King Charles III and his wife, Camilla, Queen Consort, returned to London from Balmoral Castle in Scotland on Friday after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died “peacefully” on Thursday, September 8.
The royals’ return to Buckingham Palace marks the couple’s first time in the country’s capital in their new roles as monarch and royal consort. The pair landed at RAF Northolt in West London around 1:35 in the afternoon on Friday, where they were greeted by over 100 people gathered to watch the new king’s arrival, per . He and Camilla, dressed in mourning garb, then traveled in a convoy of four black cars, a black van, and a police car, waving to the crowds as they made their way home to Buckingham Palace.
Once there, the new king and his wife took a moment to mourn the late queen, looking over some of the many flowers, cards, and mementos left by the British public outside the palace in her memory. Later today, King Charles III is expected to meet with the also newly appointed prime minister Liz Truss before making his first national address as monarch around 6 p.m. GMT. Buckingham Palace also announced that he will be proclaimed at the Accession Council at 10 a.m. on Saturday in the State Apartments of St James’s Palace.
Charles and Camilla are returning home just one day after rushing to Queen Elizabeth’s Balmoral estate on Thursday morning, following months of growing concerns surrounding her health. Once there, they were joined by a number of other family members, including two of his three siblings, Princess Anne and Prince Edward, and two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. The Duke of Sussex has been living in California for the last two years but luckily happened to be in Windsor at the time with his wife, Meghan Markle, as they are currently visiting the UK in support of several charities close to their hearts. The former monarch had been suffering from what the palace described as “episodic mobility problems” for some time, but the 96-year-old’s health took an unexpected turn for the worst on Wednesday, September 7 with aides canceling a virtual Privy Council meeting that evening to swear in the new prime minister.
Shortly after the family gathered there, the longest-reigning monarch in British history passed away at 96 years old, a year and a half after she lost her husband, Prince Philip. Nicknamed “the Steadfast” by her biographer Douglas Hurd, the queen served her country and territories for 70 years, getting to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee earlier this summer. Right up until the end, the queen’s only concern was what would be best for her country, meeting with Truss at Balmoral shortly before her death where she formally asked the new prime minister to form a new government following Boris Johnson’s resignation two months prior.
In a preface to a biography of the queen in 2015, her grandson Prince William wrote that “the example and continuity provided by the queen is not only very rare among leaders but a great source of pride and reassurance. Time and again, quietly and modestly, the queen has shown us all that we can confidently embrace the future without compromising the things that are important.” He added, “All of us who will inherit the legacy of my grandmother’s reign and generation need to do all we can to celebrate and learn from her story.”
This post was originally published on Vanity Fair.
