King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, arrived at Buckingham Palace for the first time since the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The new King was met with large crowds outside the palace and is expected to make a national address shortly.
NY POST: King Charles arrives at Buckingham Palace for first time as monarch
Olivia Land; September 9, 2022
King Charles III has arrived at Buckingham Palace for the first time as Britain’s reigning monarch.
After greeting the huge crowds of mourners, the king, 73, and his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, entered the doors of the sprawling residence.
King Charles, who ascended the throne Thursday upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, at age 96, drove up to the Palace in a motorcade with Camilla by his side.
The couple flew to London this morning from Balmoral, where members of the royal family gathered to mourn Queen Elizabeth.
Some 100 royal watchers watched the new king arrive at RAF Northolt. Folders in hand, he was quickly ushered into a waiting vehicle.
After the State Limousine arrived to cheers of “God Save the King,” King Charles shook hands with several of the hundreds of mourners gathered outside the Palace.
He even received a spontaneous kiss from one bolder member of the public.
But the king’s triumphant entrance to his new home was almost squashed when it appeared that he and Camilla did not know which door to use.
The couple skirted a crisis by quickly regaining their composure, and were photographed poignantly entering the Palace for the first time as King and Queen Consort.
The new king does not have much time to settle into his new home: he is expected to meet with Prime Minister Liz Truss prior to his pre-recorded address to the nation at 6 p.m. local time.Although he succeeded his mother to the throne immediately following her death, the king’s reign will not officially begin until tomorrow, when the Accession Council is scheduled to meet at St. James’s Palace.
Earlier today, Clarence House confirmed that the ceremony would be televised for the first time in history.
King Charles’s arrival at the Palace marks the latest update in a whirlwind of change and uncertainty as Britain grapples with the loss of its longest-reigning monarch. In a statement released yesterday, Charles said “We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother.”
Photo: John Sibley/REUTERS