BREAKING: King Charles III gives first address to the nation

In a pre-recorded address, the King expressed his sorrows and spoke highly of the Queen, vowing to take up her mantle of eternal service to the country and commonwealth.

"I speak to you today with feelings of profound sorrow. Throughout her life, Her Majesty The Queen, my beloved mother, was an inspiration, an example to me and to all my family, and we owe her the most heartfelt debt any family can owe to their mother for her love, affection, guidance, understanding, and example," said the King.

"Queen Elizabeth’s 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," he continued. "Alongside the personal grief that all my family are feeling, we also share with so many of you in the United Kingdom, in all the countries where the Queen was head of state, in the Commonwealth, and across the world, a deep sense of gratitude for the more than 70 years in which my mother as Queen served the people of so many nations."

The King recited a statement the Queen made on her 21st birthday in 1947, where she said pledged to "devote her life, whether it be short to long, to the service of her peoples."

"That was more than a promise, it was a profound personal commitment, which defined her whole life.

"She made sacrifices for duty. Her dedication, and devotion as sovereign never wavered through times of change and progress, through times of joy and celebration, and through times of sadness and loss. In her life of service, we saw that abiding love of tradition together with that fearless embrace of the progress which makes us great as nations.

"The affection, admiration and respect she inspired, became the hallmark of her reign, and as every member of my family can testify, she combined these qualities with warmth, humor, and an unerring ability always to see the best in people.

"I pay tribute to my mother's memory, and I honor her life of service. I know that her death brings great sadness to so many of you. And I share that sense of loss beyond measure with you all.

The King said that when the Queen came to the throne, "Britain and the world was still coping with the privations and aftermath of the Second World War and still living by the conventions of earlier times."

During her reign, Charles said, "we have seen our society become one of many cultures and many faiths."

"The institutions of the State have changed in turn. But through all changes and challenges, our nation, and the wider family of realms of whose talents, traditions, and achievements I am so inexpressibly proud, have prospered and flourished. Our values have remained, and must remain constant."

The King said that the roles and duties of monarchy have remained, as well as the sovereign's relationship and responsibility to the Church of England.

"As the Queen herself did with such unswerving devotion, I too now solemnly pledged myself throughout the remaining time God grants me to uphold the constitutional principles at the heart of our nation," said the King.

"And wherever you may live in the United Kingdom, or in the realms and territories across the world, and whatever may be your background or beliefs, I shall endeavor to serve you with loyalty, respect, and love, as I have throughout my life."

The King continued on to explain that with his new role "It will no longer be possible for me to give so much of my time and energies to the charities at issues for which I care so deeply."

He said that Camila will now become Queen Consort, and his son, Prince William, will now become the Duke of Cornwall and assume the Duchy of Cornwall, and will now also assume the King’s former title of Prince of Wales. Prince William’s wife, Catherine, will assume the title of the Duchess of Cornwall, as well as the Princess of Wales, a title formerly held by Prince William’s late mother Diana.

"In a little over a week's time, we will come together as a nation, as a commonwealth and indeed a global community to lay my beloved mother to rest. In our sorrow, let us remember and draw strength from the light of her example," said the King.

"On behalf of all my family, I can only offer the most sincere and heartfelt thanks for your condolences and support. They mean more to me than I can ever possibly express.

"And to my darling Mama, as you begin your last great journey to join my dear late Papa I want simply to say this. Thank you. Thank you, for your love and devotion to our family and to the family of nations you have served so diligently all these years. May flights of angels sing thee to thy's rest," he concluded.