The British national anthem
‘God Save The King’ has been sung for the first time as the Prince of Wales has
become King Charles III.
The first official public
rendition took place at a service of prayer and reflection for the
Queen at St Paul’s Cathedral in London.
Charles ascended to the
throne after the passing of his mother, 96-year-old Queen Elizabeth II. Her
Majesty passed away peacefully at Balmoral Castle on 8 September.
Her loved ones, including
Charles and Princess Anne, were by her bedside.
Prince William, Prince
Andrew, Prince Edward, and his wife the Countess of Wessex were
later spotted arriving; the Duchess of Cambridge remained in London
to care for her three children with William.
The sad news was announced by
Royal Communications at 3pm on 8th September in a statement which revealed that
the longest-reigning monarch “died peacefully at Balmoral [on Thursday]
afternoon.”
The
announcement was officially posted to the railings outside Buckingham Palace by
aides dressed in black, while the Union flag was lowered to half-mast.
Following the family, the
first person to be informed of the Queen’s passing was the British prime
minister Liz Truss, who spent time with Her Majesty in the days before her
death.
The news was then released to
the 15 governments outside the UK where the Queen is also the head of state and the 36 other nations of the Commonwealth.
The coronation of King Charles
has already been declared a UK bank holiday by the UK government, and
therefore UK-based employees are given the day off.
God Save The King is the
national and royal anthem for the British territories, Commonwealth realms, and
the British Crown Dependencies. The author of the lyrics remains unknown
although it is often attributed to the composer John Bull.
In a deeply personal statement
following the death of his mother, the King shared that her passing was
“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,” he continued.
“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.”
