Earl of Snowdon,
Elizabeth II was attached to her sister Princess Margaret’s children, especially Lady Sarah.
The earl was accompanied by his daughter Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, and Lady Sarah by her husband Daniel and children Samuel and Arthur.
Former dean of the Chapel Royal in Scotland Iain Torrance gave the sermon.
Gun salutes were fired in London’s Hyde Park to commemorate the late Queen.
Captain Amy Cooper, who was the lead rider in the procession that carried the late Queen’s coffin to lie in state in Westminster Hall, gave the order for the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery to begin its 41-gun salute at midday.
The Abbey bells rang out to mark the first anniversary of HM The King’s accession to the throne.
The Princess Royal, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Duke of York spent the day privately with their own families.
Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson took to Instagram to remember her former mother-in-law who had entrusted her with her Corgis, Sandy and Muick.
“As we mourn a year on, we also celebrate the wonderful times we shared with Her Late Majesty the Queen.
“She entrusted me with the care of her corgis Sandy and Muick and I am delighted to say they are thriving.”
In marking his accession at the place where his mother died in Scotland, Charles is mirroring her footsteps.
The late Queen invariably spent her accession day, Feb 6, at Sandringham, where her father, George VI, died in his sleep in 1952 after battling lung cancer.
It is understood the King and Queen Camilla did not on Thursday return to their own home at Birkhall on the Balmoral estate as was scheduled but remained instead at the castle itself where Elizabeth II died.
They spent Friday sharing memories with those closest to the Queen.
Later, on in the day, Prince William and Kate were due to carry out Royal duties with a visit to eco-packaging firm Notpla, which won £1 million from his Earthshot Prize last year.
KING CHARLES’ POIGNANT TRIBUTE TO LATE QUEEN
King Charles has paid a poignant tribute to his mother on the first anniversary of her death, releasing a new image and message recalling “all that she meant to so many of us”.
The portrait of Queen Elizabeth II was taken by Cecil Beaton at Buckingham Palace during an official sitting on October 16, 1968, when she was 42 in the earlier years of her reign.
Palace sources said it was chosen because it reflected the late monarch’s sense of fun and the “twinkle in her eye”.
She stands in the picture in her Garter robes, wearing the Star of the Order of the Garter and the Grand Duchess Vladimir’s Tiara, made of 15 interlaced diamond circles.
In his message — also released in audio format — the King, 74, expressed gratitude for the public support shown to him in the first year of his reign.
“In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majesty’s death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us,” King Charles said in the statement.
“I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.”
The message was signed “Charles R.”
The Queen’s portrait, shot during her final sitting with Beaton, who had photographed her since 1942, was first shown at the National Portrait Gallery from November 1968 until March 1969.
The King will spend Friday privately in quiet reflection at Balmoral, where his mother spent her final weeks before her death on September 8, 2022 aged 96.
His siblings, the Princess Royal, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Duke of York will also spend the day privately with their own families.
The Duke of Sussex spent the day away from his Royal siblings and visited St George’s Chapel, Windsor, to pay his respects to his grandmother.
He spent some time alone on Friday morning with the late Queen who was buried at the King George VI Memorial Chapel beside her husband, parents and sister following her funeral on September 19 last year.
In marking his accession at the place where his mother died, King Charles follows in her own footsteps.
The late Queen almost always spent her accession day, February 6, at Sandringham, where her father, George VI, died in his sleep in 1952 after suffering from lung cancer.
Buckingham Palace officials won’t admit it but when Charles took over as King a year ago, the whispers in the corridors were about the monarchy’s uncertain future.
How was Charles ever going to command the same respect as Queen Elizabeth II, who had been such a steady hand during times of crisis over her incredible 70-year reign?
And there were fears the general public may not warm to him.
“Before he acceded to the throne, a lot of people thought he didn’t have the brave mettle to steer the country. And there was nervousness around how people would accept him in those first few days,” royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said.
