He becomes Charles III after 70 years as a prince. The new sovereign of the United Kingdom qualified Thursday, September 8, in his first intervention as king, the death of his mother Elizabeth II of “moment of great sadness” which will be felt “in the whole world”. “The passing of my beloved mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of very great sadness for me and all of my family. We deeply mourn the passing of a dear sovereign and a beloved mother. I know his loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, kingdoms and commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.”the 73-year-old king said in a statement.
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His accession to the throne after 70 years of patience, a record in the history of the British monarchy, was immediate upon the Queen’s death, by virtue of an ancient Latin maxim, Rex nunquam moritur (the king never dies). His name will be Charles III, his services confirmed in the evening, shortly after Prime Minister Liz Truss greeted the new monarch.
“Today the Crown passes, as it has for over a thousand years, to our new monarch, our new Head of State, His Majesty King Charles III”said the brand new Prime Minister, whom the Queen had received on Tuesday at Balmoral Castle to ask her to form a new government.
The coronation of Charles, a timeless ceremony, unique in Europe, should take place at best in a few weeks, once the trauma of the death of the queen, adored sovereign who died at 96, has been overcome.