King Charles III has arrived in London ahead of his first address to the nation following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth.
The king and his Queen Consort Camilla stayed in the night in Balmoral after rushing to Queen Elizabeth’s bedside ahead of her passing.
The new monarch wore a black suit and tie as he boarded a plane from Aberdeen Airport to the capital and arrived a little over an hour later. King Charles will meet with Prime Minister Liz Truss on Friday afternoon ahead of his television speech to the nation.
Thousands of royal fans lined the streets around Buckingham Palace to greet the new monarch as Charles and Camilla took some time to view the hundreds of floral arrangements and personalized notes left by fans outside.
His first order of business was to proclaim the period of Royal Mourning for the Queen which will be observed from now until seven days following her funeral. The period Royal Mourning will be followed by members of the royal family, their household staff, representatives of the royal household on official duties along with troops who are assigned to ceremonial duties.
King Charles III released a statement on Thursday, that read, “The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family,” Charles said.
“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,” his statement continued.
Adding, “During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held,” he added.
Buckingham Palace announced the sad news of her passing in an Instagram post.
“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” the post read. “The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”
Early on Thursday, Buckingham Palace announced that there were concerns surrounding the health of the 96-year-old monarch. Members of the royal family including King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, Prince William and Prince Harry were rushing to Balmoral to be by her side.
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