King Charles III makes first Parliament address as Britain’s new monarch
King Charles III said he cannot help but ‘feel the weight of history which surrounds us and reminds us of the vital Parliamentary traditions, to which MPs and peers dedicate themselves’.
Charles III on Monday made his first speech to the British Parliament as King after ascending to the throne following Queen Elizabeth II’s death, promoting the “vital” traditions of British lawmakers.
The country’s new monarch gave his inaugural parliamentary address in front of members of the elected lower House of Commons and the upper chamber House of Lords packed into Westminster Hall.
In the oldest part of Britain’s centuries-old parliament, he will host the coffin of his late mother from Wednesday evening for four days of official lying-in-state, until her state funeral on Monday.
King Charles III underlined that, “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.”
“Parliament is the living and breathing instrument of our democracy,” he added, noting the queen had set “an example of selfless duty which, with God’s help and your counsels, I am resolved faithfully to follow.”
Charles will next travel to Scotland, where he will join a procession carrying the queen’s coffin down Edinburgh’s Royal Mile to St Giles’ Cathedral, followed by a religious service and vigil on Monday.
