As United Kingdom mourns the death of the country's longest-reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II who died on Thursday, King Charles III said, “I speak to you today with feelings of profound sorrow," he said. "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 could owe to their mother for her love, affection, guidance, understanding and example," he added.
"Queen Elizabeth's was a life well lived," Charles III said.
"Alongside the personal grief that all my family are feeling, we also share with so many of you in the United Kingdom, and 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," he added.
King Charles III said that the Queen made sacrifices and her dedication remained strong "through times of change and progress, but times of joy and celebration, and through times of sadness and loss."
"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, humor, and an unerring ability always to see the best in people,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}"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, humor, and an unerring ability always to see the best in people,” he said.
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King Charles III ended his address by saying, “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'”
King Charles III will officially succeed as the new monarch tomorrow. The monarch, 73, met with Prime Minister Liz Truss at Buckingham Palace ahead of the address.
Earlier, he also greeted crowds outside Buckingham Palace upon his return to London with his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort. The couple also looked at the hundreds of floral tributes laid outside the palace.