Kings Charles III thanks Queen for her 'love and devotion' and pledges to 'serve with loyalty, respect and love' in address to nation
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The announcement of her passing was made by Buckingham Palace at 6.30pm on Thursday, September 8. She died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, with some of her closest family by her side.
Her Majesty the Queen ruled for longer than any monarch in British history, dedicating her lifetime to serving the UK and Commonwealth.
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Hide AdIt was announced on Friday, September 9 by Buckingham Palace that a period of royal mourning will be observed until seven days after the Queen’s funeral.
King Charles III addressed the nation for the first time at 6pm on Friday evening, September 9.
In his address, he pledged to “serve with loyalty, respect and love” as he thanked the late Queen for her “love and devotion”.
He earlier greeted crowds gathered outside Buckingham Palace and held his first in-person audience with Prime Minister Liz Truss.
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Hide AdIn the North East, the iconic Great North Run half marathon has been confirmed as going ahead this Sunday (September 11). The 13.1-mile route runs between Newcastle and South Shields, raising thousands for charity.
Other events due to take place throughout the Great Run weekend have been postponed, as have Premier League and EFL fixtures across the coming days.
BBC One has also suspended its regular programming schedule in the wake of the Queen’s death and is airing rolling news coverage on Friday.
A lifetime of service and the legacy left behind
Queen Elizabeth’s accession to the throne came in February 1952, following the death of her father (King George VI), with her coronation at Westminster Abbey taking place in June 1953.
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In June 2022, an extended celebration was held in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee as the nation paid tribute to the dignity, dedication and duty of the Monarch.
The nation has united in mourning as countless tributes are paid to Queen Elizabeth II, with people and organisations alike recognising her unwavering determination to serve her people.
Her son Charles, whose new title has been confirmed as King Charles III, will now serve as monarch – our first King in more than 70 years.
After returning to London with the Queen Consort (Camilla, formerly the Duchess of Cornwall), he is expected to address the nation for the first time on Friday.
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Hide AdBuckingham Palace confirmed that the King will be proclaimed at the Accession Council at 10am on Saturday (September 10) in the State Apartments of St James’s Palace.
You can read tributes following the Queen’s passing and updates on what happens next below.
Kings Charles III thanks Queen for her ‘love and devotion’ and pledges to ‘serve with loyalty, respect and love’ in address to nation
Key Events
- A period of national mourning is underway following the death of Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 96; she was Britain's longest-serving monarch.
- King Charles III has addressed the nation for the first time, pledging to “serve with loyalty, respect and love”.
- The King ended his address with tribute to “darling Mama”.
- Some sporting events over the weekend have been cancelled as a mark of respect. Sunday's Great North Run will take place as planned.
- William will become Prince of Wales.
- Tributes continue to pour in from across the globe in recognition of the Queen's lifetime of service and dedication. She ruled for more than 70 years.
- We’ll bring you more updates on Saturday.
Shouts of “God save the King" as King Charles arrives at Buckingham Palace
Cheers rang out at Buckingham Palace as the King and Queen arrived, along with shouts of “God save the King”.
Many people held their phones aloft to try to catch a glimpse of them as they greeted members of the crowd and look at the tributes left for the Queen as the sun shone.
Colin Hennessy, 52, said: “It’s great to see the King.
“You can see he’s very emotional but he was very grateful to everybody here.
“He thanked as many people as he could as he walked by.”
Bishop of Durham suggests vaccine could be named after Queen
The Bishop of Durham, the Rt Rev Paul Butler, suggested a new malaria vaccine could be named after Queen Elizabeth II and a UK financial contribution could see it distributed throughout the Commonwealth in her memory.
He was speaking in the House of Lords as they met to pay tribute to the Queen, and was referencing a vaccine created by Oxford researchers which showed promising results in a recent study.
He said: “Her commitment to welfare makes me almost note that yesterday morning there was the wonderful news of the success of the malaria vaccine.
“Given Her Majesty’s love of the Commonwealth and the scourge that malaria remains, might we consider that one memorial could be that this be known as the Elizabeth Malaria Vaccine, and that a significant sum be committed by us as a nation to its distribution through the Commonwealth nations that need it in memory of her.”
Update on the rugby
The Rugby Football Union confirmed that games in England can go ahead this weekend.
“The overwhelming opinions shared so far within the game are that teams and supporters want to come together to honour Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to be united in our grief as we express sorrow at her passing,” the RFU said.
“Rugby clubs are a source of strength and support during times of uncertainty, and we hope that by enabling games and other rugby activity to go ahead this weekend, with families and friends congregating, it will help us all to unite at this time of national mourning.
“We strongly encourage all those playing sport this weekend to respectfully pay tribute to the Queen by holding a minute’s silence ahead of all fixtures.”
Great North Run founder Sir Brendan Foster on the decision for half marathon to go ahead
Great North Run founder Sir Brendan Foster has said South Shields will ‘lead the way in honouring Her Majesty’ after the difficult decision to continue with the half marathon event following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Sir Brendan said: “It’s all about tens of thousands of people coming together and in this instance, although the mood will be different, it will allow the opportunity for people to pay tribute to the life of our great Queen.”
PM meets King Charles III
The King has held his first in-person audience with Prime Minister Liz Truss at Buckingham Palace.
The PM was appointed by the late Queen on Tuesday (September 6).
King Charles III is expected to address the nation at 6pm this evening.
Where you can sign books of condolence in Sunderland
People in Sunderland are being given the chance to pay personal tributes to Her Majesty The Queen following her sad death yesterday.
Sunderland City Council has confirmed books of condolence have been opened in a number of venues across Sunderland city centre, Houghton, Hetton and Washington.
If you’d like to leave a message, you can get more information here.
Fond memories of the Queen’s visits to the North East
She reigned longer for longer than any other monarch and remained loved throughout it all.
Crowds would come out in huge numbers whenever she paid a visit to our region.
Take a look at these archive photos of Her Majesty visiting Sunderland, Hartlepool and South Tyneside over the years.
King Charles III pays tribute to the late Queen in first address to the nation
The King paid tribute to his late mother the Queen, saying in an address to the nation: “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.”
King renews “promise of lifelong service"
In his address to the nation, the King said: “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.”
King Charles III: “Affection, admiration and respect” the Queen inspired “became the hallmark of her reign”
The King said the “affection, admiration and respect” the Queen inspired “became the hallmark of her reign”, adding: “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.”
The King said that 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.”