LONDON | King Charles III addressed the British Parliament for the first time on Monday, where he said he “felt the weight of history” and wanted to follow the “example” of his mother Elizabeth II, at the start of a week of farewell to the sovereign.
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Four days after the death of Elizabeth II in her Scottish residence of Balmoral, her coffin will be exhibited in Edinburgh at the end of a procession led by Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla, a new stage of a last busy journey of emotion until the national funeral on September 19.
Before joining the Scottish capital, the new king received condolences from the Speakers of the House of Lords and the House of Commons in the British Parliament in London.
“As I stand before you today, I cannot help but feel the weight of history surrounding us and reminding us of the vital parliamentary traditions to which Members of both Houses are dedicated,” the Sovereign said in a short speech.
He claimed that his mother was “an example of devotion which, with God’s help and your guidance, I am resolved to follow faithfully.”
Elizabeth II remained during her 70 years of reign a head of state with irreproachable neutrality, fulfilling without ever publicly expressing her opinions her constitutional functions, opening Parliament, promulgating laws, validating appointments, and still enthroning, two days before dying at the age of 96, his 15th head of government.
Charles “is ready”
While waiting for the funeral, Charles III settles in as monarch with the difficult task of succeeding his so popular mother in a context of serious social crisis and divisions in the United Kingdom but also of contestation in the face of the colonialist past in his 14 other kingdoms.
He is 73 years old, older than all the British sovereigns on their accession to the throne.
In Edinburgh, the British will finally be able to approach their so popular queen. Many will undoubtedly flock to Saint-Gilles Cathedral to try to pay homage to him as closely as possible.
“I will surely go to see the coffin, just to pay my respects. It’s something I won’t have the opportunity to see again. I needed to do something, I wanted to be here today,” Steve Crofts, 47, who lives near the Scottish capital, told AFP.
“I’m torn, it’s the end of an era but after listening to Charles in recent days, I think he’s ready,” said Sue Stevens, a 79-year-old Englishwoman.
Charles III and his wife are expected in Edinburgh in the early afternoon, at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official royal residence in Scotland.
This is where the remains of the queen spent the night, watched over by the Royal Company of Archers, a ceremonial unit which serves as the sovereign’s bodyguard.
Charles and Camilla behind the coffin
The coffin will leave the stone palace in the early afternoon, at 2:35 p.m., to reach Saint-Gilles Cathedral.
Crowds are expected to see the King and Queen consort as the latter will both walk behind the hearse, while the other royals will follow in car, during the half-hour procession of just over a mile .
During the religious ceremony that will follow, the crown of Scotland, in solid gold, will be placed on the coffin.
The Queen’s remains, a symbol of stability through decades of upheaval, a planetary icon that reassured Britons in times of crisis, will remain on display in the cathedral for 24 hours, which is expected to see heavy attendance.
Charles III, who has promised like his mother to serve his people his whole life, is to receive the Scottish independence premier, Nicola Sturgeon, and go with the queen consort to the local Parliament for a condolence session.
Then, at 7:20 p.m., a private funeral wake will begin for the royal family.
“Long Goodbye”
On Sunday, the curious waited for hours to be sure of being in the front row so as not to see, if only for a few seconds, the oak coffin passing aboard the hearse.
The Queen’s “last great voyage” hits the front page of all British newspapers on Monday, from Telegram to Sun passing through the Guardian and the Times. “After the saddest of journeys … make way for the long goodbye”, writes the tabloid on the front page DailyMail.
After being presented for 24 hours to the population, the body will be embarked Tuesday evening at Edinburgh airport on board a royal plane bound for London.
It will again be on public display 24 hours a day, enclosed, draped in the royal standard, on a dais at the Palace of Westminster from Wednesday evening.
Queues up to eight kilometers long are expected as 750,000 people may attempt to view the coffin, the newspaper says The Times.
“The queue is likely to be very long. You will have to wait for many hours, sometimes at night and with few opportunities to sit down”, has already warned the British government.
The body of Elizabeth II will remain in Parliament for five days before the state funeral, which is expected to be attended by dignitaries from around the world – a considerable security challenge for the police – including US President Joe Biden, his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and the Australian Prime Minister. Anthony Albanese, as well as many crowned heads.