Montecito couple Prince Harry and Meghan reunite with royal family at Windsor Castle
King Charles III
It’s official. Charles is Britain’s first king in 70 years.
The Accession Council Saturday proclaimed King Charles III the monarch of the United Kingdom. (He’s also the monarch for independent Commonwealth nations who have chosen to maintain their ceremonial ties with Britain.)
The proclamation happened during a ceremony at St. James’ Palace in London, and this was the first time the ancient ceremony has been televised.
Afterward, the new king greeted members of the public outside Clarence House in London. The ceremony made official what already was fact: Charles became king immediately after Queen Elizabeth II’s death on Thursday.
The new king was joined by both his sons — the heir to the throne, William (now the Prince of Wales), and Montecito resident Prince Harry — when they appeared Saturday before people mourning Queen Elizabeth II’s death. They were near Windsor Castle along with Catherine, now the Princess of Wales, and Meghan, who continues to be the Duchess of Sussex. (After the queen’s death, Meghan and Harry’s children, Archie and Lilibet, became Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.)
The royal family’s appearance together showed them putting aside the rift, at least for now, between the Montecito couple, who quit their work as royals, and the rest of the family. In fact, Harry and Meghan joined William and Catherine to visit a floral memorial in the queen’s honor at Windsor Castle, and a spokesperson for William said the Prince of Wales invited Harry and Meghan to join him and his wife.
Buckingham Palace, meanwhile, announced that the funeral for the queen, the longest reigning monarch in Britain’s history, will take place Sept. 19 at Westminster Abbey in London after she lies in rest for public viewings at Westminster Hall.
Also on Saturday, King Charles III waved to crowds gathered near Buckingham Palace, stopped his car and got out and shook hands with them on The Mall, a road between the palace and Trafalgar Square.
“God save the king!” the crowd shouted.
And Prince William issued a statement Saturday about the queen, saying “the world lost an extraordinary leader.”
“She was by my side at my happiest moments. And she was by my side during the saddest days of my life,” William said. “I knew this day would come, but it will be some time before the reality of life without Grannie will truly feel real.”
In another development, Britain’s new prime minister, Liz Truss, swore her allegiance to King Charles III and his heirs and successors. Other senior lawmakers are swearing their allegiance to the new head of the state.
And here in California, the British rock band Duran Duran started their Los Angeles concert Friday night with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II. The band honored Her Majesty as it performed its 1982 single “Save a Prayer.”
email: dmason@newspress.com
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UCSB history professor Erika Rappaport discusses Queen Elizabeth II’s legacy. A3.
