In what will be a historic and emotionally charged moment, new monarch King Charles III will give his first address to the nation on Friday, after the death of his beloved mother Queen Elizabeth II.
News came in at just after 6.30pm that Queen Elizabeth II had died at Balmoral a few hours earlier, at the age of 96, as several senior members of the Royal Family headed to Scotland to be with her. Buckingham Palace announced the death of Her Majesty in a statement which read: 'The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral and return to London in the morning."
In the moments that followed the sad news, King Charles paid tribute to his mother The Queen, saying: "The death of my beloved mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family.
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"We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world."
The new king added: "During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which the Queen was so widely held."
What time is King Charles' speech?
King Charles will address the nation in a pre-recorded speech, which is set to go out to millions of viewers at around 6pm on Friday, September 9.
Both BBC and ITV have cleared their schedules for all of Friday to dedicate its programming to coverage of The Queen's death and the many tributes that have been paid so far. That means King Charles III's speech will go out on both channels at the same time, with other broadcasters like Sky News also set to cover it.
Just after 9am on Friday, Buckingham Palace stated that it is The King's wish that a period of Royal Mourning be observed from now until seven days after The Queen's Funeral, with the date of her funeral set to be announced in due course.
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