In an often personal speech at Westminster Hall, the towering 11th-century building at the heart of the parliamentary estate, Charles thanked the speakers for their speeches and paid tribute to “the late sovereign, my beloved mother, the Queen”. Quoting Shakespeare’s Henry VIII, Charles said the Queen was “a pattern to all princes that lived”, noting how moved he was to see the various memorials in parliament for her jubilees, including a stained glass window in the Westminster Hall commemorating of her diamond jubilee in 2012. Charles, accompanied by Camilla, the Queen consort, told the assembled MPs and colleagues that he was “determined to follow faithfully” his mother’s example. He said: “We gather today to commemorate the Queen’s remarkable time of dedicated service to her nations and peoples. While very young, her late Majesty pledged herself to serve her country and her people and uphold the precious principles of constitutional government that lie at the heart of our nation. “This oath he kept with unsurpassed devotion. He set an example of unselfish duty which, with God’s help and your advice, I am determined to follow faithfully.’ In a ceremony that typically mixed personal condolences, John McFaul, the former Labor MP who is now Speaker of the Lords, told Charles that the Queen was “both a leader and a servant of her people”, praising what he called her “joyful , an uninterrupted and reassuring presence all these years”. Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons speaker, said the Queen’s death was “a loss felt around the world”. Both concluded their speeches with a “humble address” agreed upon by each House, which they then delivered to Charles. In return, he gave them both a copy of his address. Charles and Camilla, who had walked a short distance from Clarence House, their home, entered to a fanfare of trumpets, passing the rows of guests before taking their seats on a raised platform at the front of the hall. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Earlier, with the rows of seats packed with MPs, peers, dignitaries and journalists, the King’s Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard, a type of Beefeaters, though not the ones who guard the Tower of London, were drafted in and assembled at the front. . Small processions followed, led first by McFall and then by Hoyle. Hoyle was followed by Ugbana Oyet, the Joint Sergeant-at-Arms, who carried the symbolic knife of the lower chamber.
