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, i used to look forward to it. gunfire. and gun salutes are fired in royal parks, castles and around the world. each round represents a year in the life of the queen. 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, 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, there was 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 down to london from balmoral where, yesterday afternoon, he'd been at his mother's bedside. of the royal limousines flying the sovereign�*s standard. they headed straight to central london and buckingham palace. # god save the king.

your majesty, the prime minister. thank you. there was an audience with the prime minister, 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. 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... gunshot. ..and at edinburgh castle... gunshot. ..cardiff castle, at

hillsborough castle near belfast... gunshot. ..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 the 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 it just 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. at westminster, members of parliament and peers assembled to pay their tributes to her majesty the queen. the prime minister liz truss described her as "the rock "on which modern britain was built". the leader of the opposition sir keir starmer said the loss of the queen had robbed the nation of its greatest comfort. our deputy political editor vicki young reports.

political arguments silenced, divisions put to one side, as mps gathered to honour their queen, and share personal memories. hear, hear! liz truss spoke of her shock. just three days ago, she'd shaken the queen's hand, becoming her 15th and last prime minister. she generously shared with me her 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. quoting the poet philip larkin, the labour leader said the queen's death was a moment of uncertainty for the nation. the loss of our queen robs this country of its stillest point, its greatest comfort, at precisely the time we need those things most. former prime ministers recalled their weekly audience with the queen. these were not meetings with a high and mighty monarch, but a conversation,

with a woman of experience but a conversation with a woman of experience and knowledge and immense wisdom. they were also the one meeting i went to which i knew would not be briefed out to the media. laughter. only three days ago, when she saw off her 14th prime minister and welcomed her 15th, and i can tell you in that audience, she was as radiant and as knowledgeable and as fascinated by politics as ever i can remember, and as wise in her advice as anyone i know, if not wiser. others remembered the queen's kindness. harriet harman had been sacked as a cabinet minister in 1998. my diary was empty and my phone stopped ringing. my office was astonished to get a call from buckingham palace. no—one else wanted to have anything to do with me! laughter. but the queen wanted to see me.

i was invited to take tea with the queen for her to thank me for my service as secretary of state. when tony blair won his landslide victory, the queen reminded him that winston churchill had been herfirst prime minister. i was talking to someone with extraordinary knowledge, experience, history. i used to look forward to it. the relationship between monarch and prime minister is precious and unique. liz truss will fulfil her new role alongside a new king. vicki young, bbc news, westminster. 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, he gets a new dukedom, but also, as we have heard, 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, will become his majesty's theatre. so, lots of changes to the language of official and public life coming up. james landale there on the changes that we can expect. 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 newsreel: her royal highness the princess elizabeth, - duchess of edinburgh, was safely delivered of a prince at 9:14pm. thatjourney began in 19118, 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. 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, of his life, camilla shand. but he had hesitated, and she had married the cavalry officer andrew parker bowles. the wave of public grief that followed diana's death in 1997

as prince of wales, he led a life of public advocacy, and climate change. and made a few speeches, got into a spot of trouble what about all of you, ladies and gentlemen? 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 we know a lot about where the new king stands. for 50 years, he was an activist prince of wales.

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. well, earlier, ispoke to arianne chernock who's a professor of history at boston university. i asked how she felt king charles iii could continue to build upon the united states' admiration for the british monarchy. elizabeth had so much support here from the very beginning of her reign. even in the 1950s, there were queen crazy women just 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. and when it comes to the new direction for the british royal family, of course we now know that male heirs no longer take precedence. are they going in the right direction of modernising this historic institution? we had that in charles' speech, 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, with nods to the succession of the crown act of 2013 which abolished male primogeniture. and we will look 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 minutiae and detail of the royal family? i think charles has a humility about him and he recognises his sons are much more popular than he is. his will be a transitional monarchy, and just as queen elizabeth ceded increasing responsibilities to charles, i think we will see charles ceding increasing responsibilities especially to william, though of course he was more than happy to acknowledge harry in his speech today as well.

i wonder what in the us when it comes to this relationship with prince harry and meghan, they are now residing in the us, how that changes, or does that change how the united states or people in the us think of the royal family? i think there is much more support for harry and meghan in the way that some americans have claimed them as their own and feel protectiveness towards them. their style is one that aligns much more with an american casual sensibility. meghan�*s interest in disclosure, although diana style of presentation. an american style of presentation — we werejust last night outside buckingham palace,

there was row upon row, tent upon tent 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? we don't fully appreciate. even though obviously we had a revolution in 1776, americans never lost their appetite for the monarchy. it persists right through the present. we saw that at queen elizabeth's coronation and we will see it at herfuneral and all the events leading up to it over the next few weeks. the queen's popularity crossed generations. schools around the united kingdom have been learning about the monarch and her reign. our midlands correspondent navtej johal has been speaking to young people in leicester. our queen, queen elizabeth ii, she died yesterday afternoon... there was only one subject on much of the nation's mind today. and in soar valley college in leicester, young people

