welcome to bbc news with continuing coverage reflecting on the life and death of her majesty queen elizabeth. respect and love: king charles iii pledges to loyally serve the people after his own tribute to the late queen. to my darling mama, as you begin your last great journey to join my dear late papa, i want simply to say this — thank you. as the throne passes from mother to son, those who got to know the queen well share their memories. these were not meetings with a high and mighty monarch, but a conversation with a woman of experience and knowledge and immense wisdom.

i was talking to someone with extraordinary knowledge, experience, history. i used to look forward to it. welcome. a period of national mourning for her majesty queen elizabeth ii has now started, led by her successor king charles iii. earlier on friday, the new king arrived at buckingham palace after travelling from balmoral in scotland, where the queen died on thursday at the age of 96.

in his first address to the people as monarch, charles fought to contain his emotion as he thanked his late motherfor her decades of service. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports on the day's events. from buckingham palace, an address to the nation by britain's new king. it began with a tribute to his mother, the late queen elizabeth. throughout her life, her majesty the queen, my beloved mother, was an inspiration and example to me and to all my family, and we owe her the most heartfelt debt any family could owe to their mother for her love, affection, guidance, understanding and example. queen elizabeth's was a life well lived, a promise with destiny kept, and she is mourned most deeply in her passing.

that promise of lifelong service i renew to you all today. the principles of constitutional monarchy would be followed. as the queen herself did with such unswerving devotion, i, too, now solemnly pledge myself, throughout the remaining time god grants me, to uphold the constitutional principles at the heart of our nation. my life will take up my new responsibilities. __my ——my life will, of course, change, as i take up my new responsibilities. it will no longer be possible for me to give up so much of my time and energies for the charity and issues for which i care so deeply. he would rely on the support of his wife as queen consort. i count on the loving help of my darling wife camilla. in recognition of her own loyal

public service since our marriage 17 years ago, she becomes my queen consort. i know she will bring to the demands of her new role the steadfast devotion to duty on which i have come to rely so much. his eldest son william has a new title. today, i am proud to create him prince of wales, tywysog cymru — the country whose title i have been so greatly privileged to bear during so much of my life and duty. with catherine beside him, our new prince and princess of wales will, i know, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations, helping to bring the marginal to the centre ground, where vital help can be given.

there was an expression of love for the sussexes. i want also to express my love for harry and meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas. and finally, a moving message to his mother. and to my darling mama, as you begin your last great journey to join my dear late papa, i want simply to say this — thank you. thank you for your love and devotion to our family, and to the family of nations you have served so diligently all these years. may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest. earlier, the king had been flown to london from balmoral, where, yesterday afternoon, he'd been at his mother's bedside.

with his wife, the queen consort, he boarded one of the royal limousines flying the sovereign's standard. they headed straight to central london and buckingham palace. a large crowd had gathered outside. the king left his car and went along the line, shaking hands. some of those who were there had come with flowers. all had come to express their sympathy and their support. # god save our gracious king. # long live our noble king. # god save the king. there were flowers to inspect — the first of what are surely likely to be many thousands of personal tributes left here and at the other royal residences. and then, the king made his way into buckingham palace —

for nearly 200 years, the headquarters of the british monarchy — to begin work. your majesty, the prime minister. thank you. there was an audience with the prime minister, one newcomer greeting another — a head of state one day into his role meeting a head of government with three days experience of hers. it's a moment i've been dreading, as i know a lot of people have. "a moment i've been dreading," said charles. a chance now to discuss how best to reassure a nation, unsettled by the loss of its longest lived monarch. gunshot. gun salutes were sounded — 96 rounds, one for each year of queen elizabeth's life — fired in london and at edinburgh castle, cardiff castle, at hillsborough castle near belfast, in gibraltar, and several other locations. the queen's immediate

family have been sharing reminiscences, recorded for a bbc documentary. she was always there and i could talk to her about this, that or the other. and that's always been something i think that — well, it will be very difficult not to have, if you know what i mean. good evening, mr bond. the queen's participation in this spoofjames bond film, shown at the opening of the london olympics, was recalled by the earl of wessex. i thought it was an extraordinary moment because itjust showed that fantastic twinkle and sense of humour — and the fact that my mother kept that completely to herself and the team that were there and didn't tell anybody was just brilliant.

