It will be a bittersweet day for Britain’s royal family Friday as they mark not only the first year of King Charles III’s reign but the one-year anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
The late monarch died peacefully at the age of 96 at her Balmoral bolt hole on September 8 last year, months after her historic Platinum Jubilee celebrations marking 70 years on the British throne.
Charles is currently in Balmoral – the beloved royal property in Aberdeenshire where his mother retreated annually for a summer break. There had been questions over whether the King would continue the tradition, but that speculation was put to rest with his arrival a few weeks ago.
Since then, several family members have been spotted coming and going from the Scottish residence. But a royal source has told CNN they will have all departed by Friday. And there won’t be any public events there.
Charles has opted to handle the deeply personal day by staying out of the public eye, apart from a brief appearance after attending church – a similar approach to his mother who often spent her own Accession Day in private at Sandringham House, where her father King George VI died in his sleep in 1952.
However, the King has recorded a short audio message paying tribute to his mother’s “devoted service.”
"In marking the first anniversary of Her Late Majesty's death and my accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us," the King said.
"I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all."
Alongside the audio message, Charles released a favorite photograph of his mother taken by Cecil Beaton in 1968, which has only previously been seen in an exhibition. It shows the Queen, then aged 42, dressed in her Garter robes standing sideways and smiling. She is wearing the Grand Duchess Vladimir’s Tiara, which is made of 15 interlaced diamond circles.
Meanwhile, the Prince and Princess of Wales will observe the day by attending a small private service commemorating the late matriarch’s life in Wales. He’s expected to speak on behalf of the family.
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The couple will visit St. Davids Cathedral in Britain’s smallest city of St. Davids in Pembrokeshire. St. Davids has been a site of pilgrimage and worship for more than 1,400 years since David, the patron saint of Wales, settled there in the sixth century with his monastic community.
The pair will then meet people from the local community – some of whom previously met Queen Elizabeth II during various visits to the city.
The Duke of Sussex also paid tribute to his grandmother, praising her sense of duty while speaking at a charity event in London on the eve of the anniversary.
“As you know, I was unable to attend the awards last year as my grandmother passed away,” Prince Harry said Thursday at the awards ceremony for UK charity WellChild, which helps children with serious health problems.
“As you also probably know, she would have been the first person to insist that I still come to be with you all instead of going to her. And that's precisely why I know, exactly one year on, that she is looking down on all of us tonight, happy we are together, continuing to spotlight such an incredible community,” he said.
The duke returned to the United Kingdom for a fleeting visit for the organization which he has been patron of for more than a decade. The fifth in line to the throne is not expected to see his immediate family during the flying visit and will soon be off again as he’s expected in Germany for the opening ceremony of his Invictus Games in Dusseldorf on Saturday.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex was not with her husband in the British capital, but she is expected to join him in Germany shortly after the games begin.
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The anniversary of the late Queen’s death brings the transition period to an end and begins the Carolean era in earnest. For several royal experts, the King has used the past 12 months to blend the two reigns and strengthen the monarchy.
“The hallmark of his first year, perhaps to the surprise of some, is stability and continuity,” Vernon Bogdanor, leading UK constitutional expert and historian, told CNN.
“Britain is now a multinational state with devolution in four parts and he visited each part of the UK after his accession, and I think he's very sensitive and conscious of that,” explained the research professor at the Centre for British Politics and Government at King’s College London. “And also, very sensitive and conscious of the fact that Britain is a multicultural society.”
He continued that Charles is a “modern King” and “arguably more sensitive to these newer aspects than the late Queen.”
Charles’s first year on the throne couldn’t have gone much better, according to Craig Prescott, a constitutional law expert and lecturer at Royal Holloway, University of London.
“For many people, there was just a concern about having the new monarch because it was a new experience for practically the whole country,” Prescott said. “The surprise is that not that much radical has happened.”
He continued: “There's been a lot of discussion for the past 30 years about what sort of King Charles would be and actually he's followed the template of his mother quite closely. This year has been really one of continuity rather than change.”
That would appear to be reflected in recent polling in the UK which found the majority of people surveyed felt the King was doing a “good job” in the year since his accession. However, the data reinforced a generational split over whether Britain should continue to have a monarchy, with support falling with the age of respondents.
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Prescott said the King’s approach since taking over was a bit sharper and that he had been addressing some public apathy by making delicate adjustments while he continued to find the scope of what he could do in his new role.
He pointed to how the monarch combined the traditional coronation service while molding it to modern Britain through some of his contemporary musical choices and the invited congregation as examples of how he’s making small changes. He added that there have also “been quite a few engagements with elements of diversity and inclusion.”
