There’s no denying the poignancy ofKing Charles III’s words before he was officiallyproclaimed Britain’s first king in 70 yearson Saturday, but even the most ardent followers of the royal family may have missed some details in his surroundings.
The newly reigning monarch, 73, gavehis first address as Kingfollowingthe Thursday death ofhis motherQueen Elizabeth II. His speech was pre-recorded and aired on television Friday at 6 p.m. local time.
In a photo from the broadcast, Charles is seated at a desk in the Blue Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace. Displayed was a portrait ofQueen Elizabeth, sporting one of her signature brightly colored outfits complete with a wide-brimmed hat.
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The Blue Drawing Room held special meaning for the late Queen, as it was where she recorded some ofher annual Christmas Day messages.
Atop the desk Charles is seated behind sits a floral arrangement consisting of sweet peas mixed with rosemary, which represents remembrance, while the vase has three corgis (the Queen’s beloved dog breed) at the base — and, previously, was situated inQueen Elizabeth’s Audience Room.
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In his pre-recorded address on Friday, the new sovereign praised his predecessor’s historic legacy of service and how it will inspire his own reign.
“I speak to you today with feelings of profound sorrow,” King Charles began. “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; for her love, affection, guidance, understanding and example.Queen Elizabethwas a life well lived; a promise with destiny kept andshe is mourned most deeply in her passing. That promise of lifelong service I renew to you all today.”
Saying that he and his family share in the world’s grief after the death of the Queen, who was 96, he also pointed to the collective “deep sense of gratitude” for Her Majesty’s record-breaking reign.
“In 1947, on her twenty-first birthday, she pledged in a broadcast from Cape Town to the Commonwealth to devote her life, whether it be short or long, to the service of her peoples. That was more than a promise: it was a profound personal commitment which defined her whole life,” Charles said “She made sacrifices for duty. Herdedication and devotion as Sovereignnever waivered, through times of change and progress, through times of joy and celebration, and through times of sadness and loss.”
Pointing to the “fearless embrace of progress” his mother valuedwith “warmth, humor and anunerring ability always to see the best in people,” he noted thatQueen Elizabethascended to the throne in the wake of World War II amid an uncertain future for democracy and freedom at large.
King Charles III.YUI MOK/POOL/AFP via Getty
source: people.com
