'God save the King!' Smiling Charles greets crowd at palace
A smiling King Charles III shook hands with some of the thousands of well-wishers gathered outside Buckingham Palace Friday as he returned to London following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.
Shouting “God save the King” and with an impromptu burst of the reworded national anthem, members of the crowd greeted Charles and Queen Consort Camilla after they emerged from their car following a flight from Scotland.
The royal standard was raised for the first time in Charles’s reign, as the new monarch and Camilla inspected bouquets of flowers left on the palace fence by members of the public.
The king proceeded to shake hands with dozens of well-wishers for more than ten minutes. One member of the public shouted “Love you Charles!”
One woman kissed Charles’ hand, while another leaned over the security barrier to hug him and kiss his cheek. Several told him they were sorry for his loss, and he thanked them.
People gathered outside the palace pointed their phone cameras at Charles as he walked past, flanked by security personnel. One security officer asked people to put their phones down as the king approached and simply enjoy the moment.
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The royal couple had been visiting the queen at her Balmoral estate in the Scottish Highlands before her death on Thursday.
Charles was due to hold an audience with Prime Minister Liz Truss, who was only appointed by the queen on Tuesday, before delivering a televised address to the nation at 1.00am Saturday, Singapore time.
The televised speech will be the centrepiece of a solemn day of remembrance for the queen. But it will also emphasise the continuity of governance in Britain’s constitutional monarchy.
The king’s speech is the first of a choreographed sequence of events marking the transition from Elizabeth to Charles.
Later on Saturday, Charles will be formally proclaimed after a meeting of the Accession Council, a conclave of senior officials who meet, by custom, at St James’ Palace in the wake of a monarch’s death. AFP, NYTimes, REUTERS
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