Charles III to be formally proclaimed king at ceremony

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Roads have been closed and barriers are being erected in the Scottish capital Edinburgh for the arrival of the Queen's coffin this weekend.

The coffin is expected to be moved from Balmoral castle where she died, to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh on Sunday.

After this, members of the public will be allowed to file past the coffin in St Giles Cathedral in the Scottish capital, before it travels to London on Tuesday.

Former Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull has been sharing his memories of the Queen with the BBC, saying that she "always put you at ease".

He remembers meeting her on several occasions and discussing issues big and small - from security in the Asia-Pacific region to city planning and urbanism. "When my wife joined us for the last part of the audience, we moved on to the subject of planning... the Grenfell Tower disaster had just occurred and my wife and Her Majesty discussed fire regulations in cities."

"She was as knowledgeable about the issues of the day as any politician."

On her enduring legacy, Turnbull says that "the Queen has been one of the great intuitive, instinctive conservatives" who "understood that to preserve the institution of monarchy in the UK it had to evolve and change. It's about organic growth and ensuring institutions evolve to keep them alive."

And on King Charles III, whom Turnbull says he has met on several occasions, he says: "King Charles is a very good man, he's got very good values, and I believe he will be a very good king."

"I hold him in very high regard," Turnbull adds.

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King Charles III is "aware that his role is now to embody a whole nation", says Rory Stewart.

Stewart first met the new King when he was approached to be a tutor to the young Prince William and Harry.

The former Conservative cabinet minister said he believes the new King is "very aware" that he is now taking on a new role and will not be able to do many of the things he did as the Prince of Wales.

"I think he’s seen his life in two halves" - as the Prince of Wales, driving charities and speaking about the environment, and as the King now "he has a different set of responsibilities," explained Stewart.

"We're very very lucky to have him as King, a very sad moment, but could be a wonderful year ahead", he added.

Stewart highlighted the monarch's "thoughtfulness and compassion".

"Maybe what we don’t see enough in the media is what he’s like one to one."

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Harriet Harman is Mother of the House of Commons - the woman with the longest continuous service in the Commons.

She will be attending the Accession Council later - the historic meeting which will see Charles formally declared king. She's been telling BBC Radio 4 Today a bit more about what will happen during the ceremony:

Quote Message: Our task is to proclaim the new monarch. We meet before King Charles comes, decide he's going to be the new monarch, and then he will come in and we proclaim him.

Our task is to proclaim the new monarch. We meet before King Charles comes, decide he's going to be the new monarch, and then he will come in and we proclaim him.

"Then we go back to the House of Commons, which can only operate if we have sworn allegiance to the monarch. The oath we have sworn was to Queen Elizabeth, so today at 1pm MPs will swear the oath of allegiance to the new King Charles."

Asked whether things are likely to change after King Charles' proclamation, Harman says that her concern and the concern of MPs "is that we have a stability in the relationship between the monarch and Parliament and we are encouraged and supported to get on with our work while the monarch gets on with their work, which includes supporting us".

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All of the front pages focus on King Charles and his first address to the nation. Many of the papers highlight the personal tone of his speech, as he reflected on his mother's life while pledging to serve with loyalty, respect and love.

The i weekend says King Charles III has had decades to prepare for this moment and he "rose to the occasion". The Express says he was "majestic" .

The Telegraph writes that his "heartfelt" speech was one of the most personal to have ever been delivered by a monarch . The Guardian describes the King as being at his "most emotional" when paying tribute to the Queen.

The Times says he spoke with "warmth" and The Mail describes him as being "sincere" and "surprisingly intimate" .

With his "moving" first speech in the role, King Charles has demonstrated he can fill the void left by the Queen, says The Sun. The paper goes on to describe his address as "full of love", not just for his "darling mama" but for his wife, Camilla, and for both of his sons.

There is also a lot of newspaper coverage given to the King's surprise walkabout on Friday afternoon when he met well-wishers who had gathered in front of Buckingham Palace. The Express suggests that the mood was both "sombre and jubilant", as the crowd were "anxious to express their sympathy" but also "eager" to cheer the King as he took on his new responsibilities.

This is an extraordinary moment we've never seen before.

At St James' Palace later this morning, 200 of the most senior ministers, 14 diplomats from the realms, holders of the great offices of state will have a meeting.

The King will then join them - that will become a formal meeting of the Privy Council, his first official meeting in his new role. He will make various oaths and declarations about the death of his mother. He'll also agree various orders to allow for the continuity of government.

Once that's happened, the text of the proclamation that's been agreed will be read out from a balcony at St James' Palace.

In times past - before we had things like social media - this was a moment when the people would be formally told that the previous monarch had died and who the next sovereign would be.

