MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

King Charles III: “the greatest sadness for me”

“I know her loss will be deeply felt,” the new monarch said about his mother

Following Queen Elizabeth II's death Thursday, her son Charles automatically became King and shared a message through Buckingham Palace's official channels expressing his feelings and those of the Royal Family:

“The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and for all members of my family.

We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. 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.”

Also Thursday it was confirmed that the new monarch will be known as King Charles III, thus clearing all speculations that he might do as some of his predecessors such as his Grandfather Prince Albert who chose to become King George VI.

His full name is Charles Philip Arthur George, so he could have opted to use any of these other names as his regnal name.

In one of her first public appearances, Prime Minister Liz Truss, who had just been appointed earlier this week by Queen Elizabeth, delivered a speech in front of 10 Downing Street honoring “the rock on which modern Britain was built.”

“We are all devastated by the news that we have just heard from Balmoral, the death of Her Majesty The Queen is a huge shock to the nation and to the world,“ she said.

“It’s an extraordinary achievement to have presided with such dignity and grace for 70 years. Her life of service stretched beyond most of our living memories,” she added.

Former PM Boris Johnson, who had been at Balmoral Castle Tuesday to offer his resignation to the monarch, said Thursday was “our country's saddest day.” He added that the Queen's death had left “an ache” in “the hearts of every one of us.”

The leader of the opposition Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer, said the country will always “treasure Queen Elizabeth II's life of service and devotion to our nation and the Commonwealth.”

Starmer added that the Queen stood “not for what the nation fought over, but what it agreed upon.”

“Earlier this week at 96, she remained determined to carry out her duties as she appointed me as her 15th Prime Minister,“ Truss went on. “Throughout her life, she’s visited more than 100 countries and she’s touched the lives of millions around the world.”

The Conservative leader also pointed out that “in the difficult days ahead we will come together with our friends across the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth, and the world to celebrate her extraordinary lifetime of service.”

“It is a day of great loss but Queen Elizabeth II leaves a great legacy,” Truss explained. “Today the Crown passes, as it has done for more than a thousand years, to our new monarch, our new head of state, his majesty King Charles III.”

Truss spoke of “the passing of the second Elizabethan age” and ended her message with the only words she could have used: “God save the King!”

After 70 years, Britons are not used to such a transition, which is why the Bank of England had to announce that current banknotes featuring the image of Queen Elizabeth remain legal tender. “A further announcement regarding existing Bank of England banknotes will be made once the period of mourning has been observed,” the central bank said. It is expected that banknotes will later feature the image of King Charles III.