bells were rung at westminster abbey and at other churches across the country. and at st paul's cathedral this evening, a special service of prayer and reflection. # god save our gracious king. britain looks to the future with a new king, while it mourns a much—loved queen. nicholas witchell, bbc news. the reign of king charles, which began on thursday, is expected to be true to the constitutional path followed by queen elizabeth — although charles�*s views on some issues of public debate have been clearly expressed in the past. he comes to the throne at the age of 73 after serving a record period as prince of wales. our special correspondent allan little assesses charles�*s life and work so far, and the challenges ahead as monarch. fanfare.

it has been a long journey to the throne. at an age when most of us have retired, he assumes the role for which he has been preparing for much of his life. newsreel: her royal highness the princess elizabeth, - duchess of edinburgh, was safely delivered of a prince at 9:14pm. thatjourney began in 1948, when the country was recovering from a devastating war. the monarchy had come to symbolise the nation's wartime sacrifice and resilience. will you, to the utmost of your power, maintain in the united kingdom... he was just four when he saw his mother crowned — too young to understand what it would mean for his own destiny. it was by no means an entirely happy childhood — royal duties meant his parents were often away on long foreign tours. after one of them, it was a rather sad—looking charles who waited on the platform to welcome his mother home. the prince leads the way in real commando style. he was the first heir to the throne to be educated in a school.

even as a child, he was living his life in the public eye. his time at gordonstoun was a torment. he was shy and sensitive and suffered periods of bullying. and faith and truth i will bear unto thee... he was invested as prince of wales at 21. hejoined the raf, learned to fly, and commanded a coastal minehunter in the royal navy. here is the stuff of which fairy tales are made. when he married lady diana spencer in 1981, it seemed the perfect match. the couple's sons were born in the early years of the marriage. but it soon became clear that their relationship was foundering. it ended in divorce and an admission of adultery. did you try to be faithful and honourable to your wife when you took on the vow of marriage? yes, absolutely. and you were? yes. until it became irretrievably broken down. us both having tried.

what the public did not know was that when he married diana, he had already met the woman who would become the love of his life, camilla shand. but he had hesitated, and she had married the cavalry officer andrew parker—bowles. —— officer andrew parker bowles. the wave of public grief that followed diana's death in 1997 provoked a backlash that shook the royal family's reputation. but in just eight years, he steered public opinion toward acceptance of camilla, whom he married in 2005. as prince of wales, he led a life of public advocacy, expressing opinions and promoting causes that were close to his heart, particularly the environment and climate change. i shall be able to say that i attended a few seminars and made a few speeches, got into a spot of trouble and controversy occasionally, was accused of being a crank of various sorts, but can't claim to have done much more.

what about all of you, ladies and gentlemen? what are you going to say to your grandchildren? his outspokenness drew criticism that he was undermining the monarchy�*s constitutional duty to political neutrality. the queen reigned for so long that she came to embody a certain conception of britain itself. we looked at her and saw a set of values that lay at the heart of what it meant to be british. and yet, we knew almost nothing about her own views on the great issues of the day. we know a lot about where the new king stands. for 50 years, he was an activist prince of wales. as monarch, he'll have to step away from that. people have expressed worries about whether this involvement will continue in the same way. no, it won't! chuckles. i'm not that stupid. i do realise that it is a separate exercise being sovereign. but there is a counterargument — that it's his engagement with the most pressing issues of our day that will place his reign at the heart of national life,

renewing and reinvigorating the monarchy. first thing he was probably best known for was the prince's trust, which was the future of young people, and i think he'll continue to be passionate about that. the environment, interfaith relations, our food and farming communities — these are all national issues that matter and i think they're very relevant, so i think the monarchy under his leadership will remain as relevant as ever. the king's immediate challenge is to unite his family and the nation through this period of mourning. a big cheerfor the lancaster and the spitfires and the hurricanes. queen elizabeth was a force for national unity and coherence. her son's longer—term challenge is to articulate values that will chime with contemporary sensibilities and concerns, and which will help him build on the powerful legacy of respect and public affection that his mother bequeaths him. allan little, bbc news.

a reflection on the challenges for king charles. arianne chernock is a professor of history at boston university. the late queen, she had met 13 out of the last 1a sitting presidents. she had met 13 out of the last 1a sitting presidents. she had a great relationship with the united states. pm relationship with the united states. �* ~ relationship with the united states. �* . , ., states. an excellent question, elizabeth had _ states. an excellent question, elizabeth had so _ states. an excellent question, elizabeth had so much - states. an excellent question, j elizabeth had so much support here from the very beginning of here from the very beginning of her rain. even in 1950s, there were queen crazy women just eagerfor any piece of eager for any piece of information eagerfor any piece of information about the queen, and so excited to watch the coronation, or even better, get to the coronation in 1953.

