– I speak to you today in deep sorrow. Throughout her life, Her Majesty the Queen, my beloved mother, was an inspiration and an example to me and my entire family. This is how King Charles opened his address to the nation on Friday night, which was broadcast to audiences around the world. The King was introduced by Andrew Tremlett, Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral and a Church of England priest. – We owe her the most heartfelt gratitude any family can have, for her love, attention, advice, understanding and example. – I know that her death arouses sadness in so many of you. And I share that grief with all of you, in a way that cannot be measured. Queen Elizabeth also pledged her service to the British people. Photo: REUTERS / REUTERS When his mother was 21 years old, she vowed to dedicate her whole life to serving the British people. King Charles also gave that promise today. – Queen Elizabeth was a life well lived. A promise of fate kept, and she is deeply mourned after her passing. Her promise of lifelong service I renew to you today. William becomes the new Prince of Wales The King was clear that his life was going to be different now that he has stepped into the role of monarch. Among other things, he will not give as much time and energy to the charities, and the themes, as he has over the years. Then he answered a question many have been sitting with since yesterday afternoon: what will be the new responsibility of his eldest son, who is also his heir to the throne? – Today I am proud to declare him Prince of Wales, a title I have been very privileged to carry throughout much of my life, was the answer. “With Catherine at her side, I know our new Prince and Princess of Wales will continue to inspire and lead our national conversations. On their official Instagram profile, Prince William and Princess Kate have changed their title accordingly. This is what the top of Prince William and Princess Kate’s Instagram profile looks like on Friday night. – Dear mother In conclusion, he addressed his late mother: – To my dear mother, as you begin your last great journey to my dear father’s side, I just want to say this: thank you. – Thank you for your love and devotion to our family and the family of nations you have served all these years. May hosts of angels sing you to rest. The speech was recorded in the Blue Drawing Room, where Queen Elizabeth recorded many of her Christmas speeches. A national mourning has been declared in Great Britain after the Queen passed away yesterday, and thousands of people have since visited Buckingham Palace to commemorate the 70 years she was reigning monarch. Queen Elizabeth and her son Charles, who is now Britain’s new king. Photo: POOL / REUTERS – The moment I have dreaded In a conversation with the new British Prime Minister Liz Truss, King Charles said that his mother’s death was a moment he had dreaded. The first meeting between the two took place shortly after Charles arrived in London, where a jubilant crowd was waiting at Buckingham Palace. – It is the moment I have been dreading, as I know many others have too, he said in the clip, which has since been shown on British television. King Charles in a televised meeting with Prime Minister Liz Truss. Photo: POOL / Reuters Together with his wife Camilla, Charles spent more than ten minutes in front of the palace, before they entered together. – It was so touching this afternoon when we arrived at all these people who had come to offer their condolences and give flowers, he told Truss, who also offered his condolences. Unprecedented – It is an unprecedented situation and he has spent his entire 73-year-old life waiting for what was to come. That’s what Øivind Bratberg, political scientist at UiO and UK expert, says about Britain’s new king, Charles III. On Thursday evening came the news of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain’s passing. Throughout the day, there were signals that the Queen’s health was critical, and members of the British royal family flocked to Balmoral Castle in Scotland to be close to her. That same evening it was announced that her son Charles would take the royal title Charles III. He for all practical purposes assumed the throne the moment Elizabeth died, but he will be formally proclaimed king at St James’s Palace in London on Saturday morning. King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla. Photo: Carl Court / AP Operation “London Bridge”, the official planner for the days after the Queen’s death, predicted that the new regent would address the people the very next day. Read Urix’s overview of what will happen in the next ten days here. According to the plan, Charles’ speech took place on TV at 19:00 Friday Norwegian time. Just after 3 pm Norwegian time, he arrived at Buckingham Palace in London. The televised speech was recorded in advance in the capital. Read also: Rhetoric expert: – Must create pride The speech Charles gave was a so-called epideictic speech. Such speeches are given on “occasions”, and should pay tribute to and cultivate common values, explains Kjell Terje Ringdal, senior lecturer at the Department of Communication at Kristiania University College. – The speech should point backwards towards what was, and it should point forward towards what is to come. It is an important speech for the nation, it should create pride and continued hope, says Ringdal. Rhetoric expert Kjell Terje Ringdal says King Charles must rally the nation in grief through Friday’s speech. Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB He predicted that King Charles would probably use the opportunity to position himself and his new role, while paying tribute to his mother and the nation. – That is what he will do today – create community in grief. Uncertainty about the Commonwealth Bratberg believes it is too early to say what Charles’ time as king will look like, in terms of the relationship with the British people. – Beyond the early goodwill, it is difficult to say what his relationship with the British people will look like. He also watches with excitement the reactions of the countries in the British Commonwealth of Nations. It is far from certain that all the countries still want a British head of state when Charles is on the throne. According to Maustad, the new king is fully aware that he is not as popular as his mother. – He knows about all the opinion polls, he knows that he is less popular in Scotland, among other places. King Charles in his youth. Photo: Peter Kemp / AP Royal house expert Trond Norén Isaksen also points to this as a challenge for King Charles. – Several have signaled that when Queen Elizabeth is gone, they will reconsider having the British monarch as head of state, says Norén Isaksen. Over the years, 17 out of 32 Commonwealth countries have withdrawn, with Barbados the last in line last year. Jamaica has signaled it wants to follow suit, and a growing movement in Australia wants the same, according to The Mirror. – One can imagine more such discussions in the coming years, then we will see what it ends up in. It fits well with the understanding of this chapter change, that now that the Elizabethan period is over, there is room to see things in in a slightly different light and assess the institution’s power and impact, and not just take it for granted.
ttn-69
Charles gave his first speech as king to the British people – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
