King Charles and Queen Camilla Sit on Thrones for First Time Since Queen Elizabeth’s Death

King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, sat on thrones for the first time on Monday at Westminster Hall, where the new monarch responded to Parliament’s Addresses of Condolence. The event was also the first time King Charles, 73, heard “God Save the King” sung in his presence. King Charles became king after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died on Sept. 8 at age 96. He waited longer than any heir apparent in U.K. history to become king following his mother’s historic 70-year reign.

“I am deeply grateful for the Addresses of Condolence by the House of Lords and the House of Commons, which so touchingly encompass what our late Sovereign, my beloved mother The Queen, meant to us all,” Charles began his speech. “As Shakespeare says of the earlier Queen Elizabeth, she was ‘a pattern to all Princes living.’ As I stand before you today, I cannot help but feel the weight of history which surrounds us and which reminds us of the vital Parliamentary traditions to which Members of both Houses dedicate yourselves, with such personal commitment for the betterment of us all.”

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The king went on to call Parliament the “living and breathing instrument” of the U.K.’s democracy. He noted that there are “tangible connections” to his mother all around Westminster Hall, including a stained glass window that was a gift to mark Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee in June. “The great bell of Big Ben – one of the most powerful symbols of our nation throughout the world and housed within the Elizabeth Tower also named for my mother’s Diamond Jubilee – will mark the passage of The late Queen’s progress from Buckingham Palace to this Parliament on Wednesday,” King Charles said.

King Charles also pointed out that his mother “pledged herself to serve her country and her people and to maintain the precious principles of constitutional government which lie at the heart of our nation” at a young age. She kept the vow “with unsurpassed devotion,” he said. “She set an example of selfless duty which, with God’s help and your counsels, I am resolved faithfully to follow.”

Queen Elizabeth will lie in state in the same chamber where King Charles spoke later this week. Since the Queen died at her Balmoral estate in Scotland, her coffin is slowly moving to her final resting place in Windsor. On Monday, her coffin is traveling from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh. It will be there for one day of public viewing before it is flown to London. A national period of mourning will continue until the Queen’s funeral on Sept. 19 at Westminster Abbey.

Charles was officially announced as the U.K.’s new monarch during a ceremony steeped in tradition on Saturday. Although he automatically became king when Queen Elizabeth died, he needed to attend and sign an oath during the Ascension Council at St. James’ Palace in London. It was the first time in history the ceremony was broadcast live. Charles vowed to follow his mother’s “inspiring example” as he became the U.K.’s head of state. Charles also signed an order declaring his mother’s funeral a public holiday.