King Charles III was due to address his new subjects on Friday, as Britain plunged into mourning Death of Queen Elizabeth IIEnding the history of 70 years of reign.
Charles, 73, became monarch shortly after the death of his mother at a Scottish Highland retreat on Thursday, prompting tributes at home and abroad.
He is due to return to London from Balmoral, where the 96-year-old Queen died “peacefully” after a year of ill health and a fall.
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The details of his inaugural speech, which had to be recorded in advance, were not immediately released by the palace, but are part of elaborate pre-drawn plans that have been put in place for decades.
Also on Friday, the new king is expected to hold his first audience with Prime Minister Liz Truss, who was appointed only on Tuesday in one of the Queen’s last ceremonial acts before his death.
He was also due to meet the officials in charge of his admission and make elaborate arrangements for his mother’s funeral.
He will decide on the royal family’s mourning period, which is expected to last a month, while the UK government will follow a 10-day official remembrance when limited business is held.
The gun salute – one round for each year of the Queen’s life – will be fired from the Tower of London, the ancient royal fortress in central London’s Hyde Park and on the River Thames.
Muffled church bells will ring and Union flags will be flown at half-mast at Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral and Windsor Castle, among other places.
Ms Truss and other senior ministers are set to attend a public remembrance service in St Paul, while the UK Parliament will begin a two-day special tribute.
The Queen’s death and its formal consequences come as the government attempts to part ways through emergency legislation to deal with the war-fueled economic deprivation that marked the beginning of Elizabeth’s reign in 1952.
“Our hearts are broken,” was the headline of the popular tabloid daily mail, “We loved you ma’am,” said Sun, Mirror Simply wrote: “Thank you.”
Elizabeth, whose public appearances had become rare, died in October 2021 after becoming ill for the first time after spending an undetermined night in hospital for unannounced health tests.
In her final official acts, on Tuesday, she appointed Truss as the 15th prime minister of her reign, beginning with Winston Churchill in Downing Street.
In the pictures she was seen smiling but looking weak and leaning on the walking stick. He also had dark blue-violet marks on his hand, which was a matter of concern.
His coffin will initially reside at Balmoral, a private residence nestled among thousands of acres (hectares) of rolling grouse moors and forests.