King Charles III pays tribute to his mother, the late Queen, at the Westminster Hall

Image by Henry Nicholls/PA/The Guardian

King Charles III, who was officially proclaimed as the King of the United Kingdom by the Accession Council over the weekend, has paid tribute to his mother at a ceremony in Parliament.

The new monarch heard the formal condolences in speeches addressed by the Speakers of the Commons and Lords today at Westminster Hall, an event that marked the juxtaposition of royalty and the government as per the UK Constitution.

Charles who was accompanied by the Queen Consort, Camilla, thanked the Speakers for their respective addresses, and paid tribute to “the late sovereign, my beloved mother, the Queen”.

He quoted Shakespeare’s Henry VIII, Charles said the Queen had been “a pattern to all princes living”, and said that he appreciated all the monuments that had elements dedicated to commemorate her jubilees, including a stained glass window in Westminster Hall commemorating her diamond jubilee in 2012.

Charles also addressed the assembled MPs that he “resolved faithfully to follow” to fulfil his duties just like his mother did for so many years.

He said, “We gather today in remembrance of the remarkable span of the Queen’s dedicated service to her nations and peoples. While very young, her late Majesty pledged herself to serve her country and her people and to maintain the precious principles of constitutional government which lie at the heart of our nation.

This vow she kept with unsurpassed devotion. She set an example of selfless duty which, with God’s help and your counsels, I am resolved faithfully to follow.”