"queen crazy women". is that specific to her gender then? absolutely. i think we have to remember, this gets to the question of the challenges that charles will face as king, that for the majority of the past 200 years, it is a woman who has sat on the throne, when you factor in queen victoria as well. as such we have become quite accustomed to women inhabiting the role of sovereign.— inhabiting the role of sovereign. inhabiting the role of sovereiun. �* _, , inhabiting the role of sovereiun. �* , ., sovereign. and when it comes to the new direction _ sovereign. and when it comes to the new direction for _ sovereign. and when it comes to the new direction for the - the new direction for the british royal family, of course we now know that male lawyers no longer take precedence. —— mail heirs. are they going in the right direction of modernising this historic hissed —— institution? we modernising this historic hissed -- institution? we had that in childhood _ hissed -- institution? we had that in childhood was - hissed -- institution? we had that in childhood was made, i hissed -- institution? we had| that in childhood was made, it was a show that they are not going to introduce radical new changes or push radical legislation. but in their own

way they will try and update the monarchy, it nods to the succession of the crown act which abolished male primogeniture.- which abolished male primogeniture. which abolished male rimoaeniture. �* primogeniture. and we will look at the younger _ primogeniture. and we will look at the younger members - primogeniture. and we will look at the younger members of - primogeniture. and we will look at the younger members of the | at the younger members of the royal family, there is so much interest when it comes to the united states. i guess what i am trying to ask is, is that maintainable, this kind of absolute, not obsession but deep interest from the us when it comes to the minute and detail of the royal family? i think child has a humility about him and he recognises his sons are much more popular than he is. it will be a transitional monarchy, and just as queen elizabeth gave increasing responsibilities to charles, i think we will see charles, i think we will see charles seeding increasing response abilities, especially to william, though of course he was more than happy to

acknowledge harry in his speech today as well. i acknowledge harry in his speech today as well-— today as well. i wonder what in the us when — today as well. i wonder what in the us when it _ today as well. i wonder what in the us when it comes - today as well. i wonder what in the us when it comes to - today as well. i wonder what in the us when it comes to this i the us when it comes to this relationship with prince harry and magnum, they are now residing in the us, how that changes, or does that change how the united states or people in the us think about the royal family? —— harry and meghan. i think there is much more support for harry and magen in the way that some —— meghan in the way that some —— meghan in the way that some —— meghan in the way that some americans have claimed them as their own and feel protectiveness towards them. , , , ., ., them. their style is one that ali . ns them. their style is one that aligns much _ them. their style is one that aligns much more _ them. their style is one that aligns much more with - them. their style is one that aligns much more with an i aligns much more with an american casual sensibility. meghan's interest in disclosure, although diana shared that to some extent, thatis shared that to some extent, that is a far more american style of presentation. am style of presentation. an american _ style of presentation. an american style _ style of presentation. an american style of presentation, we were just last night outside buckingham palace, there was row upon row, and a content of notjust row upon row, and a content of not just the row upon row, and a content of

notjust the international media but very much the us networks are in full presence here. how much of an appetite is there for viewers, for the audience in the united states, for what is happening over the pond? for what is happening over the -ond? , for what is happening over the ond? , , for what is happening over the 0nd? , , , ., for what is happening over the ond? , , ., ., pond? this is so woven into american — pond? this is so woven into american history _ pond? this is so woven into american history in - pond? this is so woven into american history in ways i pond? this is so woven into i american history in ways that i think we don't fully appreciate. even though obviously we had a revolution in 1776, americans never lost their appetite for the monarchy. it courses right through the present. we saw that it queen elizabeth's coronation and we will see it at herfuneral and all the at her funeral and all the events at herfuneral and all the events leading up to it over the next few weeks. find events leading up to it over the next few weeks. and we will have coverage _ the next few weeks. and we will have coverage of _ the next few weeks. and we will have coverage of that _ the next few weeks. and we will have coverage of that on - the next few weeks. and we will have coverage of that on the - have coverage of that on the bbc as well, thank you for speaking to us. with the proclamation of king charles, many titles and names referring to the late queen will change. for more on that, our diplomatic correspondent james landale.

