After hearing tributes to his mother from MPs and peers, King Charles III will address Parliament for the first time as king this morning.
During a ceremony in Westminster Hall, the Lord Speaker and the Commons Speaker will convey their condolences to His Majesty. The King and Queen Consort will then travel to Edinburgh as part of their tour of the four countries before the official burial of the Queen.
This morning, Sir Lindsay Hoyle will deliver a speech to the King that was approved by the House of Commons in a special session on Saturday.
The Speaker of the House of Commons will proclaim that the Queen’s “unwavering devotion to the service of our great nation… will always be remembered with fondness and gratitude.”
He will also express devotion to the King on behalf of the MPs, stating that it is their “conviction that he will strive to uphold the liberties and to promote the happiness of the people in all his realms.”
In a speech on behalf of peers, Lord Speaker Lord McFall will pay homage to the Queen’s “untiring endeavours for the welfare of her peoples and her fortitude in adversity.” The King will then give a response.
Ex-prime minister Gordon Brown told the BBC yesterday that he believes the new king would implement a more casual, Scandinavian-style approach and a “smaller” monarchy.
‘I think that what [King] Charles has already indicated is that the monarchy is going to be smaller,’ he told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme.
‘It’s going to be more like a Scandinavian monarchy in the future, but not in a bad way – more informal.
‘He stopped as he entered Buckingham Palace and talked to people in the crowd, and that was a signal that he was sending that he wanted people to feel that he was approachable.’
David Cameron said that the new Monarch is well-prepared for what lies ahead since he has had “probably the longest apprenticeship.”
He said that, while in office, he had audiences with the then-Prince of Wales so that Charles could prepare for the day when he would attend weekly meetings with the prime minister in his capacity as king.
‘From what I saw he will be brilliant at that job; brilliant at listening, brilliant at asking questions, giving wise advice and sage counsel. This has probably been the longest apprenticeship in history,’ he told the programme.
Mr. Cameron said that, like his mother, the new Monarch is a “superb diplomat” and anticipates that he will prove to be a “very worthy successor” in terms of helping the British government abroad.
‘I saw him in action at Commonwealth heads of government meetings and he knows every leader personally. He interacts with them brilliantly,’ Mr Cameron said.
‘The soft power that the British monarch brings to help a prime minister and a government with all those international relations, it was obviously outstanding under Queen Elizabeth II.
‘I think you will see Charles III will be a very worthy successor in that regard.’
Theresa May said that although she believes the monarchy will continue to evolve with the times, the public wants continuity.
‘If you look at the royal family, they have been steadily evolving a different approach, a different way of doing things over time and I am sure King Charles will continue to take that forward,’ she said.
‘Of course, he is a different person and he may want to change things in some ways, but I think, critically, as the Queen did, any change in the way things are done would be done gradually and very carefully.’