King Charles III was officially declared sovereign of the United Kingdom on Saturday, as officials revealed details of the elaborately choreographed ceremonies that will culminate in the state funeral of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on September 19. In this period of grief for the House of Windsor, there have been hints of a possible family reconciliation. Prince William and his brother Harry, along with Catherine, now Princess of Wales, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, delighted mourners near Windsor Castle with a joint surprise to thank the public for the floral tributes and their condolences. It was the first time the feuding younger royal generation had worked together in public since the Sussexes stepped down from royal duties in 2020 and moved to California. The thousands who flocked to Windsor on a sunny day were overcome with emotion as the couple gratefully accepted flowers, spoke to parents and children at length, shook hands and accepted heartfelt condolences. Megan approached a teenage girl in the crowd, who put her hand over her mouth in shock. The pair spoke briefly and the girl said, “Can I have a hug?” Megan leaned over to give her a big hug. Catherine, for her part, focused on the young children in the crowd, bending low to speak warmly to them face to face. The late monarch’s coffin now lies at Balmoral Castle, the summer retreat in the Scottish Highlands where Elizabeth died on Thursday. Palace officials promised on Saturday that the public will get a chance to see the late monarch’s oak coffin as it travels from Balmoral Castle to Edinburgh and then to London, where her body will lie in state for four days from Wednesday . Edward William Fitzalan-Howard, the official in charge of the funeral arrangements, said the ceremonies would be “a fitting farewell to one of the defining figures of our time”. The Queen’s eldest son and heir Charles was officially crowned Britain’s monarch on Saturday in a lavish ceremony steeped in ancient tradition and political symbolism — and, for the first time, broadcast live on television and online. Charles, 73, who spent seven decades as heir apparent, automatically became king when his mother died and vowed to follow her example. But the accession ceremony was a key constitutional and ceremonial step that introduced the new monarch to the country, a relic of an era before mass communications. “I am deeply aware of this great heritage and the duties and heavy responsibilities of rulership that have now passed to me,” Charles said as he assumed the duties of monarch. Britain’s new prime minister Liz Truss and five of her predecessors were among scores of current and former British politicians gathered at St James’s Palace for the Accession Council meeting. Saturday’s accession ceremony concluded with a royal official publicly declaring King Charles III the country’s new monarch from a palace balcony. In centuries past, this would have been the first official confirmation the public had of their new ruler. David White, the King of Arms, made the proclamation, flanked by trumpeters in gold-trimmed robes before cheers — “hip, hip, tail!” — for the new King. Gun salutes rang out in Hyde Park, the Tower of London and military sites across the UK as he announced the news, and red-robed soldiers in the palace courtyard doffed their bearskin hats in a royal salute. The proclamation was read at other locations across the UK, including the medieval city of London. The new King officially passed a series of decrees, including one declaring the day of his mother’s funeral a holiday. Charles was joined at the ceremony by his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort and eldest son Prince William, who is now heir to the throne and known by Charles’ long-held title of Prince of Wales. In his first statement since his grandmother’s death, William said the Queen “was by my side in my happiest moments. And she was by my side in the saddest days of my life” — a clear reference to his mother’s death, of Princess Diana, in 1997. “I knew this day would come, but it will be a while before the reality of life without Grandma feels real,” William said. People came in their thousands to pay their respects outside Buckingham Palace in London. The scene was repeated at other royal residences across the UK and at British embassies around the world. For many Britons, the Queen’s death, though long expected, is a destabilizing experience. Queen Elizabeth II is the only monarch most people have known and her death comes as many Britons grapple with an energy crisis, the rising cost of living, the uncertainties of the war in Ukraine and the fallout from Brexit. The country has also just seen a change of leader. Truss was appointed prime minister by the Queen on Tuesday, just two days before the monarch died. On Saturday, Truss and other senior UK MPs lined up in the House of Commons to pledge allegiance to the new king. Normal parliamentary business has been suspended during a period of mourning for the Queen. The House of Commons held a rare Saturday sitting so lawmakers could pay tribute to the late monarch. Charles struck a note of continuity, pledging in a televised address on Friday to continue the Queen’s “lifelong service” with his own stamp of modernisation. The new monarch looked both to the past — noting his mother’s unwavering “devotion and devotion as sovereign” — and to the future, seeking to strike a reassuring note of stability while signaling that it will be a 21st-century monarchy. He reflected on how the country had changed dramatically during the Queen’s reign to a “multi-cultural and multi-faith” society and pledged to serve people in Britain and the 14 other countries where he is king “whatever their background or beliefs you. “ For the second day on Saturday, Charles walked into the crowds to meet his subjects and shake hands. Trying to overcome his reputation as aloof, in his early days as monarch he signals a more relaxed approach to the monarchy than his mother. “It felt like a really special moment in history,” said Beverly Nash of Kent. “And it was really great to see him. I didn’t think I’d feel as emotional as I did.”