well, this is quite common whenever there is a new monarch, a bit of a reshuffle of titles. the king's wife camilla becomes queen consort, just like the queen mother. as we heard, prince william gets a new dukedom, but he has also been made prince of wales, and that means that his wife catherine becomes princess of wales — a title, of course, last used by william's mother, diana. archie, the young son of harry and meghan, duke and duchess of sussex, he becomes a prince, because he is now the son of a son of a sovereign. elsewhere in public life, in the courts, senior barristers are now known as king's counsel, the members of the armed services are now subject to king's regulations, some mps tomorrow will swear a new oath of allegiance to the king, rather than the queen, and just down the road from here, her majesty's theatre is likely we think at some point in the future to become his majesty's theatre.

so lots of changes to the language of official and public life coming up. james landale, on the changes that we can expect. the morning papers are picking up the morning papers are picking up on some of these changes. with me is our reporter mark lobel. the times looking at this near future. it the times looking at this near future. , ., ., future. it is fair to say the new king _ future. it is fair to say the new king has _ future. it is fair to say the new king has had - future. it is fair to say the | new king has had universal acceptance from the papers, not only for his video address, and if we have a look at the times newspaper, the wraparound, "god save the queen" is on the wraparound and this is the front page there, you can see the prints they are the prince bending over. the video address has been covered across all the front pages, if we look at the telegraph, this was the tribute in the video address, "to my darling mama", and you see this across many front pages. and they say, prince charles, king charles was wearing his heart on his sleeve, it was a

remarkably personal tribute. and the other part of it of course was his pledge to the people. if you look at the front page of the times, that was inside that wraparound, "i pledge myself to you". in the mirror, a similarfeeling, loyalty respect and love. in the guardian, loyalty and love. the only one that is slightly different is front of the express, quoting the final words of his tribute there. may �*flights of angels sing thee to thy rest�*. interesting to see those words that were sung at diana pat mckenna. he was proud to create catherine, he said, as —— diana pat mckenna. —— diana's

funeral. he expressed his love for harry and magen. he entered all those questions that were hanging but gave a very emotional tribute and a clear pledge to the nation.- emotional tribute and a clear pledge to the nation. when it comes to _ pledge to the nation. when it comes to getting _ pledge to the nation. when it comes to getting used - pledge to the nation. when it comes to getting used to - pledge to the nation. when it comes to getting used to it, i comes to getting used to it, yes we are, king charles iii, even yesterday evening i was speaking to people outside buckingham palace, and they were making exactly that, god save the queen, god save the king. it will take some time to get used to, it is something that we are marking. when it comes to the speech itself that the king gave, it is very personal and the papers very much picking up on that. yes, and within _ much picking up on that. yes, and within all— much picking up on that. yes, and within all of— much picking up on that. yes, and within all of what - much picking up on that. yes, and within all of what he - much picking up on that. yes, and within all of what he had. and within all of what he had said, he is also saying that he needs somebody to look after his charities now. he is hoping that william will be doing that. and is not clearfrom the from reading inside that, whether they will be. catherine it is said will be doing her own thing, william will be receiving a huge income from

the duchy of cornwall, and there are questions to be asked about which direction they will go in, and that will be something we have to wait and see. ~ ~ ., ~' see. we will indeed, mark, thank you _ see. we will indeed, mark, thank you for _ see. we will indeed, mark, thank you for talking - see. we will indeed, mark, thank you for talking us - thank you for talking us through the first editions of the newspapers, the saturday morning newspapers. let's now look at the politics. at westminster, members of parliament and peers assembled to pay their respects at a special parliamentary session convened to mark the death of her majesty the queen. the prime minister liz truss was the first to speak. mr speaker. in the hours since last night's shocking news, we have witnessed the most heartfelt outpouring of grief at the loss of her late majesty the queen. crowds have gathered, flags have been lowered to half—mast, tributes have been sent from every continent around the world. on

