He affirmed his feeling of "the weight of history" in his speech at Westminster Hall

King Charles pledges to Parliament to follow in Queen Elizabeth's footsteps

The coffin procession of Queen Elizabeth II from Holyrood Palace to St Giles' Cathedral on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.

AFP

King Charles told Britain's parliament yesterday that he was "sincerely determined to follow in the footsteps" of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, and stressed that he "feeled the weight of history", addressing lawmakers in what he described as the "life and breathing vehicle of our democracy".

At a ceremony in Westminster Hall, the oldest building in Parliament, Charles mourned his mother in his address to both houses of Parliament and pledged to uphold the principle of constitutional government.

“While she was in the prime of her youth, Her late Majesty dedicated herself to serving her country and her people and preserving the precious principles of constitutional government that lie at the heart of our nation.

I fulfilled this pledge with unprecedented sincerity.. She gave an example of altruism in the performance of the duty which - with God's help and advice - I intend to faithfully follow.

The Queen died at the age of 96 at her home in Scotland last Thursday, declaring the country a period of national mourning during which tens of thousands of Britons are expected to mourn her.

"It was a way of life for all princes," Charles said, citing a phrase in William Shakespeare's description of Queen Elizabeth I.

The ceremony, in which the Lords and Commons address the King either on his accession to the throne or on his anniversary, has been held at Westminster Palace since the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897.

Queen Elizabeth came to Westminster Hall to celebrate the diamond jubilee of her accession to the throne.

John McFaul, Speaker of the House of Lords, told Charles that the Queen was a "leader and servant of her people".

Britain's constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy has been in place since 1688, when Parliament invited William, Prince of Orange, to replace King James.

Charles praised Parliament as "the life and breathing tool of our democracy".

As I stand before you today, I cannot help but feel the weight of the history that surrounds us, which reminds us of the well-established parliamentary tradition, as members of both houses dedicate themselves to such a personal commitment for the good of all of us.

Prince Harry, who withdrew from the royal family since moving to live with his wife Megan Merkel in California, issued a statement honoring the Queen, describing her as a "compass", and said: "We miss you very much."

Prince Andrew, the Queen's "favorite son", will not be allowed to wear his costume, due to his exclusion from the monarchy following accusations of abuse that he put an end to by paying millions of dollars.

"The Queen's Last Journey" topped the pages of British newspapers issued yesterday, from "The Telegraph" to "The Sun", through "The Guardian" and "The Times".

And the headline "Daily Mail", "After the sad trip, the long farewell came."

The body will be transferred tomorrow evening by air from Edinburgh Airport on a royal plane to London.

The body will lie in a coffin wrapped in the royal flag around the clock on a platform at the Palace of Westminster from Wednesday evening for a period of five days.

According to "The Times", long queues stretching eight kilometers are expected, and 750,000 people are expected to come to pay their last farewell to the Queen.

And the British government has previously said that “the queues can be very long.

You have to wait long hours at night sometimes when sitting will not be available much.”

The Queen's body will be kept until the national funeral.

World dignitaries are expected to participate in the funeral, including US President Joe Biden, French Emmanuel Macron, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, as well as many members of the royal families.

These ceremonies pose a huge security and logistical challenge to the authorities.

Politico reported yesterday that foreign leaders were asked to avoid traveling to the UK on private planes but to use commercial planes "when possible".

According to documents issued by the Foreign Office and obtained by the site, the leaders were also asked to abandon helicopters and private cars to move around the British capital, but to head on buses to Westminster Abbey.

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