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King Charles III appeared to get emotional as a crowd at Westminster Hall formally sang 'God Save The King' to him for the first time.
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The new monarch arrived at the hall with the Queen Consort today (12 September) for his first visit to parliament as king, during which he received condolences on behalf of MPs from speakers of both houses.
Prime Minister Liz Truss, Keir Starmer and Boris Johnson were among those in the crowd who sang to King Charles as he sat at the front of the room alongside Camilla, with participants singing the word 'king' in the National Anthem for the first time since the passing of King George VI in 1952.
Footage from the event shows the king taking in the scene and seemingly blinking away tears of emotion at the acknowledgement of him as monarch following the passing of his mother Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September.
Prior to the singing of the National Anthem, Lord McFall of Alcluith was the first to address King Charles on behalf of the House of Lords, followed by Sir Lindsay Hoyle for the House of Commons.
After hearing their condolences, King Charles stood up to make his own address in which he said he was 'deeply grateful' for the comments from the speakers and quoted Shakespeare in tribute to the queen.
"As Shakespeare said of the earlier Queen Elizabeth, she was a pattern to all princes living," he said.
Charles ended his speech by noting that his mother 'pledged herself to serve her country and her people and to maintain the precious principles of constitutional government which lie at the heart of our nation'.
“This vow she kept with unsurpassed devotion. She set an example of selfless duty which, with God’s help and your counsels, I am resolved faithfully to follow," he said.
'God Save The King' was first adopted as the national anthem in 1745, during the reign of George III.
King Charles III appeared to struggle, briefly, to hold back tears as the Lords and Commons sang 'God Save the King'. pic.twitter.com/mnJhCFX8u8
— Elizabeth II News & Updates (@Platinum2022) September 12, 2022
The lyrics for the latest version of the song begin as follows: "God save our gracious King! Long live our noble King! God save the King! Send him victorious, Happy and glorious, Long to reign over us: God save the King!"
Charles was made king immediately after the passing of his mother, with his appearance at Westminster Hall coming as the Queen's coffin continues its journey from Balmoral, where she passed away.
After stopping in Holyrood last night, the coffin is now set to be taken to Edinburgh's St Giles Cathedral for Service of Thanksgiving & Reflection.
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