The next prince of Wales promises to treat the people of Wales with “humility and respect.”

The Welsh First Minister, Mark Drakeford, was praised by Prince William for paying his grandmother a “fitting homage,” and he said over the phone that he will visit the nation “at the earliest opportunity.”

After his grandmother, the Queen, passed away on Thursday, William was awarded the title that had been handed to his father, the new king, for more than 64 years.

When the Queen passed away, William, Charles’s oldest son, automatically received the title of Duke of Cornwall.

However, King Charles III informed the former Duke and Duchess of Cambridge that they will receive the titles Prince and Princess of Wales at his first address to the country on Friday.

Although Camilla, the current Queen Consort, was technically the Princess of Wales, she went by the title of Duchess of Cornwall instead of Charles’ official title of Duke of Cornwall.

This was said to be done out of respect for Princess Diana, Charles’ ex-wife, who passed away in Paris in August 1997.

In response to His Majesty the King’s invitation to serve the Welsh people, HRH expressed his and The Princess of Wales’ honor, according to a statement from Kensington Palace.

They will conduct themselves with respect and humility.

The Prince highlighted his and the Princess’s profound love for Wales, noting that they established their first home there, including during Prince George’s first few months of existence.

‘The Prince and Princess will spend the months and years ahead deepening their relationship with communities across Wales.

‘They want to do their part to support the aspirations of the Welsh people and to shine a spotlight on both the challenges and opportunities in front of them.

‘The prince and princess look forward to celebrating Wales’ proud history and traditions as well as a future that is full of promise.

‘They will seek to live up to the proud contribution that members of the royal family have made in years past.’

The couple had lived in Anglesey as newlyweds when the Prince was stationed at RAF Valley while he was an RAF pilot.

After George was born in 2013, they spent the first few months of his life on the Welsh island before moving to Kensington Palace the same year.

Today, thousands of people gathered at Cardiff Castle to hear Charles be proclaimed King in Wales.

More than 2,000 were allowed inside the grounds but hundreds more lined the street outside the castle walls, including two protesters holding signs reading: ‘Not our king!’

Prior to the proclamation, 26 men of the 3rd Battalion the Royal Welsh – supported by the Band of the Royal Welsh – marched from City Hall at 11.25am along the Boulevard de Nantes, North Road and Duke Street to the castle.

They were accompanied by the regimental mascot, a Welsh billy goat called Lance Corporal Shenkin IV, and Goat Major Sergeant Mark Jackson.

Inside the castle, Mr Drakeford made a short address before the Wales Herald of Arms Extraordinary, Tom Lloyd, made the Proclamation in English and the Lord-Lieutenant of South Glamorgan, Morfudd Meredith, proclaimed King Charles in Welsh.

After the readings, members of 104th Regiment of the Royal Artillery fired a 21-gun salute before the singing of God Save The King and Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, Wales’s national anthem.

It was the third time in three days that artillery fire has resounded across the Welsh capital to mark both the Queen’s death and the accession of her son to the throne.

When the gun salute ended, soldiers were ordered to remove their head dresses while a call was made for ‘Three cheers for His Majesty the King’.

The Prince and his wife made a surprise trip to Cardiff during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee back in June.

They were joined by two of their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte on what was their first visit to Wales. The visit but their youngest son, Prince Louis, was not present.

The four of them walked around Cardiff Castle as William and Kate took time to meet the performers involved in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee concert, which included contributions from Welsh acts Bonnie Tyler and Owain Wynn Evans.

After the Queen’s passing, Prince William paid a deeply personal tribute to his ‘Grannie’ in his first public statement about her death.

‘On Thursday, the world lost an extraordinary leader, whose commitment to the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth was absolute. So much will be said in the days ahead about the meaning of her historic reign,’ he said.

‘I, however, have lost a grandmother. And while I will grieve her loss, I also feel incredibly grateful. I have had the benefit of The Queen’s wisdom and reassurance into my fifth decade.

‘My wife has had twenty years of her guidance and support. My three children have got to spend holidays with her and create memories that will last their whole lives.

‘She was by my side at my happiest moments. And she was by my side during the saddest days of my life.

‘I knew this day would come, but it will be some time before the reality of life without Grannie will truly feel real.

‘I thank her for the kindness she showed my family and me. And I thank her on behalf of my generation for providing an example of service and dignity in public life that was from a different age, but always relevant to us all.

‘My grandmother famously said that grief was the price we pay for love. All of the sadness we will feel in the coming weeks will be testament to the love we felt for our extraordinary Queen.

‘I will honour her memory by supporting my father, The King, in every way I can.’

The Prince appeared at Windsor Castle yesterday along his wife, the Princess of Wales alongside Harry and Meghan who joined King Charles III on a walkabout around the grounds to speak to mourners and look at tributes.

The Waleses and Sussexes reunited after Prince William extended an ’11th-hour’ olive branch to Prince Harry, following a phone call with the new monarch.