However, from the moment King Charles III addressed the nation speaking of “profound sorrow” and his “darling mama”, there was a collective sigh of relief.
He had the right tone and he looked the part.
“People felt relieved and there was a sense of smooth transition after the blow of losing the Queen who had steadfastly held the country together,” Fitzwilliams added.
“Since then, King Charles has shown himself to be quietly confident, he has provided hope and continuity that the nation desperately craved while he concentrates on his passions like the environment.
“The Coronation was a symbol of that continuity and has overshadowed the rifts in the royal family.
“The people are on King Charles’ side.”
That would seem to be borne out by opinion polls.
A recent YouGov survey found that 59 per cent of people thought the King, 74, was doing a good job, with 26 per cent saying the country should have an elected head of state instead.
Considering the tumultuous year the royal family has endured, those apprehensive Buckingham Palace “men in suits” would be quietly satisfied.
This, despite the ongoing campaign waged by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from across the Atlantic.
Their six-part Netflix series criticised every aspect of the royal family, with accusations of racism, and then Harry’s autobiography spelling out his father’s flaws in painful detail.
Charles, who became monarch a year ago on Friday, rose above the drama and invited Harry and Meghan to the Coronation, although she opted to stay in LA.
But their relationship has been damaged.
Currently, Harry is in the UK for the WellChild Awards, of which he is patron, but Charles says he has no time to see him.
“There’s no going back, for the time being – Harry slaughtered his wife Camilla and Prince William and Kate,” royal commentator Robert Jobson said.
“It’s sad the family has drifted apart since the Queen’s death, but it’s not unusual that when the principal matriarch dies, rifts widen.”
Charles has elected to stay on his summer break at Balmoral with the Queen, Camilla.
“He has come into his own, Camilla is clearly the woman for him, he’s a workaholic and loving the freedom of expressing himself through his charities and safeguarding the environment – call it the reign of Charles the Popular,” Jobson said.
Camilla, with the help of PR guru Mark Boland, has reinvented herself through osteoporosis charities, children’s books and cooking.
Charles has continued to be his own man, passionate about climate change, the environment and multiculturalism, meeting regularly with a range of religious and ethnic leaders to show how he acknowledges Britain as “a community of communities”.
Among the challenges ahead is keeping the Commonwealth together. Togo and Gabon have recently joined, but Jamaica is set to exit next year and there are republican rumblings in several other countries, including Canada and Australia.
“Charles is more visible, more accessible, more out among the crowds and next week he visits France, his first trip there as monarch, it’s just a shame he hasn’t done more visits to commonwealth countries – it’s doubtful he’ll hold on to Australia by the end of his reign,” Jobson said.
“Charles spent a lot of his time there studying but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has spoken about a republic referendum if he is re-elected, there’s a high chance he’ll get his way.”
Another ongoing issue is his younger troubled brother the Duke of York whose ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein forced his resignation from public duty in May 2020.
“Andrew will always remain a royal and was seen in Balmoral in the car with William and Kate travelling to church – it was a public statement of togetherness but there is no chance of him ever returning to royal duties,” Jobson added.
Meanwhile, Prince William and Catherine will mark the first anniversary of his grandmother’s death at a private service at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, while the King quietly reflects on the “sadness” of his loss at Crathie Kirk church in the nearby Scottish village of Crathie.
On the eve of the anniversary of the late Queen’s death he released a statement through Buckingham Palace and a much-loved photo.
“In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majesty’s death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us,” it read.
“I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.”
More Coverage
Originally published as Prince William, Kate pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II on first anniversary of her death
Eerie vision of missing family emerges
A fugitive father and the three children he ran off with almost three years ago have been spotted alive and well trekking through remote bushland.
‘Feel the pain’: Terror leader’s chilling video
One of the most senior remaining leaders of Hezbollah has issued a chilling video message, promising “pain” for the Israelis.