But bolstering support for the ancient institution in a modern Britain, particularly among younger generations, will be a challenge the King will continue to face, according to Bogdanor.
“The monarchy can't remain as it were and has to move on with the times. If it moves on too far, it loses support. If it doesn't move on at all, it loses support. The trick is to get the balance right,” Bogdanor said.
“This is a task for Charles. He’s also fortunate in having the Prince of Wales which will help in the modernizing process. But it's a very continuous flow of modernization which is on the whole hidden from the public.”
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Why a national memorial for the late Queen is still a few years away. |
The UK government this week announced the creation of a new committee to develop plans for “a permanent memorial, and a national legacy programme” to honor the late monarch’s lifelong dedication to the nation. The committee will collaborate with the government and royal household before taking proposals to the King and prime minister for sign-off. The final plans will then be revealed to the public in 2026 in what would have been the Queen’s 100th birthday year in 2026. Robin Janvrin, who served as her private secretary between 1999 and 2007, has been tasked with leading the group. He said it was “an honour to be asked” and described the “unique challenge” of trying to encapsulate the former monarch’s “extraordinary contribution to our national life throughout her very long reign.”
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In photos: Remembering Queen Elizabeth II |
On the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, we thought it might be nice to resurface our gallery celebrating Britain’s longest-serving sovereign. Her long reign saw the country transform from a war-weary declining imperial power into a modern multicultural state that rarely looked to its monarch for leadership but still held her in high esteem. Her rule also weathered many storms, both public and personal, as the monarchy tried to keep pace with changing times.
Head here to see more of her life through photographs.
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William and Kate’s weekend trip to France. |
Prince Harry won’t be the only royal in continental Europe soon. That’s because the Prince and Princess of Wales are also nipping across the Channel for the opening weekend of the men’s Rugby World Cup. Kate will be in the stands in Marseille for the group stage clash between England and Argentina on Saturday. The Princess of Wales is patron of English Rugby. Meanwhile, Prince William heads to Bordeaux on Sunday in his capacity as patron of the Welsh Rugby Union for the Wales vs. Fiji game. Their attendance comes weeks after a row erupted over the lack of royal presence at the women’s World Cup soccer final in Australia, where England ultimately lost to Spain. Critics said it was unimaginable that he would skip the final if it was the men’s team playing but others supported William’s absence, pointing to the environmental costs of traveling. Spain’s Queen Letizia joined her nation’s celebrations in Sydney, watching the game with her 16-year-old daughter before celebrating with her side on the pitch after their victory.
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It’s unseasonably warm here in London so it’s easy for us to forget that the summer break is nearly over. But things are quickly ramping back up and we’re getting ready for the King’s next trip abroad – to France for his rescheduled state visit. You’ll remember that the monarch was supposed to have visited Paris and Bordeaux before heading to Germany back in March, but widespread demonstrations forced French President Emmanuel Macron to delay the plans.
The trip is now taking place from September 20 to 22 and will see Charles and Camilla meeting sporting stars among their many engagements in the country. Details of the royal program were released this week with the state visit designed to highlight the strength of ties between the two nations, according to Buckingham Palace. The royal household said the itinerary demonstrated “the many ways the two countries are working together, whether that be to promote and protect biodiversity, combat climate change, strengthen security and defence ties in response to the conflict in Ukraine or recognise outstanding literary achievement.”
In yet another first for the King, he’ll be the first British monarch to speak from France’s senate chamber during his visit. He and Camilla will also join their hosts for a procession along the Champs-Elysees and will be honored with a state banquet at the Palace of Versailles. In Bordeaux, the pair will meet emergency workers and communities impacted by the wildfires last year. They’ll also meet UK and French military personnel to discuss how the countries are working together on defense.
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Made from almost eight pounds of gold and more than 6,000 dazzling diamonds, a new item honoring the life of Queen Elizabeth II may be “among the most valuable coins of all time.” In fact, the creator of a new commemorative coin has valued it at “around $23 million.” Unveiled on Monday, this one-off luxury object - dubbed “The Crown”- was produced by the East India Company, a luxury lifestyle brand with rights to the name of the corporation that once controlled large swathes of Britain’s empire. It’s worth noting that the creation is not considered legal tender in the UK (although the denominations of coins contained within the design are). Find out more about this basketball-sized gold tribute.
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"I was struck by her wisdom, by her incredible warmth and grace, but also her sharp wit."
– UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
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Sunak also paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II on Friday, saying that “the scale of her late majesty’s service only seems greater” a year on from her death. “Her devotion to the nations of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth only seems deeper. And our gratitude for such an extraordinary life of duty and dedication only continues to grow,” he continued. The prime minister added that he treasured his encounters with her and that people across the country “will be reflecting today on what she meant to them and the example she set for us all.”
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