If confirmed, it will be his first trip abroad since he ascended to the Chrysanthemum throne in 2019 following his father’s abdication, according to AFP. Here are some further details from the AFP report: Public broadcaster NHK reported on Saturday that the Imperial Household Agency and the Japanese government were making arrangements, citing unnamed sources. Both were not immediately available to confirm the reports. The Mainichi Shimbun daily noted that this is a rare response, as the emperor usually does not attend any funerals in Japan and abroad, although other members of the royal family do. Empress Masako will also attend if her condition permits, reports said. Local media cited close ties between the Japanese and British royals as reasons for Naruhito’s possible presence. Naruhito’s father, Akihito, attended the queen’s coronation in 1953 as heir to the throne in place of then-Emperor Hirohito. In 1975, the Queen made the first visit to Japan by a British monarch and met Hirohito. In a statement released after her death, Naruhito hailed her “many achievements and contributions”, saying he was “deeply saddened”. The 62-year-old emperor – who studied at Oxford University – thanked her for “many thoughts she gave me during my studies and visits to the UK”. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is also reportedly considering attending the funeral. Messages of condolence have been sent from all over the world to King Charles III. Here is a letter sent by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern: On behalf of the New Zealand Government, I would like to express my sincere condolences on the passing of Her Majesty the Queen, your mother. As Queen of New Zealand, Her Majesty was loved for her grace, composure, loyalty and public service. Her affection for New Zealand and its people was clear, and it was a shared affection. Her Majesty was an important part of our lives throughout her reign – but she was first and foremost a daughter, sister, mother and grandmother. You have our deepest sympathy for her loss and our gratitude for her extraordinary life of service. Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn sent a message of condolence to Charles, writing that the queen had “truly dedicated her life to the service of the people”. In a message he wrote: Queen Suthida, members of the Royal Family of Thailand, and I are deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The people of Thailand join with the people of Great Britain in mourning this great loss of their head of state, and together they remember Her Majesty’s royal grace and royal duties which Her Majesty had performed as Queen… The Thai people and I still remember with great pride and warmth the two historic state visits Your Majesty made in 1972 and 1996 as guests of my beloved father, the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Allow me, on behalf of the people of Thailand, to express to Your Majesty, the Royal Family and the British people our sincere condolences. Updated at 06.52 BST Here is the front page of Saturday’s Guardian newspaper: Today’s papers are dominated by King Charles III’s emotional address to the nation on Friday night. Read the Guardian’s roundup of headlines here: Updated at 06.21 BST Cabinet members will have their first meeting with the king just days after Liz Truss formed her new government, according to the Press Association. It states: Senior ministers will attend the Accession Council at St James’s Palace, where Charles will be formally declared sovereign. They will later travel to Buckingham Palace for an audience with the monarch. Truss, who was invited to form a government by the late Queen on Tuesday, had her first audience with the King on Friday night. Charles told her: “It was the moment I dreaded, as I know a lot of people have. We will try to continue everything.” Parliament will also convene today, a rare Saturday sitting, for MPs to share memories of the Queen and approve a message of condolence to the King. A ceremony to declare the tenure of King Charles III will also be held in Ottawa on Saturday. The ceremony will take place at 10 am. EDT (14:00 GMT) at Rideau Hall, the official residence of the governor general, the monarch’s representative in Canada, Reuters reports. Canada ceased to be a colony of Britain in 1867, but remained part of the British Empire until 1982 and is still a member of the Commonwealth. Charles, 73, automatically became monarch after the Queen’s death on Thursday, but today’s proceedings are a constitutional formality to recognize his sovereignty. Normally such ceremonies would take place within 24 hours of a sovereign’s death, but the late announcement of the Queen’s death meant they could not be organized in time for Friday. Here are more details on today’s events: The King will be announced to the Council of Accession, which is made up of members of the Privy Council, a group of senior politicians, as well as senior civil servants, Commonwealth High Commissioners and the Lord Mayor of London. (You can find all the details here) The Accession Council, attended by secret advisers, is divided into two parts. First, the Privy Council, without the King present, will proclaim the sovereign and approve arrangements for his forthcoming proclamation. The King will then meet with the Privy Council, make his declaration and read and sign an oath. Then the Main Proclamation, declaring Charles as the new king, will be read at 11am from the balcony overlooking Friary Court at St James’s Palace. In recognition of the new sovereign, flags will fly at full-mast from the time of the Main Proclamation at St James’s Palace until one hour after the Proclamations in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. The flags will then return to half-mast in mourning for the Queen. Charles will be officially crowned King in a ceremony at St James’s Palace on Saturday morning, with the proceedings televised for the first time.
Charles will take part in a historic Council of Accession ceremony starting at 10am. Then, the first public proclamation of the new sovereign will take place at 11 am. It is traditionally read by the Garter King of Arms in the open air to a fanfare of trumpets from the balcony of Friary Court at St James’s, with gun salutes in Hyde Park and the Tower of London. A second proclamation at the Royal Exchange in the City of London will be read an hour later at midday. Separate proclamations will be read in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland at midday on Sunday.
During an address to the nation on Friday night, King Charles III pledged to serve the country “with loyalty, respect and love”.
He paid tribute to his mother, the Queen, saying: “May ‘flights of angels sing you in your rest.’ Speaking with “feelings of deep sadness”, he said: “Queen Elizabeth was a life well lived, a promise destined to be kept and I am deeply saddened by her passing. This promise of lifelong service I renew to all of you today.” William and Catherine were named the Prince and Princess of Wales, and Charles spoke of his love for Harry and Meghan.
The King also met Prime Minister Liz Truss on Friday night at Buckingham Palace. When he arrived at the palace, he was met with cheers and kisses from thousands of well-wishers. Tributes to Queen Elizabeth continued through the night. In Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised her “dignity, her commitment to service” during a wreath-laying ceremony in Canberra. Around the world, from New York to Sydney, Berlin to Tel Aviv, cities have displayed the likeness of Elizabeth II or the colors of the Union Jack in memory of the late queen. The Sydney Opera House is lit up with a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II after her death, in Sydney, Friday, September 9, 2022. Photo: Bianca de Marchi/AAP
