(London) Bells rang across the UK on Friday as Britons swarmed outside Buckingham Palace to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II, who died the day before at the age of 96.
Posted at 8:22
Updated at 8:34 a.m.
King Charles III, who has spent most of his 73 years preparing for his role, was due to meet the Prime Minister and address a nation mourning the only British sovereign most of the world has known.
As the country entered a 10-day period of mourning, people from around the world gathered at British embassies to honor the Queen, who died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on Thursday. A 96-gun salute was planned for London — one for each year of the Queen’s long life.
In the United Kingdom and its former colonies, widespread admiration for Elizabeth II herself was sometimes mixed with contempt for the institution and the imperial history she represented.
On his first full day as king on Friday, Charles left Balmoral for London, where he is due to meet Prime Minister Liz Truss, who was appointed this week. In the evening, he will deliver an address to the nation at a time when many Britons are concerned about an energy crisis, the soaring cost of living, the war in Ukraine and the fallout from Brexit.
Hundreds of people arrived overnight to lay flowers outside the gates of Buckingham Palace, the Queen’s London home, or to take the time to reflect.
Giles Cudmore, who works in finance, said the Queen represented “constancy through everything, good and bad”.
“She was just the foundation of my life, of the country,” he said.
In the UK, political life has been put on hold – MPs will pay tribute to the Queen for two days – several sporting and cultural events have been canceled and some businesses have decided to close their doors.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said the Queen’s death marked a “huge change” for Britons and the world.
“A part of our life that we took for granted as permanent is no longer there,” he argued.
On Friday, Prime Minister Truss and other senior ministers were due to attend a memorial service at St Paul’s Cathedral in London. Charles, who became the monarch immediately after his mother’s death, will then be officially proclaimed king in a special ceremony on Saturday.
After a wake in Edinburgh, the Queen’s coffin will be taken to London, where it will remain for several days before her funeral at Westminster Abbey.