In his first address to the nation as King, Charles said he wanted to “express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives abroad”. In a pre-recorded message, he spoke of his grief at losing his mother Queen Elizabeth II, who died yesterday aged 96. His speech was delivered during the memorial service at St Paul’s Cathedral this afternoon. The King appeared to be on the verge of tears during the speech as he spoke of his ‘dear mum’. He confirmed that eldest son William and his wife Kate will become the Prince and Princess of Wales, taking over the title he vacated when he ascended the throne. He said: “I pay tribute to my mother’s memory and honor her life of service.” To view this video, please enable JavaScript and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The new king has had a publicly acrimonious relationship with his youngest son Harry, particularly after Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior members of the royal family in 2020. After moving to California, they gave an interview to Oprah Winfrey discussing what they said was a difficult time following Meghan’s marriage to The Firm. During the debate, Harry claimed that “my family literally cut me off financially. I have everything my mom left me, and without that, we couldn’t do it.” He said of his father: “Of course I will always love him, but there is a lot of bad that happened and I will continue to make it my priority to try to heal it.” Responding to the King’s speech tonight, many viewers commented that they were pleased that he spoke of all his immediate family in terms of love. “I’m so glad he mentioned both Harry and Meghan,” one woman said. “His whole speech was beautiful, I don’t know how he kept it.” Prince Charles stands on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with the Queen and royals including Harry and Meghan in 2018 (Image: Reuters) During his speech tonight, King Charles echoed his mother’s words when he vowed to serve his nation for the rest of his life. He said: “In 1947, on her 21st birthday, she pledged in a broadcast from Cape Town to the Commonwealth to devote her life, whether short or long, to the service of her people. “This was more than a promise: it was a deeply personal commitment that defined her entire life. He made sacrifices for duty.’ He said he wanted to make such a vow himself. “As the Queen herself has done with such unswerving devotion, I now solemnly pledge myself, for as long as God allows me, to uphold the constitutional principles at the heart of our nation. “And wherever you live in the UK, or in the Kingdoms and territories around the world, and whatever your background or beliefs, I will try to serve you with loyalty, respect and love, as I have throughout my life. ‘ Contact our news team by emailing us at [email protected] For more stories like this, check out our news page.