were discussing the monarch who has defined the country she led for 70 years and what comes next. does anyone have any questions about this? yes? will the money currency change? what surprised you most in the last 2a hours? these year 11 students all spoke of their respect for the late monarch, but had different views on the monarchy. i feel like she related to us because when she was our age, she was doing the war efforts with the people of her age. i feel like she was one of us, even though we might have seen her as a greater person. she seemed like a very kind and caring person. in the photos, she's always waving at kids, going up to kids. i still believe the monarchy is still important in our- society because they can still help in many ways, i like helping with organisations throughout the world. - they help to represent our country. _ i think the whole role should be given to the prime minister instead because they are allowed to get involved and make decisions on behalf of the people.

in terms of abiding images and memories of the queen, who here thinks of her having tea with paddington? yeah, definitely. definitely unexpected. nearby, at rushey mead academy, teenagers shared their thoughts on the queen. personally, for me and my family, it would be at christmas time when we watch her broadcasted message on tv in the afternoon and itjust, you know, it really gives you that christmas spirit and togetherness because it's really personal. and you watched that every year? every year on christmas day. as a female leader, that she was queen for such a long time, i definitely think that, as a girl, she was a really big role model. it's incredibly sad - that the queen has passed and i feel great respect. for her and all she's done for this country, as leader of the country and leaderl of the church. does anybody here believe that the monarchy is not relevant any more? i think it is relevant for a lot of the older generation, but not necessarily the younger generation because a lot of us are out of touch with what is going on within the monarchy. so is she a fashion icon?

yeah. among these young people, there are questions about their support for the monarchy�*s future, but there is unquestionably admiration for the late monarch. navtej johal, bbc news, leicester. you're watching bbc news. we have continuing coverage of her majesty the queen. when the queen came to the throne in 1952, britain's role in the world was changing rapidly. former colonies were gaining independence as the british empire evolved into the commonwealth. and the seven decades of the queen's reign saw even greater change. in a moment, we'll hear from yogita limaye in delhi and nada tawfik injamaica. first, anne soy reports from kenya, the country princess elizabeth was visiting when she received news of her father's death, and her accession at the age of 25. newsreel: the royalvisitors stepped off into the hot - sunshine of nairobi. february 1952.

the then princess elizabeth came to kenya to represent her ailing father. it was here that she would become queen after his unexpected death. and from her car, the princess took many feet of film... it was a tour of duty, but she and her husband took time to also enjoy the colony's vast wildlife. they stayed at her secluded that once stood here. they stayed at her secluded treehouse that once stood here. the hunters that accompanied her said for the first time in history of the world, a young girl climbed into a tree one day a princess and claimed out from the tree the next day a queen. she took the reins at a time of great change in africa. colonies gained independence and became republics. as head of the commonwealth, the queen reached out and helped bring them into the fold. she made bold moves. here she is seen dancing with a black man for the first time, ghana's president nkrumah.

it stirred controversy in britain, but she proved to be a leader ahead of her time. now, king charles will lead the commonwealth. african nations with no historic links to the uk are choosing tojoin. but this is a continent that is changing fast, and preserving his mother's legacy will not be without its challenges. newsreel: a royal welcome on the first of three - visits to india. in 1961, the queen was in the early years of her reign and india was a young republic still enamoured by her. crowds gathered everywhere she went. as india turned 50, queen elizabeth sought to address some of the dark chapters of colonial history. at this public park, unarmed indians were shot dead by british soldiers a century ago.

the royal couple paid tributes, but stopped short of an apology. 75 years since independence, india is trying to move away from its past, and its links with the british royal family have become less significant. it is a complicated relationship because of the nature of colonial rule, but what we have seen here today is most people looking beyond the institution that the queen represented, to the person that she was. and a deep sense of respect has been reflected in the tributes. indian prime minister modi recalled his meetings with her. "she personified dignity and decency in public life", he wrote. a day of mourning will be held on sunday. a young queen elizabeth injamaica on herfirst royal visit. back in 1953, crowds were eager to catch a glimpse of the new monarch. the queen, it is said,

had a deep affection for the island, and would go on to visit another five times. officials here called her a "portrait of dignity". jamaica is observing a period of mourning and flags are flying at half—mast. but there is a generational divide. while some olderjamaicans have shed a tear and expressed sadness, others, especially the youth, don't feel that same close connection. to them, the royal family has not properly atoned for britain's historic role in slavery and colonisation by way of a formal apology or reparations. nostalgia for the past is not a road many are interested in travelling. the duke and duchess of cambridge tried to emulate the queen's 1953 visit, riding the very same land rover in march. it drew attention only to how much jamaica had changed. the prime minister bluntly told the couple the country would move to become a republic, something four other islands in the caribbean have already done.

for now, though, the focus is on paying respect