King Charles III addresses the nation for the first time as monarch

A period of Royal Mourning will be observed from now until seven days after The Queen’s Funeral.

King Charles III has addressed the nation for the first time as monarch. He spoke to the country at a time of profound change, national mourning – and, for him personally, deep loss. Expressing his "personal grief", the new monarch also paid tribute to the "gratitude’" he has for the support of public just 24 hours into being King. "I pay tribute to my mother’s memory and I honour her life of service", he added. "Throughout her life, Her Majesty The Queen – my beloved Mother – was an inspiration and example to me and to all my family, and we owe her the most heartfelt debt any family can owe to their mother.

"Queen Elizabeth was a life well lived; a promise with destiny kept and she is mourned most deeply in her passing.

‘That promise of lifelong service I renew to you all today."

[caption id="attachment_358022" align="alignnone" width="1952"] King Charles III during his first address as King following Queen Elizabeth's death. Credit: BBC[/caption]

The monarch said the "affection, admiration and respect" the Queen inspired ‘became the hallmark of her reign’.

He added: "And, as every member of my family can testify, she combined these qualities with warmth, humour and an unerring ability always to see the best in people."

The king had already announced that a "period of Royal Mourning will be observed from now until seven days after The Queen’s Funeral." Flags at Royal Residences will remain at half-mast until 8am on the final day of mourning. [caption id="attachment_358023" align="alignnone" width="1940"] King Charles III during his first address as monarch. Credit: BBC[/caption] At 1pm on Friday, Royal Salutes will be fired in Hyde Park by The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery and at the Tower of London by the Honourable Artillery Company. One round will be fired for each year of The Queen's life. Many parts of our everyday life will change with Charles' ascension to the throne. New currency bearing Charles' image will be minted and will eventually enter circulation. Gradually, this will replace the notes and coins with Queen Elizabeth's face on, but this is likely to take several years. The Royal Mail will now stop producing Queen Elizabeth II stamps and will begin the process to create new ones. In a statement the Royal Mail has confirmed that "stamps bearing the image of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II remain valid for use" until the end of January 2023. Meanwhile, passports will still be valid but new ones will now have wording updated to His Majesty, the BBC reports. Britain's longest-serving monarch died peacefully at Balmoral, with all her children by her side. [caption id="attachment_358020" align="alignnone" width="1954"] Congregation at St Paul's cathedral waiting for the King's address Credit: BBC[/caption] Announcing Her Majesty's passing, a post from the Royal Family's official Twitter account said: "The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. King Charles III sent out his own personal tribute shortly after. Operation London Bridge is now underway, beginning a 10-day mourning period leading up to the Queen's funeral and Charles ascension to the throne. Related links:

• What will happen to the UK currency now the Queen is dead?
• British national anthem set to change after Queen’s death
• Gun Salutes to mark each year of the Queen’s life to take place today