‘We are deeply touched’: King Charles thanks public for their support following Queen’s death and says he and wife Camilla have been ‘moved beyond measure’ as he prepares country for a ‘last farewell’ to the late Monarch on the eve of her funeral
- King Charles III has thanked ‘all those countless people’ who’ve offered support following the Queen’s death
- On the eve of her funeral he said he and the Queen Consort are ‘deeply touched’ by the nation’s well-wishes
- Tomorrow around 2,000 world leaders, heads of state and dignitaries are expected to arrive for the service
- The Queen’s funeral: All the latest Royal Family news and coverage
King Charles III has thanked the public for their support following the Queen’s death and says he and his wife Camilla have been ‘moved beyond measure’ by well-wishes.
The new monarch said he and the Queen Consort have been ‘deeply touched’ as he prepares the country for a ‘last farewell’ to his mother on the eve of her funeral.
Tomorrow millions of people across the country and billions around the world are expected to watch the service for Her Majesty at Westminster Abbey and the subsequent funeral procession to Windsor.
Charles will lead the nation in mourning for its longest reigning monarch, while two thousand world leaders, royals and foreign dignitaries crowd into the gothic church in the centre of London.
In a heartfelt message put out by Buckingham Palace tonight, the King said he was moved by the response of the public and the support they had given him since his mother’s death on Thursday, September 8.
Charles said he wanted, ‘as we all prepare to say our last farewell’, to offer his gratitude to ‘all those countless people who have been such a support and comfort to my Family and myself in this time of grief’.
The King said, in the written message issued by Buckingham Palace: ‘Over the last ten days, my wife and I have been so deeply touched by the many messages of condolence and support we have received from this country and across the world.
‘In London, Edinburgh, Hillsborough and Cardiff we were moved beyond measure by everyone who took the trouble to come and pay their respects to the lifelong service of my dear mother, the late Queen.
‘As we all prepare to say our last farewell, I wanted simply to take this opportunity to say thank you to all those countless people who have been such a support and comfort to my Family and myself in this time of grief.’
King Charles III has thanked the public for its support following the death of his mother. Pictured: The King looks on during a reception for local charities at Cardiff Castle in Wales on Friday, September 16
He made the statement on the eve of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral at Westminster Abbey. Pictured: A King’s Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms guards Her Majesty’s coffin at Westminster Hall today
Tens of thousands of people have spent hours queuing to see Her Majesty in Westminster Hall in recent days. Pictured: The queue to get in stretches past Tower Bridge
Since Wednesday tens of thousands of people have patiently stood in line as they wait to pay their respects to the Queen as she lies in state at Westminster Hall.
The queue has snaked its way through central London for more than four miles, taking mourners past numerous landmarks including the Tate Modern, the London Eye and Tower Bridge.
Those inside the hall were joined by multiple foreign heads of state yesterday, as world leaders arriving in London for Her Majesty’s funeral took the chance to pay their respects in the palace.
The likes of US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan were all seen in Westminster Hall.
Later tonight officials will stop more people from joining the queue as they look to clear the line before the Queen’s coffin is moved in tomorrow’s funeral procession to Westminster Abbey, where her funeral is being held tomorrow morning.
There have been suggestions that nine-year-old Prince George could be taken to the funeral by his parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales.
The little prince, who is now second in line to the throne, might be at the service in some capacity, with one insider saying ‘couriers are keen’ for him to be there.
George, along with his younger siblings Charlotte and Louis, has not been seen in public since the Queen’s death was announced on Thursday, September 8.
There have been suggestions that Prince George (bottom left) could play some role in the Queen’s funeral service. Here he is pictured with his parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales, along with his siblings Princess Charlotte (bottom centre) and Prince Louis (bottom right) on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in June this year
Two of the late Queen’s other great-grandchildren, Mia and Lena Tindall, were at Westminster Hall on Friday for her lying-in-state. They were in the gallery with their parents Zara and Mike Tindall as their grandmother, Princess Anne, took her place alongside her three brothers for a silent vigil beside the Queen’s coffin.
There was no sign of George, Charlotte or Louis at last night’s vigil by the Queen’s grandchildren – and the Prince of Wales might have good reason to consider whether courtiers’ suggestions to involve a nine-year-old in tomorrow’s funeral are wise.
William spoke movingly last week about how walking behind his grandmother’s coffin as it left Buckingham Palace for the last time on Wednesday had evoked poignant memories of his mother Princess Diana’s funeral 25 years ago.
William and Harry, then 15 and 12, found their grief thrust into the public gaze when they followed Diana’s coffin along the same route down the Mall and Whitehall. It became one of the defining images of the day and left a lasting impact.
William has previously said it was ‘one of the hardest things I’ve ever done’, while Harry said: ‘I don’t think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances.’
Tomorrow morning the King’s Guard will begin their final vigil over the Queen’s coffin at 6am, with Westminster Hall set to close at 8.30am. The doors of Westminster Abbey, just over the road, will open at 8am.
At 9am Big Ben will strike clearly before the bell’s hammer is covered with a thick leather pad to muffle it’s strikes for the rest of the day.
At 10.35am the coffin will be moved onto a state carriage and taken to Westminster Abbey, arriving at 10.52am.
The televised funeral service will begin at 11am, led by the Dean of Westminster and the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The service, which will be shown live on the BBC and ITV, as well as 150 cinemas in the UK, is expected to be seen by as many as 4.1billion people worldwide.
At 11.55am the nation will observe a two minute silence followed by a rendition of the Last Post. The funeral will officially end at midday.
Following the service, the Queen’s coffin will be placed on the back of the state gun carriage at 12.15pm. A funeral procession will then move through Parliament Square, Whitehall, Constitution Hill and the Mall to arrive at Wellington Arch at 1pm.
The coffin will then travel to St George’s Chapel in Windsor, arriving at 3.15pm to allow the public to pay their respects.
At 4pm there will be a televised committal service conducted by the Dean of Windsor, during which the Imperial State Crown, sceptre and orb will be removed from the coffin by the crown jeweller.
A lone piper will then play a lament as Her Majesty is lowered into the Royal Vault.
At 7.30pm King Charles and the Queen’s relatives will return to St George’s Chapel for a private family burial service, where the new monarch will scatter earth on her coffin.
After being taken by gun carriage from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch, the State Hearse will carry the Queen’s coffin west along the south edge of Hyde Park in central London, before passing through Queens Gate and heading down Cromwell Road. It will then head down Talgarth Road via the Hammersmith Flyover, Great West Road (A4) and Great South West Road (A30). It will continue on the A30 and will then take the A308 to make the final part of the journey to Shaw Farm Gate outside Windsor Castle, where it will be met by the procession that will take it up the Long Walk to St George’s Chapel
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