Mourning period ends for Royal family

The monarchy and its households will resume duties from today

Author: Jon BurkePublished 27th Sep 2022

The Royal family and their households are returning to official duties today.

It's as the period of royal mourning in memory of the late Queen ends.

Flags at royal residences will remain at half-mast until 8am today, while the Prince and Princess of Wales are to visit the nation for the first time since taking up their titles.

Since the death of the Queen on September 8, the Royal family has only carried out official duties where appropriate.

Its members have also dressed in black, as a mark of respect when in public.

From today, they will be able to carry out their normal official roles in full after observing the seven-day period of mourning.

William and Kate will spend the day travelling the length of Wales, first visiting Holyhead in Anglesey, North Wales and then travelling to Swansea in South West Wales.

The royal couple had promised to visit at the earliest opportunity following the death of the Queen, and return hoping to begin "deepening the trust and respect" they have with the people of Wales.

The last official visit the pair made to Wales was as Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Cardiff Castle in June, where rehearsals for the Platinum Jubilee concert were taking place.

Charles carried out one official engagement during royal mourning, holding a telephone audience with the Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng on Thursday evening, the eve of his tax-cutting mini budget.

The Prince and Princess of Wales praised volunteers and operational staff they met at Windsor that day, for their efforts at events surrounding the Queen's committal service.

The King travelled to Scotland soon after the Queen's funeral last Monday and could remain at his home of Birkhall into early October, following the tradition set by the late monarch.

The Queen would normally spend around 10 weeks at her Scottish home during summer, returning to London around the time the autumn session of Parliament began.

Planning is likely to be under way for Charles' coronation and Lavender Hill Magistrates' Court in south London heard the suggestion a date has been set for the national event, expected next year.

The new King Charles III in pictures:

King Charles is born (1948)

Charles Philip Arthur George Windsor was born to then Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip on November 14th, 1948, as the couple's first child.

King Charles in 1952

When his grandfather George VI died and his mother ascended to the throne in 1952, Charles became the future heir of the monarchy at the age of four.
He also became the Duke of Cornwall. When he was 21, in 1969, he became entitled to the full income of the Duchy and took over its management.

Charles' childhood

Growing up, Charles went to a boarding school for his education, studying at Gordonstoun private school in the north-east of Scotland.
Charles' experience at the school helped to shape him, saying in an interview that he was glad to have attended.

King Charles at university

After finishing his A-Levels, Charles broke with royal tradition and went straight to university, where he obtained a 2:2 in a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Cambridge in 1970. This made Charles the first British heir to attain a university degree.

Investiture of the Prince of Wales

In 1969, the Investiture of the Prince of Wales took place at Caernarfon Castle, where Charles was crowned by the Queen as the Prince of Wales.

King Charles in the Navy

King Charles served in the Navy between 1971 to 1976. He trained as a Royal Air Force pilot and served on the frigate HMS Jupiter as part of its Pacific voyage.

King Charles and Diana (1981)

In 1981, Prince Charles married Diana Spencer in the most-watched television event at the time. Over 1 billion people looked on as the Prince and Princess of Wales made their wedding vows.
The marriage birthed Charles' only children - William and Harry, but would end in tragedy as the couple would divorce in 1992. Princess Diana would later die in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

Prince William's first day at Eton College

The King and Princess of Wales and brother Prince Harry join Prince William for his first day at Eton College in September 1995.

Assassination attempt

Following his divorce from Diana, Charles continued to carry out royal duties. Whilst on a tour of Australia in 1994, King Charles was shot at twice by student David Kang.
David Kang was protesting about the treatment of Cambodian asylum seekers in Australia. Charles was not hurt and managed to dodge the bullet.

King Charles and Camilla

King Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005, 13 years after his divorce from Diana. Because this was Charles' second marriage, he was unable to get married in a church and instead held a civil wedding. Charles' parents did not attend the ceremony, due to the Queen's role as head of the Church of England. Following their marriage, Camilla would go on to receive the title of 'Duchess of Cornwall'.

Media presence

Prince Charles has kept his life relatively private following his marriage to Camilla. The Prince rarely spoke to newspapers and occasionally appeared on television, in order to maintain his privacy.
However, Charles has tried his hand at a number of positions, including presenting the weather for BBC Scotland while on a trip to Glasgow in 2012.

Charity work

Over 40 years Prince Charles has set up 20 charities, he has been a keen supporter of charity work, setting up the Prince's Trust in 1976 to help vulnerable people get their life back on track.
Since then, Charles has been a vocal supporter of human rights, calling for more action against abuse worldwide. Most recently, the Prince commissioned a series of portraits of seven Holocaust survivors in early 2022.

King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort

Following the sad death of Queen Elizabeth II, Charles immediately became King Charles III on 8th September.
In the days following his mother's death, he met members of the public with his wife Camilla, now Queen Consort.
On 10th September, an historic meeting at St James' Palace confirmed his role of King.

King Charles III delivers his first address to parliament

King Charles said he felt "the weight of history" as he addressed parliament for the first time as King, adding he vowed to follow the example set by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

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