Charles III delivered his first address to the nation as monarch this evening, pledging to “endeavour to serve you with loyalty, respect and love, as I have throughout my life”.
“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,” he said.
Describing the changes witnessed during his mother’s reign, the King said that the last 70 years “have seen our society become one of many cultures and many faiths”. He nevertheless emphasised “the sovereign’s particular relationship with the Church of England – the Church in which my own faith is so deeply rooted”.
He continued: “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.”
The King now assumes the monarch’s role as Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
He recalled the late Queen’s 1947 pledge, broadcast to the Commonwealth from Cape Town, to devote her life 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.”
Throughout her life, he said, the Queen had displayed “that abiding love of tradition, together with that fearless embrace of progress, which makes us great as nations”.
He confirmed that his wife Camilla will become Queen Consort, “in recognition of her own loyal public service since our marriage 17 years ago”.
His son William will assume his Scottish titles and his title and responsibilities as Duke of Cornwall. The King was, he said, “proud to create him Prince of Wales, Tywysog Cymru, the country whose title I have been so greatly privileged to bear”.
He also expressed his love for Harry and Meghan “as they continue to build their lives overseas”.
The King concluded by thanking “my darling Mama”, and quoted Hamlet: “May ‘flights of Angels sing thee to they rest.’”
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