British Royal Family

In First Address, King Charles III Vows ‘Lifelong Service' and Announces New Royal Titles

Prince William succeeds Charles as the Duke of Cornwall, earning the title of Prince of Wales

NBC Universal, Inc. King Charles III made his first address to the United Kingdom as monarch Friday, a day after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

In his first public address since ascending to the throne, King Charles III said he feels “profound sorrow” over the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and vowed to carry on her “lifelong service” to the nation.

Charles, who spent much of his 73 years preparing for the role of king, spoke to a nation grieving the only British monarch most people alive today had ever known. He takes the throne in an era of uncertainty for both his country and the monarchy itself.

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“That promise of lifelong service I renew to all today,” he said in the recorded, 9 1/2-minute address, delivered with a framed photo of the queen on a desk in front of him.

His speech was broadcast on television and streamed at St. Paul’s Cathedral, where some 2,000 people were attending a service of remembrance for the queen. Mourners at the service included Prime Minister Liz Truss and members of her government.

The new king pledged to uphold the “constitutional principles at the heart of our nation" as Her Majesty the Queen did “with such unswerving devotion."

"Wherever you may live in the United Kingdom, or in the Realms and territories across the world, and whatever may be your background or beliefs, I shall endeavor to serve you with loyalty, respect and love, as I have throughout my life," Charles said.

The king announced that his eldest son William, heir to the throne, would succeed him as Duke of Cornwall, creating him "Prince of Wales, Tywysog Cymru, the country whose title I have been so greatly privileged to bear during so much of my life and duty."

William's wife Katherine, the now-former Duchess of Cambridge, will known as the Princesses of Wales. The couple said in a statement they are focused on "deepening the trust and respect of the people of Wales over time" and pledged to approach their roles in a "modest and humble way."

Charles added that he wanted to express his "love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas."

Meghan, 41, and Harry, 37, have been in a tense relationship with Britain’s royal family since they stepped away from royal duties and left the U.K. in early 2020, citing what they said were the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media.

He closed the address with a personal message to his “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."

As the country began a 10-day mourning period, people around the globe gathered at British embassies to pay homage to the queen, who died Thursday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

In London and at military sites across the United Kingdom, cannons fired 96 shots in an elaborate, 16-minute salute marking each year of the queen’s life.

Britain has begun a 10-day mourning period, with bells tolling around the country and 96-gun salutes in London and across the UK — one for each year of Queen Elizabeth’s life.

On the king's first full day of duties, Charles left Balmoral and flew to London for a meeting with Truss, appointed by the queen just two days before her death.

He arrived at Buckingham Palace, the monarch's London home, for the first time as sovereign, emerging from the official state Bentley limousine alongside Camilla, the queen consort, to shouts from the crowd of “Well done, Charlie!” and the singing of the national anthem, now called “God Save the King.” One woman gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Under intense scrutiny and pressure to show he can be both caring and regal, Charles walked slowly past flowers heaped at the palace gates for his mother. The mood was both grieving and celebratory.

The seismic change of monarch comes at a time when many Britons are facing an energy crisis, the soaring cost of living, the war in Ukraine and the fallout from Brexit.

As the second Elizabethan Age came to a close, hundreds of people arrived through the night to grieve together outside the gates of Buckingham Palace and other royal residences, as well as British embassies worldwide. Some came simply to pause and reflect.

At Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, mourner April Hamilton stood with her young daughter, struggling to hold back tears.

“It’s just such a momentous change that is going to happen,” she said. “I’m trying to hold it together today.”