the death of her father, king george vi, winston churchill said the news had" still la classica and traffic of 20th century life in many lands —— stilled the clutter". now 70 years later in the tumult of the 21st century, life has paused again. her late majesty queen elizabeth ii was one of the greatest leaders the world has ever known.— the greatest leaders the world i has ever known._ she has ever known. here here. she was the rock _ has ever known. here here. she was the rock on _ has ever known. here here. she was the rock on which _ has ever known. here here. she was the rock on which modern l was the rock on which modern britain was built. she was the rock on which modern britain was built.— britain was built. she came to the throne — britain was built. she came to the throne at _ britain was built. she came to the throne atjust _ britain was built. she came to the throne atjust 25, - britain was built. she came to the throne atjust 25, in - britain was built. she came to the throne atjust 25, in a - the throne atjust 25, in a country that was emerging from the shadow of war. she bequeaths a modern, dynamic nation that has grown and flourished under her rain. the united kingdom is the great country it is today because of her. the commonwealth is the family of nations it is today because of her. she was devoted to the union of england,

scotland, wales and northern ireland. she served 15 countries as head of state, and she loved them all. her words of wisdom gave us strength in the most testing times. during the most testing times. during the darkest moments of the pandemic, she gave us hope that we would meet again. she knew this generation of britons would be as strong as any. and as we meet today, we remember the pledge she made on her 21st birthday, to dedicate her life to service. the whole house will agree, to service. the whole house willagree, never to service. the whole house will agree, never has a promise been so completely fulfilled. hear, hear. been so completely fulfilled. hear. hear-— hear, hear. her devotion to duty remains— hear, hear. her devotion to duty remains an _ hear, hear. her devotion to duty remains an example i hear, hear. her devotion to| duty remains an example to hear, hear. her devotion to i duty remains an example to us all. she carried out thousands of engagements, she took a red box every day. she gave her assent to outlets pieces of legislation and was at the heart of our national life for seven decades. the supreme

governor of the church of england, she drew on her deep faith. she was the nation's greatest diplomat, her visits to postapartheid south africa and to the republic of ireland show a unique ability transcend different and healed division. in total, she visited well over 100 countries. she met more people than any other mike in our history. —— other monarch. she gave counsel to prime ministers and ministers across government. i have personally greatly valued her wise advice. 0nly last october i witnessed first—hand how she charmed the world's leading investors at windsor castle. she was always so proud of britain and always embodied the spirit of our great country. she remained determined to carry out her duties even at the age of 96. it was just

three days ago at balmoral that she invited me to form a government and become her 15th prime minister. again, she generously shared with me her deep experience of government, evenin deep experience of government, even in those last days. everyone who met her will remember the moment. they will speak of it for the rest of their lives. even those who never met her, her late majesty's image is an icon for what written stands for as a nation. 0n what written stands for as a nation. on our coins, on our stamps, and in portraits around the world. her legacy will endure through the countless people she met. the global history she witnessed and the lives that she touched. she was loved and admired by people across the united kingdom and across the united kingdom and across the united kingdom and across the world. one of the reasons for that affection was her sheer humanity. she reinvented monarchy. the modern

age. she was a champion of freedom and democracy around the world. she was dignified, but not distant. she was willing to have fun. whether on a mission with 007, or having tea with paddington bear. she brought the monarchy into people's lives, and into people's lives, and into people's homes. during her first televised christmas message in 1957, she said" today we need a special kind of courage, so we can show the world that we are not afraid of the future". we need that courage now. in an instant, yesterday, our lives changed forever. today, we show the world that we do not fear what lies ahead. we send our deepest sympathy to all members of the royal family. we pay tribute to our late queen, and we offer loyal service to our new king.

hear, hear. loyal service to our new king. hear. hear-— hear, hear. his ma'esty king charles the i hear, hear. his ma'esty king charles the third i hear, hear. his majesty king charles the third bears i hear, hear. his majesty king charles the third bears an i charles the third bears an awesome responsibility that he now carries for all of us. i was grateful to speak to his majesty last night and offer my condolences, even as he mourns, his sense of duty and service is clear. he has already made a profound contribution through his work on conservation, education and his tireless diplomacy. we owe him our loyalty and devotion.- loyalty and devotion. hear, hean loyalty and devotion. hear, hear- the _ loyalty and devotion. hear, hear. the british _ loyalty and devotion. hear, hear. the british people, . loyalty and devotion. hear, i hear. the british people, the commonwealth _ hear. the british people, the commonwealth and - hear. the british people, the commonwealth and all i hear. the british people, the commonwealth and all of i hear. the british people, the commonwealth and all of us| hear. the british people, the i commonwealth and all of us in this house, will support him as he takes our country forward to a new era of hope and progress. 0ur a new era of hope and progress. our new carolean age. the crown endures. 0ur our new carolean age. the crown endures. our nation endures. and in that spirit, i say, god save the king.