HM The King makes a statement on the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II

Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

On the death of his mother, HM Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III has made a statement

King Charles III, as he will be known, made the below statement at the time of his mother’s death on Thursday 8 September 2022.

”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.

”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. 

”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.”

The death of HM Queen Elizabeth II: What happens next?

King Charles III will now take over from his mother as the new monarch. It is expected that Charles will be officially proclaimed King on Saturday (10 September). This will happen at St James’s Palace in London, in front of a ceremonial body known as the Accession Council.

What is the Accession Council?

The Accession Council is made up of members of the Privy Council – a group of senior MPs, past and present, and peers – as well as some senior civil servants, Commonwealth high commissioners, and the Lord Mayor of London.

King Charles III will attend a second meeting of the Accession Council, along with the Privy Council.  A declaration will be made by the new King and – in line with a tradition dating from the early 18th Century – he will make an oath to preserve the Church of Scotland.

The King’s declaration

After a fanfare of trumpeters, a public proclamation will be made declaring Charles as the new King. This will be made from a balcony above Friary Court in St James’s Palace, by an official known as the Garter King of Arms.

He will call: “God save the King”, and for the first time since 1952, the national anthem will be played with the words “God Save the King”.

Gun salutes will be fired in Hyde Park, the Tower of London and from naval ships, and the proclamation announcing Charles as the King will be read in in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

HM Queen Elizabeth’s Funeral

The funeral is expected to be held at Westminster Abbey in about 10 or 11 days’ time, with the date to be confirmed by Buckingham Palace. It is likely to be declared a bank holiday, but this will be confirmed by the palace and government. There will be a remembrance service at St Paul’s Cathedral, London on Friday, attended by the prime minister and other senior ministers.

Because the Queen died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, her coffin will lie at rest at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh and the public will likely be allowed to file past to see her after a few days.

Her coffin will then be flown to London, where the public will be allowed to file past over a period of four days’ lying in state at Westminster Hall.

The union flag will be flown at half mast on government buildings until the morning after the funeral. Flags will return to full mast for a 24-hour period beginning at 13:00 on Saturday to mark the proclamation of Charles as King, before returning to half mast.

On Friday 9 September, bells will toll in tribute to the Queen at Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral and Windsor Castle. Gun salutes of 96 rounds to mark each year of her life will be fired in Hyde Park and elsewhere.

We will be updating this page with news around HM Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral and the declaration of King Charles III as the new king. as it comes in. Keep checking for updates.