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From left: David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon, Prince William, Prince of Wales, King Charles III, Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, Anne, Princess Royal and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex walk behind the coffin during the procession for the Lying-in State of Queen Elizabeth II, Sept. 14, 2022, in London
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King Charles III, Prince William, Prince of Wales and Princess Anne, Princess Royal salute the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, adorned with a Royal Standard and the Imperial State Crown, as it arrives at the Palace of Westminster, Sept. 14, 2022, in London. Next to them is Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Prince Andrew, Duke of York.
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Members of the public line the Queen Victoria Memorial and the Mall as King Charles III and members of the royal family walk with Queen Elizabeth II’s flag-draped coffin as it is taken in procession by The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, Sept. 14, 2022 in London.
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The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard with the Imperial State Crown placed on top, is carried on a horse-drawn gun carriage of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, during the ceremonial procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, London, Sept. 14, 2022.
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Pallbearers from The Queen’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards prepare to carry the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II into Westminster Hall on Sept. 14, 2022 in London.
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King Charles III, Anne, Princess Royal, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Camilla, Queen Consort, Sir Timothy Laurence, Mr. Peter Phillips, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Princess Beatrice and Prince Edward, Duke of Kent seen inside the Palace of Westminster for the Lying-in State of Queen Elizabeth II, Sept. 14, 2022 in London.
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Pallbearers from The Queen’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, prepare to place the coffin of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II on a catafalque inside Westminster Hall, at the Palace of Westminster, Sept. 14, 2022, London.
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Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince William, Prince of Wales leave after a service for the reception of Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin at Westminster Hall, Sept. 14, 2022, London.
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The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II arrives in the Royal Hearse at Buckingham Palace in London on September 13, 2022, where it will rest in the Palace’s Bow Room overnight.
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Seen from the top of the Wellington Arch, the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II is taken in the Royal Hearse to Buckingham Palace in London on September 13, 2022.
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The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II leaves RAF Northolt, west London, from where it will be taken to Buckingham Palace, London, to lie at rest overnight in the Bow Room on September 13, 2022 in London, England.
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Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Edward, Earl of Wessex, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, Camilla, Queen Consort, Princess Anne, Princess Royal and King Charles III attend a Service of Prayer and Reflection for the Life of Queen Elizabeth II at St Giles’ Cathedral, Sept. 12, 2022 in Edinburgh, Scotland.
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From left, Prince Andrew, King Charles III, Camilla, the Queen Consort, Princess Anne and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, look on as the Duke of Hamilton places the Crown of Scotland on the coffin during the Service of Prayer and Reflection for the Life of Queen Elizabeth II at St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh, Sept. 12, 2022.
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Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, King Charles III, Princess Anne, Princess Royal, Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, stand as the hearse carrying the coffin of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II arrives at St. Giles’ Cathedral after the procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Sept. 12, 2022, in Edinburgh, Scotland.
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King Charles III, Princess Anne, Princess Royal and Prince Andrew, Duke of York, walk behind the procession of Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin, from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral, on the Royal Mile, Sept. 12, 2022, where Queen Elizabeth II will lie at rest. Mourners will get the first opportunity to pay respects before the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II as it lies in an Edinburgh cathedral where King Charles III will preside over a vigil.
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King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, sits in Westminster Hall Sept. 12, 2022, in London, England, to listen to an address to His Majesty in Westminster Hall following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
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Lord Speaker John McFall, left, and Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle, right, as well as King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, take part in an address in Westminster Hall Sept. 12, 2022, in London, England. The Lord Speaker and the Speaker of the House of Commons presented an Address to His Majesty on behalf of their respective House in Westminster Hall following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
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King Charles III inspects the Guard of Honor as he arrives for the Ceremony of the Keys at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Sept. 12, 2022, in Edinburgh, Scotland. The monarch is handed the keys of the city of Edinburgh and welcomed to “your ancient and hereditary kingdom of Scotland” in this ancient ritual. The King then returns them to Edinburgh’s elected officials for safekeeping.
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A corgi lies in front of the flowers at The Long Walk gates in front of Windsor Castle, Sept. 12, 2022, in Windsor, England.
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Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, Britain’s Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Britain’s Prince Andrew, Duke of York look on as Britain’s Princess Anne, Princess Royal, curtseys before the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, Sept. 11, 2022, in Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
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People gather on the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, Scotland, to watch the cortege carrying the coffin of the late Queen Elizabeth II, draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland, as it completes its journey from Balmoral to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Sept. 11, 2022.
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King Charles III speaks during the Accession Council at St James’s Palace, London, Sept. 10, 2022, shortly after he was formally proclaimed monarch.
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King Charles III with the Prince of Wales, the Queen Consort and Lord President of the Council Penny Mordaunt during the Accession Council at St James’s Palace, London, Sept. 10, 2022. King Charles III was formally proclaimed monarch after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
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Members of the Coldstream guards line up ahead of the watching public as the Principal Proclamation is read from the balcony overlooking Friary Court after King Charles III is proclaimed King, at St James’s Palace in London, England, Sept. 10, 2022.
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A 21-gun salute by the 105 Regiment Royal Artillery at Hillsborough Castle, Belfast, marks the Proclamation of Accession of King Charles III, Sept. 10, 2022.
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Former British Prime Ministers David Cameron, Boris Johnson, Gordon Brown, Tony Blair, Theresa May and John Major, joined by Baroness Scotland, arrive for a meeting of the Accession Council inside St James’s Palace in London, Sept. 10, 2022, to proclaim King Charles III as the new King.
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The car carrying King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, arrives at Buckingham Palace with the Union Flag at half mast, Sept. 9, 2022, in London.
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Britain’s King Charles III, left, and Camilla, the Queen Consort, look at floral tributes left outside Buckingham Palace on Sept. 9, 2022, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, in London. King Charles III, who spent much of his 73 years preparing for the role, planned to meet with the prime minister and address a nation grieving the only British monarch most of the world had known.
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The Death Gun Salute is fired at the Tower of London by the Honourable Artillery Company, British Army, to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II, in London on Sept. 9, 2022. Ninety-six rounds were fired for each year of the Queen’s life.
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The lights of the Eiffel tower are turned off in memory of Queen Elizabeth II, Sept. 8, 2022 in Paris, France.
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A photo of Queen Elizabeth II is projected onto the sails of the Sydney Opera House, Sept. 9, 2022, in Sydney, Australia.
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European flags fly at half-mast during a meeting of EU energy ministers at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Sept. 9, 2022, a day after the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.
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A rainbow is seen outside of Buckingham Palace on Sept. 8, 2022, in London, England. Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-serving monarch, has died at 96 following months of health concerns.
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The official Royal announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II is placed on the gates of Buckingham Palace on Sept. 8, 2022, in London, England.
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Mourners lay flowers on the gate of Buckingham Palace in London after it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II has died, Sept. 8, 2022.
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The Union flag flies half mast as people gather at Buckingham Palace on Sept. 8, 2022 in London, England following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
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Mourners gather laying flowers outside Windsor Castle in Berkshire following the announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Picture date: Thursday September 8, 2022.
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A man lowers the White House U.S. flag to half-mast in Washington, D.C, Sept. 8, 2022, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
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A Nasdaq billboard pay tribute to the life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II in Times Square on Sept. 8, 2022 in New York, New York.
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