Charles says death of Queen Elizabeth II 'is a moment of the greatest sadness' for Royal Family

8 September 2022, 19:11 | Updated: 8 September 2022, 22:15

King Charles says the death of Queen Elizabeth II "is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family" in an emotional tribute.

The Queen, the nation's longest ruling monarch, died peacefully at Balmoral on Thursday September 8 with her family around her.

In a tribute, King Charles III, wrote: "The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is 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.

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"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."

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The Queen's family - including Charles, who is now King, had gathered at Balmoral on Thursday, where the Queen was under medical supervision.

Princess Anne, the Duke of York and the Earl and Countess of Wessex all travelled to Aberdeenshire to be at the Queen's bedside in her final hours.

Prince William and Prince Harry also rushed to her side.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II dies aged 96, Buckingham Palace confirms

Liz Truss said the country would offer "loyalty and devotion" to him.

"Today the crown passes, as it has done for more than 1,000 years, to our new monarch, to our new head of state, His Majesty King Charles III," she said outside Downing Street.

"We offer him our loyalty and devotion, just as his mother devoted so much, to so many, for so long.

"And with the passing of the second Elizabethan age, we usher in a new era in the magnificent history of our great country, exactly as Her Majesty would have wished, by saying the words 'God save the King'."

PM’s statement on the death of Her Majesty The Queen.

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As well as Charles becoming King, his wife becomes the Queen Consort.

William and Kate have become the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge, and William has assumed the position of heir to the throne.