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Charles returned to London as King on Friday. The new monarch, formerly known as the Prince of Wales, left Balmoral the day after his mother Queen Elizabeth passed away.
King Charles III and his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort—both dressed in black—arrived at Buckingham Palace on Sept. 9. The King greeted crowds and viewed tributes to the late Queen outside the palace gates before entering Buckingham Palace for the first time as sovereign.
Charles, 73, will address the nation and the Commonwealth in a message set to broadcast on Friday. The royal acceded to the throne following his mother’s passing on Sept. 8. His Majesty The King will be proclaimed at the Accession Council on Saturday in the State Apartments of St. James’s Palace.
Queen Elizabeth passed away peacefully at Balmoral on Thursday. After the monarch’s passing, Charles released a statement calling his beloved mother’s death 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,” the King added. “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.”