There will be other declarations in the City of London and around the nation in the next 24 hours to tell the people what has happened and that King Charles is the new monarch.

Charles III will formally be proclaimed king at 10:00 BST on Saturday in a ceremony at St James's Palace.

It will be the first time the Accession Council is televised.

Charles became king automatically at the moment his mother died, so the council proclamation will be a ceremonial one.

It will be attended by Privy Councillors (a group made up of senior politicians), the Lord Mayor of the City of London, and other senior officials.

Flags will fly at full mast for 24 hours to honour the new king, before returning to half mast.

Read more here.

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Thailand's King Vajiralongkornhas sent a message of condolences to His Majesty King Charles III:

"Queen Suthida, the members of the royal Thai family, and I are deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

The people of Thailand join the people of Great Britain in mourning this great loss of the head of state, and together remember Her Majesty’s royal grace and royal duties of which Her Majesty had carried out as the Queen, in the [constitutional] monarchy system, who had truly dedicated her life to serve the people.

Quote Message: The people of Thailand and I still recall with much pride and warmth the two historic state visits made by Your Majesty in 1972 and 1996, as guests of my beloved father, His late Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej

The people of Thailand and I still recall with much pride and warmth the two historic state visits made by Your Majesty in 1972 and 1996, as guests of my beloved father, His late Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej

May I, on behalf of the people of Thailand, express to Your Majesty, the Royal Family and the British people our heartfelt sympathy and condolences."

The Queen was an avid traveller, visiting 117 countries during her reign.

Here are some of the highlights from the late royal's most memorable moments in Asia.

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Many Hong Kongers remember Queen Elizabeth II fondly. In the former British colony, she was nicknamed Si Tau Por, which means “boss lady” in Cantonese.

Several of my friends posted photos of coins featuring the Queen’s visage on Facebook. The coins are still legal tender even though the city returned to Chinese rule 25 years ago.

The monarch visited the city twice during her reign. After her death, photos of her visits got people talking again. They remarked how approachable and friendly she was.

In one iconic photo, the Queen, dressed in bright pink, was standing in front of a vegetable stall at a wet market in Central.

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Some Hong Kongers laid flowers at the British Consulate to mourn the passing of the Queen.“We adored the Queen,” said Mr Fung. “I was six when she came to the throne.”

“I studied at a government school, and there were photos of the Queen at government schools. We saw her photo every day we went to school.”

Denise Chu, in her 50s, was teary when she paid tribute: “I grew up during the colonial era so I feel very sad.”

“It was the good old days, but now a lot of things have changed," she said in reference to Beijing's growing grip over Hong Kong.

Amid the sadness and solemnity that followed the Queen's death, many people also have taken the time to remember some of the monarch's lighter moments, when the public got a glimpse of her sense of humour.

Most recently, there was the video clip with Paddington Bear which opened the BBC's Party at the Palace, marking her Platinum Jubilee earlier this year.

Paddington offered the Queen his favourite snack, a marmalade sandwich, which he pulled out from under his red hat: "I always keep one for emergencies." "So do I," said the Queen, taking out her own sandwich from her handbag.

It wasn't her first appearance alongside a famous film character: for the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony, she starred with Daniel Craig's James Bond, ending in a scene where the then 86-year-old monarch appeared to skydive into the stadium.

She also displayed her sense of mischief at a charity event in Cornwall in 2021 when she chose to cut a cake with a ceremonial sword. Reminded that an ordinary knife was available, she replied: "I know there is. This is more unusual."

Read more about the times the Queen made us laugh

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The Queen and the monarchy have left their mark on Singapore in more ways than one.

Her three visits to the former British colony drew huge, enthusiastic crowds, noted Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Friday.

“Her passing is deeply mourned by all of us in Singapore,” he said in a condolence message to the Royal Family. “Her Majesty always showed warmth and friendship through her natural affection and spontaneous good humour."

Singapore became an independent nation in 1965, and in the decades since the Queen’s relevance has receded.

But her legacy is everywhere. Roads still bear her name - such as Queen Elizabeth Walk, a promenade by Singapore’s waterfront - and an entire residential district - Queenstown - was named after her on the occasion of her coronation.

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On a rainy Friday morning, a few Queenstown residents expressed muted sadness at her passing.

“I think it’s a distant affair for us. Having said that, her image and her authority has been strong over the years, the Royal Family is respected. So it’s sad and shocking news,” said Kimberley.

“She had always been very strong, even for her age. She had a sharp mind and she had a lot of power.”

Another said: “I think people respect the Queen for who she is… but Britain has a long and chequered history as a coloniser.”

