Charles, who automatically became King of the UK and Commonwealth on Thursday following the death of Mother Queen Elizabeth II, has issued a statement on the monarch’s death.
“The death of my beloved mother, Her Majesty the Queen, is a moment of greatest sadness for me and all members of my family,” read a posted statement to the royal family’s social media accounts.
“We deeply mourn the passing of a beloved Sovereign and a dearly beloved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the rich and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.
“During this period of grief 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 held so widely.”
Queen Elizabeth II, the longest reigning monarch in British history, died at the age of 96 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
It is currently unknown when Charles, 73, will be officially crowned King of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth realms.
At the request of the Queen, his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, 75, becomes queen consort. The Duchess of Cornwall said in February that she was “deeply honored and deeply moved” to take on the title.
“The Queen passed away peacefully in Balmoral this afternoon,” the royal family announced on Thursday. “The King and Queen Consort remain in Balmoral tonight and return to London tomorrow.”
The royal family announced on Thursday that the queen has been placed under “medical supervision” after doctors were “concerned” about her health.
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Both Charles and Parker Bowles rushed to the side of the Queen before her death. The two were joined by Prince William, Prince Charles, Prince Andrew and other close members of the royal family.
However, Meghan Markle did not travel to Scotland to be with Prince Harry’s grandmother.
Charles and Parker Bowles married in April 2005. Their marriage came nearly nine years after his divorce from Princess Diana, who died in a car accident in Paris in August 1997 at the age of 36.
Parker Bowles found favor with the Queen over time, despite the public dislike of having an affair with Charles during his marriage to the People’s Princess.
After she married Charles, Parker Bowles did not take the title of Diana’s Princess of Wales, but had said she “intended” to serve as “princess consort” when he took the throne.
Meanwhile, in her later years, Charles maintained a very close relationship with the Queen and attended many official royal events together where they shared happy moments.
In June, Charles showed his support for his mother by attending her platinum anniversary celebrations in honor of her historic 70 years of service.
However, the Queen and her eldest son did not always see unity, and the Stoic Sovereign was reportedly not a hands-on mother when Charles was a child.
“Only his nannies showed him affection, but that … wasn’t the same as being kissed and hugged by your parents, which Charles never was,” wrote royal biographer Ingrid Seward in “Prince Philip Revealed” in 2020. “When he met his parents met, they did not embrace: they shook hands.”
Aside from childish differences, Charles and Parker Bowles wished the Queen a happy 96th birthday with a sweet message on their joint Instagram account in April.
“I wish Her Majesty the Queen a very special 96th birthday today as we celebrate her platinum anniversary year,” the statement read.
Charles is the Queen’s firstborn with her late husband, Prince Philip, who died in April 2021 at the age of 99. She and Philip also shared sons Prince Andrew and Prince Edward and daughter Princess Anne.