King Charles III
Monarch writes of “great affection” for Queen Elizabeth II and publishes an official favorite portrait of her
King Charles III has paid tribute to his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and again praised his own service to the nation in a message marking the first anniversary of her death and his accession to the throne.
In a signed message, he wrote: “On the first anniversary of Her Late Majesty’s death and my accession to the throne, we remember with great affection her long life, her dedicated service and all that she meant to so many of us.”
“I am also deeply grateful for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and I this year as we do our utmost to serve you all.”
King Charles’ message honors his mother’s long life and dedicated service. Photo: His Majesty King Charles III/PA
To mark the anniversary, he released one of his most popular official portraits of the late Queen, taken at Buckingham Palace on October 16, 1968, as part of an official session granted to Cecil Beaton.
A celebration of the Queen’s 50th birthday, seen in 1976
The image, depicting a 42-year-old Queen wearing the Star of the Garter, was first shown at the National Portrait Gallery between November 1968 and March 1969. Beaton first photographed the Queen in 1942 and photographed her and many other members of the royal family over the decades, but the 1968 session was their last session together.
The King and Queen will mark the anniversary at Balmoral, their Scottish retreat, where they will spend their traditional summer break.
Rishi Sunak also paid tribute to the late monarch, praising her wisdom, grace and “sharp wit”. The Prime Minister said gratitude for her service and her “extraordinary life of duty and dedication” continues to grow a year after her death at the age of 96.
Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II taken by Cecil Beaton in 1968. Photo: Royal Collection Trust/His Majesty King Charles III/Getty Images
The Queen told Liz Truss they would “see each other again soon” in their last official engagement two days before her death, the former prime minister revealed. Truss also recalled that the king was “very, very determined” when she spoke to him on the phone on the day his mother died and his reign began.
Truss told GB News: “At the meeting in Balmoral she was absolutely in control of what was happening. She really wanted to reassure me that we would see each other again soon. It was very important to her.”
Truss added: “Although she was physically quite frail, mentally she was absolutely alert.” There were no signs that the queen was seriously ill, she added.
She recounted how she was informed on September 7 that the situation had deteriorated and a meeting of the Privy Council had been postponed. “I arrived for the meeting just before 6pm,” she told GB News royal correspondent Cameron Walker. “Everyone was there waiting, we waited for a few minutes and then the news came that the Queen would no longer be able to attend the meeting.
“And that was the first time I heard about it. But obviously it was a very ominous sign.”
She said of September 8: “It obviously got worse the next day, so I think it was a dawning realization, not just for me but for my colleagues, that something was coming [it].”
Describing the scene at No 10 when they received confirmation of the Queen’s death at around 4.30pm, she said: ‘We were in the flat in Downing Street with officials and other people. When the news came through, it kind of confirmed all the worst fears we had.”
She said she was very sad about the situation, but her thoughts also turned to the practical aspects of the coming days. “Just knowing that I have to deal with this, you know, part of your brain thinks, ‘Gosh, this is a significant event,'” she said. “This is our queen, who has been on the throne for 70 years. The absolute background to our lives has now disappeared.”
The Duke of Sussex arrived in Britain on Thursday to attend a charity awards ceremony. However, it is believed he will not be visiting his father in Scotland.
Harry celebrated the achievements and resilience of seriously ill young people and the families supported by the WellChild charity on Thursday and will be in Düsseldorf, Germany, for the opening ceremony of his Invictus Games at the weekend.
{{#Ticker}}
{{top left}}
{{bottom left}}
{{top right}}
{{bottom right}}
{{#goalExceededMarkerPercentage}}{{/goalExceededMarkerPercentage}}{{/ticker}}
{{Headline}}
{{#paragraphs}}
{{.}}
{{/paragraphs}}{{highlightedText}}
{{#choiceCards}}{{/choiceCards}}We will be in touch to remind you to contribute. Watch for a message in your inbox. If you have any questions about contributing, please contact us.