Britain’s new king Charles to address nation

GBNEWS24DESK//

Britain’s King Charles will address a nation in mourning on Friday following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth, the only monarch most Britons ever knew.

Charles, who raced to be by the side of the queen before she passed away at her Scottish home on Thursday, was due to travel back to London with his wife Camilla, now Queen Consort, before meeting the prime minister and making a televised statement.

The death of the queen, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and a towering presence on the world stage for seven decades, has drawn condolences from around the world.

Waking up to their first day without a woman once described by her grandson Harry as “the nation’s grandmother”, members of the public began gathering again outside Buckingham Palace to lay flowers and take photos of the growing memorial there.

Billboards across the city displayed messages of condolence and newspapers ran front-page photo tributes to the queen.

On Thursday, thousands had flocked to her London palace, where the news was met with a stunned silence as the flag was lowered to half-mast. Many described a sense of shock.

“She’s the person we’ve always looked up to,” a tearful retiree Christine West told Reuters outside the queen’s Windsor Castle home to the west of London. “It’s a sad day for us all”.

Elizabeth was head of state of the United Kingdom and 14 other realms including Australia, Canada, Jamaica, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

Charles, who automatically succeeded her, said the death was a moment of great sadness for himself and his family.

“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world,” the 73-year-old said in a statement.