World

King Charles III greets crowds at Buckingham Palace …declares 17 days of mourning

Since Queen Elizabeth’s death was announced on Thursday evening, tributes have been pouring in from around the globe from world leaders, celebrities and ordinary people.

King Charles has arrived at Buckingham Palace for the first time as monarch to view the thousands of tributes that have been left for his mother,the Queen.

The new King was joined by Queen Consort, Camilla, on a public walkabout on Friday afternoon as they greeted the huge crowd.

King Charles III shook hands with well-wishers of all ages who had gathered to both pay their respects for the loss of Her Majesty and welcome the new monarch, and walked along to view the flowers and notes left resting on the Palace gate.

Since Queen Elizabeth’s death was announced, tributes have been pouring in from around the world. The King has declared 17 days of mourning for the Queen, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, as the official first details of the palace condolences were confirmed on Friday.

The date of the funeral is yet to be finalised, but it is believed it will take place 10 days after the Queen’s death. Royal residences across the UK have been lined with flowers as crowds flocked to pay their respects to the 96-year-old monarch.

Tributes have been left across Windsor Castle, the Sandringham Estate, the Palace of Holy Roodhouse, Hillsborough Castle and Balmoral Castle, where the Queen died on Thursday afternoon.

King Charles took some time on Friday afternoon to read through the swathes of tributes left in his mother’s honour at Buckingham Palace.

Kwok-kit Ngan, 37, a dentist from Bromley, said he felt “great sadness” when the Queen died but it was “heart-warming” to see hundreds of tributes at the Palace early this morning.

After laying a bouquet of sunflowers, the last in a nearby supermarket, Mr Ngan said: “She’s been leading the country for the last 70 years and I think she really has led by example through the good times and the bad times.”

Asked how it felt to see so many people paying tribute at the Palace, he said: “It’s quite heart-warming. Not many events would draw people together.

“I think what happened on Thursday has really got people to reflect and appreciate what she’s really done for us over the past 70 years.”

Laura Huff, who moved to London three-and-a-half years ago from the US, was in tears as she paid her respect at Buckingham Palace.

On Friday, silent crowds who gathered outside Buckingham Palace broke into a tearful rendition of the national anthem following the news of the Queen’s death. Black cabbies in the capital also stopped on the Mall to pay their respects to the monarch. -BBC

Show More
Back to top button