Japan's Emperor Naruhito is planning to attend the funeral of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, his first overseas trip since his 2019 succession, Japanese media have reported.

The Emperor had been invited to Britain by Queen Elizabeth in 2020 after acceding to the throne in May 2019, but the trip was postponed due to the pandemic.

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The mood was sombre at Parliament House in Canberra as politicians and diplomats laid wreaths in silence.

Walking up to the Queen’s statue on the terrace named after her, Governor-General David Hurley - who represents the monarch in Australia - and his wife paused for a moment. They laid a wreath of bright yellow flowers.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and finance minister Katy Gallagher then laid green and gold wreaths at the foot of the statue.

Albanese has described the Queen’s commitment to service as an inspiration.

He’s also spoken of the depths of sadness of the Australian people at the loss of the sovereign.

The Queen was the only reigning monarch to have visited Australia. Starting in 1954, when she stepped on the shores of Sydney harbour for the first time, she toured the country 16 times. Her last trip was in 2011.

Parliament here has been suspended and will not sit for a fortnight. Both the PM and the governor-general will head to the UK for the Queen’s funeral. They will also meet King Charles III.

A national memorial service will be held in about two weeks, and the day will also be designated as a national day of mourning.

There is widespread sadness and quiet respect here over the death of a monarch who was, of course, the Queen of Jamaica too. Certainly, many among the older generation remember her especially fondly. She visited the island six times during her reign and the Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, described her as “a close friend of Jamaica”.

Flags on public buildings are at half-mast and shortly after the announcement itself, church bells were tolled in parishes across the island.

The death of Queen Elizabeth II and the ascension of King Charles III comes at a pivotal time for Jamaica, and the wider Caribbean.

During the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s visit to Jamaica earlier this year to mark The Queen’s diamond jubilee, Prime Minister Holness said the country was “moving on” – a reference to his hope to follow the lead of Barbados in removing the monarch as Head of State.

It is a desire shared by many in Jamaica who feel this is the moment that the link to the island’s colonial past should be cut.

The overriding sentiment for many Jamaicans following the Queen's death has been expressed to me as simply “mixed emotions”.

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Queen Elizabeth II came from a generation - and from a nation - that did not feel the need to share its feelings. The nation would change. She would not.

She made the monarchy the repository of much that the nation loved of itself. She could do that because her character reflected much of what Britons like to think of as the best of themselves; modest, uncomplaining, thrifty, intelligent if not intellectual, sensible, feet-on-the-ground, unfussy, a dry sense of humour with a great big laugh, slow to anger and always well-mannered.

It was her life and work to be the best of Britain - this is the service she gave, writes the BBC’s Jonny Dymond.

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Welcome to anyone who's just joining us. It's the middle of the night in the UK, but here's a recap of what happened the day after the death of Queen Elizabeth II:

• The King made his first broadcast to the nation, paying tribute to his "beloved mother" and promising to serve the public with the same "unswerving devotion"
• He also announced that his son William and daughter-in-law Catherine would become the Prince and Princess of Wales
• The new monarch greeted well-wishers outside Buckingham Palace, and was met with cries of "God save the King!"
• And he had his first in-person audience with Prime Minister Liz Truss at the palace
• Bells rang out at churches and gun salutes sounded across the country to mark the death of the sovereign
• Politicians and members of the public gathered at a service of prayer and reflection at London's St Paul's Cathedral to remember the Queen

On Saturday, at 10:00 BST, Charles will formally be proclaimed as king at a historic ceremony which is being broadcast on television for the first time.

Public proclamations announcing him as sovereign will later be read at various location around the UK, accompanied by gun salutes.

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Candles have been lit in memory of the Queen at Treetops Lodge in Nyeri, Kenya.

It is here where she was on tour in 1952 when she learned of the death of her father King George VI.

The Lodge’s ranger for more than 30 years, Amos Ndiangui, said “We are in mourning.

"I am so attached to this family.”

Memories of the Queen are carefully preserved at the Treetops Lodge.

A note bearing her signature, and that of the Duke of Edinburgh, details the animals she observed at the site in 1952.

They include elephant herds, rhinos and a baboon who - according to the resident ranger - attempted to steal her snacks.

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John Kerry, a former US secretary of state who is now President Biden's climate envoy, told the BBC that he had great respect for the Queen as a statesperson.

Describing her as "calm in the storm, no nonsense, with no spin" he said she had a connection with people.

When meeting her once at a Windsor Castle evening reception she exclaimed "I saw you on television".

Kerry said he was due to be meeting King Charles today in Scotland to discuss the climate crisis, an issue which has seized the King for the past 50 years, he said.

Kerry said Charles has the ability as King to be "morally persuasive around the world".