2 yıl önce

King Charles III makes first address to UK parliament after Queen's death

Charles told members of the House of Commons and House of Lords that he would follow his late mother Queen Elizabeth II in upholding “the precious principles of constitutional governance” that underpin the UK’s political system.

Reuters

A trumpet fanfare greeted the king and his wife Camilla, the queen consort, as they entered Westminster Hall, which was packed with hundreds of legislators.

King Charles III has pledged to follow his late mother’s example of “selfless duty” as he addressed lawmakers from both houses of parliament in London before he is set to fly to Edinburgh to be with the late queen's coffin as it lies at rest in the Scottish capital.

Hundreds of lawmakers crowded into the 1,000-year-old Westminster Hall on Monday at the Houses of Parliament for the service, rich in pageantry, in which Parliament offered its condolences to the king, and he replied.

A trumpet fanfare greeted the king and his wife Camilla, the queen consort, as they entered the hall, which was packed with hundreds of legislators.

He paid tribute to his mother, saying: “As Shakespeare said of the earlier Queen Elizabeth, she was a pattern to all princes living.”

The hall, with its magnificent hammer-beam roof, is the oldest part of the parliamentary complex — a remnant of the medieval Palace of Westminster that once stood on the site.

The ceremony was held in Westminster Hall because monarchs are not allowed inside the House of Commons.

That rule dates from the 17th century, when King Charles I tried to enter and arrest lawmakers. That confrontation between crown and Parliament led to a civil war which ended with the king being beheaded in 1649.

Service of prayer and reflection

Later on Monday in Edinburgh, the king will walk behind his mother's coffin as it is transported from Holyroodhouse to St. Giles' Cathedral.

At the cathedral, the crown of Scotland will be placed on the coffin ahead of a service of prayer and reflection on the life and 70-year reign of the monarch.

The queen's coffin will lie at the cathedral for 24 hours, giving members of the public a chance to file past and pay their respects.

On Tuesday, it will be flown to London where the coffin will lie in state at the Houses of Parliament Palace from Wednesday afternoon until the morning of the funeral on September 19.

Authorities already have issued rules and guidelines for people wanting to pay their respects in London, with a long queue expected.

After visiting Scotland, Charles embarks on a tour of the other nations that make up the United Kingdom — he visits the Northern Ireland capital, Belfast, on Tuesday and Wales on Friday.