King Charles pays subtle tributes to his family during royal ascension

King Charles III paid homage to his loved ones at the Accession Council this morning – while also marking new beginnings.

The King, who formally ascended the throne in a ceremony at St James’s Palace earlier today, honoured his loved ones with subtle gestures as he pledged to serve the nation.

The meeting of the Accession Council, which was televised for the first time ever to confirm Charles III as King, saw him swear and sign an oath to uphold the security of the church in the presence of privy counsellors.

While signing the oath, the King used a fountain pen which he dipped in an ink pot that had been gifted to him by his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.

It was among the touching tributes to his family during the event, which also included the King wearing a wristwatch he previously wore to Harry’s wedding to Meghan. 

The King paid tribute to his beloved mother as he stood in front of the throne containing her insignia

In a not to his eldest son’s new title as the Prince of Wales, and perhaps his ongoing affection for the title,  the King wore his Prince of Wales signet ring, which is believed to be more than 175 years old.

The new Prince of Wales, 40, also attended the ascension with his stepmother, Queen Consort Camilla.

The ring could be considered an acknowledgment of his commitment to the Prince of Wales title he held for so long, which he has now passed down to his son William.

In his first address to the nation last night the King confirmed he would be giving the title to the heir to the throne, with Kate Middleton becoming the Princess of Wales.

The King said: ‘Today, I am proud to create [William] Prince of Wales, Tywysog Cymru, the country whose title I have been so greatly privileged to bear during so much of my life and duty. 

Underneath the cuff of his suit, the King appeared to be wearing his rare Parmigiani watch, which also has a significant meaning.

The 18-carat gold automatic Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Chronograph, which the King has favoured for several years, is the same watch he wore at the wedding of his youngest son Prince Harry to Meghan Markle in 2018.

Underneath the cuff of his suit, the King appeared to be wearing his rare Parmigiani watch, which also has a significant meaning. He wore the timepiece at the wedding of his youngest son Prince Harry to Meghan Markle in 2018

At the time, he was pictured speaking to Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, with a glimpse of the brown leather strap Swiss-made watch visible beneath his suit.

Charles’s favour for the Swiss designer could be another nod to his sons, after the family spent time holidaying in the Swiss Alps on ski trips when the princes were younger.

Princes William and Harry both learnt to ski in the learnt to ski in the village of Klosters – which is where the watch was bought from, according to Gentleman’s Journal.

The gestures came after he extended an olive branch to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in his first address to Britain and the world as monarch.

The new Sovereign said he wished to ‘express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas’ – in a move likely to be regarded by royal commentators as a bid to finally draw a line under the tumult of recent years.

Meanwhile in an homage to the monarch who came before him, his beloved mother, the King was pictured speaking in front of a throne which was imprinted with Queen Elizabeth II’s insignia.

Prince William and Camilla watched on as the new King signed an oath to uphold the security of the Church of Scotland 

Dressed in black to show mourning for the Queen, the Prince wore a tie embroidered with what may have been a new cypher, as eagle-eyed royal fans noted they had not seen the stamp before.

The subtle gestures paying tribute to Charles’s loved ones were also on display during his address to the nation last night.

The broadcast, which had been filmed from Blue Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace, saw the King sit at a desk as he paid tribute to the ‘inspiration and example’ the Queen had provided throughout her life and reign.

He said:  ‘As the Queen herself did with such unswerving devotion, I too now solemnly pledge myself, throughout the remaining time God grants me, to uphold the Constitutional principles at the heart of our nation.’

As he spoke the King surrounded himself with details that honoured his loved ones.

At the front of his desk, the King had placed a vase containing posies, a flower that represents remembrance.

He also spoke next to a framed photo of Queen Elizabeth II from Trooping the Colour in 2009, where the late monarch sports a beaming smile and waves to the camera. 

King Charles III paid a sweet tribute to his late mother the Queen by keeping a picture of her, right, as he addressed the nation as King for the first time King’s Charles III’s four attention to the Queen: 1. posy and Rosemary flowers. 2. A vase adorned with Corgis she used to keep in her audience room. 3. A picture of her taken at Trooping the Colour 2009 on his desk; 4. He also recorded the message in the Blue Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace, where Her Majesty recorded some of her Christmas messages

An emotional and pensive King Charles III smiled through his tears and waved at the crowd of well-wishers gathered outside the gates of Buckingham Palace after his proclamation today – as mourners continue to leave floral tributes in memory of his beloved ‘mama’ Queen Elizabeth II after her death.

Well-wishers waited hours for a glimpse of the monarch, who automatically became King on the death of his mother the Queen on Thursday but was formally proclaimed by the Accession Council at St James’s Palace earlier today, as he was driven to Buckingham Palace in his state Rolls-Royce.

It was initially believed that Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort would go on a walkaround to inspect the tributes and greet mourners at 12.15pm.

However, the King had not left the Palace by 1pm, and this afternoon he will hold a series of audiences with Prime Minister Liz Truss, her senior Cabinet ministers, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, and Archbishop of Canterbury and the Dean of Westminster.

At 10am this morning, the Accession Council – an ancient body of advisers that dates back as far as the time of the Norman Conquest – formally announced his role as Sovereign of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, including Supreme Head of the Church of England and Commander-in-Chief of Britain’s Armed Forces, as well as Head of State of Commonwealth countries and British territories around the world.

Broadcast cameras were allowed into the historic event giving the world a first glimpse of a ceremony dating back centuries – and one of the first changes to convention instigated by the new King.

At 11am, trumpets then sounded from the balcony of St James’s Palace as the Principal Proclamation announcing the King was read out. Crowds gathered outside the palace as the King was officially proclaimed. Gun salutes at Hyde Park, the Tower of London, Edinburgh Castle, Hillsborough Castle and Cardiff Castle were then fired before the National Anthem was performed by The Band of the Coldstream Guards alongside eight State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry. They were accompanied by the St James’s Palace Detachment of The King’s Guard made up of Number 7 Company Coldstream Guards.

The crowd of well-wishers joined the King’s Guard gathered outside the palace in three cries of ‘hip hip hooray’ for the King.

At St James’s shortly after 10.20am, Charles III made a personal declaration on the death of his beloved mother Queen Elizabeth II today and vowed to uphold ‘constitutional government and to seek the peace, harmony and prosperity of the peoples of these islands, and of the Commonwealth realms and territories throughout the world’.