Dozens of dignitaries have gathered in London to hear King Charles III's proclamation. to attend As on the day before, thousands of people passed Buckingham Palace in the morning to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II. They laid flowers and cards there. The palace was her official residence in London. Buckingham Palace has not yet announced when the funeral will take place.
According to media reports, around 200 members of the Privy Council and invited guests can attend the proclamation ceremony at St. James's Palace. It will be broadcast live on TV from 11:00 a.m. CEST. In addition to Charles (73), his wife, Queen Camilla (75), and his son William, the new Prince of Wales (40), are expected there.
This is the Privy Council
The Privy Council consists mainly of current and former members of the government, church officials, judges, members of the royal families and other public figures. The members are to advise the monarch on matters of state. The proclamation will then be solemnly read from the balcony of St. James's Palace.
Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday at her country estate in Balmoral, Scotland, aged 96. Two days earlier she had received the new Prime Minister Liz Truss there and formally commissioned her to form a government.
First audience with the new king
Truss' new cabinet was due to receive its first audience with the king on Saturday. Truss himself visited Charles at Buckingham Palace on Friday. "Very nice of you to come," said King Charles. "I know how busy you are." He was touched by how many people at Buckingham Palace wanted to express their condolences and lay flowers.
On his return to London on Friday, Charles surprisingly got out in front of the palace and approached the visitors with his wife, Queen Camilla. He shook dozens of hands and looked at the flowers and messages people had placed there. In the evening he addressed the people in a very personal speech. "To my beloved mom: Thank you," he said in it. Like them, he promised to diligently fulfill the duties of a monarch.
William now Prince of Wales
In the speech, Charles confirmed that his son Prince William would now become Prince of Wales. This is traditionally the title of the heir to the throne. His wife Kate becomes Princess of Wales. The last time William's mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car accident in 1997, actively borne the title.
Camilla was also technically the Princess of Wales as Charles' second wife, but she never bore the title because it is so closely associated with Diana in British memory. William and Kate lived in Wales for a while - prior to their marriage and as a newlywed couple they lived on the Isle of Anglesey for a number of years.
First funeral service
The Prime Minister, other dignitaries and the people commemorated the Queen in a first funeral service on Friday evening at St Paul's Cathedral. It was there that the adapted anthem was officially sung for the first time: "God save the King" instead of "God save the Queen".
The Queen's body was due to be transferred from Balmoral Castle first to Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, the Queen's residence in Scotland, on Sunday. The body will also be laid out in Edinburgh before being taken to London.
