London, Sept 9 (AFP/APP):A day after Queen Elizabeth II’s death at her Scottish retreat, the new King Charles III left Balmoral and returned to London on a day marked by gun salutes and tolling bells.
The 73-year-old head of state, who has spent his whole life as a king in waiting, was accompanied by his wife Camilla, now Queen Consort.
Here is the day’s timeline:
– 11:20 am (1020 GMT) –
Charles leaves Balmoral, in northeast Scotland, bound for London in a convoy of cars.
Queen Consort Camilla looks pensive in the front seat of the vehicle headed for Aberdeen airport for the flight back to the capital.
Charles sits in the back.
– 12:00 pm –
Church bells toll across Britain in tribute to the late monarch, including at London’s St Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey, and at the late monarch’s residence Windsor, west of the capital.
– 12:15 pm –
Buckingham Palace announces Charles will be formally proclaimed king at the Accession Council, starting at 10:00 am on Saturday.
– 1:00 pm –
Cannon fire rings out across all four corners of the country and beyond, in a ceremonial “death gun salute” in memory of the queen.
Ninety-six shots — one for every year of her life — are fired from Hyde Park and the Tower of London in the capital.
Heavy guns are also fired at Edinburgh Castle in Scotland, Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland and Cardiff Castle in Wales, as well as the Channel Islands and Gibraltar.
– 1:35 pm –
The plane carrying Charles and Camilla lands at RAF Northolt in west London. They drive to Buckingham Palace where greet crowds gathered there.
One well-wisher kisses Charles while others cheer and sing “God Save the King”.
Charles, dressed in a black suit, shakes hands with people in the crowd who offer words of condolence.
The Royal Standard flag, which is flown at royal palaces when a monarch is in residence, is later raised at Buckingham Palace for the first time in Charles III’s reign.
– 4:13 pm –
Charles holds his first in-person audience with Prime Minister Liz Truss at Buckingham Palace.
Such private meetings between the politically neutral monarch and prime minister typically take place weekly and occured throughout Queen Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign.
– 6:00 pm –
Charles makes his first televised address to the nation and the Commonwealth as king, paying an emotional tribute to his “darling mama”.
He announces that Prince William and his wife Kate are to become the new Prince and Princess of Wales.
A memorial service follows at St Paul’s cathedral, not attended by the new monarch.
– 7:06 pm –
The first official public rendition of “God Save the King” rings out for the first time at the church service for the queen at the cathedral in central London, with Truss in attendance.
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