Watch: King Charles III’s first speech to Parliament

Here is the full text of the speech:

Ladies and gentlemen of the House of Commons:

I am so grateful for the condolence speeches delivered by the House of Lords and Commons, which so movingly encapsulated what our late monarch, my beloved mother, the Queen, meant to us all. As Shakespeare said of the early Queen Elizabeth, she was “a model for all princely life.”

As I stand before you today, I can’t help but feel the heaviness of history surrounding us, a reminder of our dedication to important parliamentary traditions in both houses and of such a personal commitment to better us all.

Parliaments are the living instruments of our democracy. Your traditions are ancient, and we see in the construction of this hall a reminder of the medieval predecessors of the office I was called to. The tangible connection we see all around us with my dear late mother; from the fountain in the courtyard of the New Palace commemorating the late Queen’s Silver Jubilee, to the sundial in the courtyard of the Old Palace commemorating the Golden Jubilee, the Diamond Jubilee before me It is with such joy that the magnificent stained glass windows prepared for the generous gift of the late Her Majesty the Queen to commemorate the unprecedented Platinum Jubilee we celebrated only three months ago.

Big Ben’s bell – one of our country’s most powerful symbols in the world, housed in Elizabeth Tower and also named after my mother’s Diamond Jubilee – will mark the late Queen’s Wednesday journey from Buckingham Palace to Parliament. process.

Ladies and gentlemen of the House of Commons: We come together today to commemorate the extraordinary service the Queen has rendered to her country and people.

Her Majesty the Queen pledged from an early age to serve her country and her people, and to uphold the precious principles of constitutionalism that lie at the heart of our nation. She kept this oath with unparalleled piety.

She sets an example of selfless responsibility, and with God’s help and your counsel, I am determined to faithfully follow. “