Charles pays tribute to his ‘darling mama’ in first address
King Charles III has addressed the nation from Buckingham Palace after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, pledging to serve ‘with loyalty and love’. He renewed his mother’s ‘lifelong promise of service’, saying her dedication never wavered. He ended his ’emotional eulogy’, hoping his ‘darling mama’ late would be joined by ‘flights of angels’ to ‘sing thee to thy rest’.
Dressed in mourning clothes, the new monarch flew from Aberdeen to RAF Northolt on Friday morning. When he arrived at Buckingham Palace, cries of “Long live the King” rang out across the park Charles then shook hands with, and thanked, the many well-wishers who had gathered outside. A woman even kissed him on the cheek while another kissed his hand. After viewing the floral tributes left outside he walked into the palace for the first time as King, alongside Camilla, his Queen Consort. The new monarch had his first in-person audience with Prime Minister Liz Truss at the palace and later made his first address to the nation as monarch – sitting alongside a picture of his “darling Mama”.
The streets and the parks around Buckingham Palace, at Windsor Castle and Balmoral, have been thronged with members of the public, many bearing flowers and letters of condolence. Bells rang out at churches and gun salutes sounded across the country to mark the death of the sovereign.
What happens today, Saturday
At 11am*, Charles will be officially proclaimed as King at a meeting of the Accession Council in St James’s Palace in London, attended by his son, Prince William.
At 12 noon, following the Accession Council meeting, the Principal Proclamation announcing Charles as sovereign will be read from the balcony.
At 1pm, the same proclamation will be read at the Royal Exchange in the City of London, and then at midday on Sunday in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Flags will return to full mast for 26 hours to mark the occasion of the new monarch following the proclamation in London, until one hour after the proclamations in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. They will return to half mast during the period of national mourning
Between 3pm and 11pm today, Parliament will gather for MPs to pay their respects to the late Queen.
*all times Malta time
Russian TV acknowledges ‘substantial victory’ for Kiev
Moscow’s state-run TV outlet made a rare admission of battlefield losses Friday, with an acknowledgment that Ukraine had achieved a “substantial victory” in breaking through Russian lines this week. “The very fact of a breach of our defenses is already a substantial victory for the Ukrainian armed forces,” Vitaly Ganchev, the head of Russia’s occupation forces in the Kharkiv province, said on Russian state TV. “The enemy is being delayed as much as possible, but several settlements have already come under the control of Ukrainian armed formations.” The admission is also a notable indication of Russian surprise at the Ukrainian counterattack, given the Kremlin’s blanket ban on any war reports that break from official accounts. The broadcast comes a day after Ukraine made a major advance from Kharkiv towards the contested Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
EU to claw back energy firms’ profits
European Union energy ministers on Friday tasked Brussels with drafting proposals within a few days to cap the revenues of non-gas energy producers and help power firms stay afloat. But as they sought to protect citizens from soaring energy prices that have driven inflation across the continent to record highs, the ministers backed away from more divisive proposals to cap Russian gas prices. At an emergency meeting in Brussels, the ministers instead asked the European Commission to propose broader gas price caps, even as the EU executive itself swiftly poured cold water on the feasibility of such an idea. EU countries also supported the executive’s proposal to offer emergency funds to power firms facing soaring collateral requirements, and charged the Commission with designing such measures.
Tropical storm Kay moves into California
Firefighters battling a growing blaze outside Los Angeles were bracing for mudslides and flooding as a storm barrels into burn areas. The remnants of a hurricane that hit Mexico were bringing strong winds that are likely to fan the Fairview fire, prompting wider evacuation orders. The 27,000-acre fire, which erupted on Monday at the midpoint of a ferocious heat wave, is continuing to spread, buffeted by “extreme downslope winds” from nearby mountains, fire officials said.
Dead and injured in Croatia train collision
Croatian news agency Hina reports that three people died and 11 others were injured, some of them serious, in a serious accident between a passenger train and a stationary freight train, between the stations of Okucani and Nosvkacausing. Local witnesses said the dead were five and the injured were taken to various hospitals in the area.
Children among victims killed in Maryland shooting
Two adults and three children were found dead in a large two-storey home in Cecil County of the mid-Atlantic state, after a man called 911 from the home to report a shooting. Cecil County Sheriff Scott Adams said a man, a woman and three children were found on Friday morning in a shooting that occurred on a cul-de-sac in an area of residential streets interspersed with wooded areas.
Bolsonaro supporter ‘axes’ Lula fan to death
A supporter of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has hacked a supporter of election rival Lula da Silva to death with an axe in an argument about politics in a rural area of Brazil. The 42-year-old victim had been arguing with the alleged 24-year-old perpetrator ahead of October 2 elections which will see former president Lula challenge Bolsonaro. Lula said there was a “climate of hatred in the electoral process which is completely abnormal”.
Qatar tests World Cup final stadium
The $675 million stadium that Qatar will use for this year’s World Cup final was put through its first sellout test Friday with a match between the Egyptian and Saudi champions. Seventy-two days away from the start of the tournament, organisers said the 80,000 capacity Lusail Iconic Stadium was full for the pre-match concert by Egyptian superstar Amr Diab and the game in which Al Hilal beat Egyptians Zamalek on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Lusail was the last stadium to be officially inaugurated and Hassan Al-Thawadi, head of the Qatari organising committee, said it was “an emotional moment”. “It is the culmination of a 13-year journey,” he told beIN Sports. The stadium, shaped like a traditional Arabic bowl, is at the heart of a new city being built north of the tiny Gulf state’s capital. It will host 10 World Cup matches, including the December 18 final.
Airbus A350 dedicated to Enzo Ferrari will fly to Monza
ITA Airways’ new light blue livery Airbus A350 dedicated to the legendary Enzo Ferrari will make its first flight to Monza at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, when it will lead the way for the Frecce Tricolore at the start, and in conjunction, with the national anthem. This is the first time ever that “the Drake”, the legendary founder of the scuderia – the most titled in the history of Formula 1, with 31 world titles (16 Constructors, 15 Drivers) – the man who changed the history of world motor racing has an airplane named after him, and only ITA Airways could do it. And this is the first time the Flag Company is present at the Italian Grand Prix, as well as a unique occasion during which the Frecce Tricolore will perform together with an airliner.
