How to watch King Charles’s address to the nation
New monarch to give first speech on Friday evening after death of his mother
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Your support makes all the difference.King Charles III will address the British nation for the first time as sovereign this evening following his accession to the throne after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on Thursday.
Her Majesty passed away at her Scottish residence Balmoral aged 96 after her doctors expressed concern for her health and placed her under medical supervision, prompting her children to race north to be by her side.
Charles automatically became king at the moment of her death and will formally be declared the new sovereign on Saturday morning when the Accession Council convenes at St James’s Palace in Westminster.
The former Prince of Wales is believed to be travelling back to London this afternoon to meet with new prime minister Liz Truss, who was only appointed by the Queen on Tuesday following her victory in the Conservative Party leadership election, Her Majesty’s final act as monarch.
Buckingham Palace has announced that the official royal mourning period will last for seven days after the Queen’s funeral, the date of which has yet to be confirmed.
Tributes have continued to pour in from across the globe as many reflect on the end of an era, Elizabeth II having reigned for almost seven decades and overseen huge political and cultural changes in national life since 1952, from the sun setting on the British Empire to Brexit.
Charles has spent much of his 73 years preparing to succeed her and ascends to the throne of the UK and 14 other Commonwealth realms at a time when many Britons are preoccupied with the energy crisis, the soaring cost of living, the war in Ukraine and the fallout from the country’s withdrawal from the EU.
Speaking on Thursday evening, Charles said of his bereavement: “The death of my beloved mother, Her Majesty the Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family.
“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother.
“I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.
“During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which the Queen was so widely held.”
His address on Friday evening will be broadcast at 6pm, according to the speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who said parliamentary debates would be suspended to accommodate it.
It will be pre-recorded and shown on every major terrestrial channel, including BBC One, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky News, most of which have abandoned their regular programming to cover the Queen’s remembrance.
You can follow the speech via The Independent’s dedicated liveblog and YouTube channel and across our website and social media accounts, where we will continue to bring you all the very latest updates and breaking news.
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