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The Prince of Wales has paid a public tribute to his father King Charles III at the coronation concert this evening (7 May).
Heir to throne, Prince William, delivered his speech in front of a crowd of 20,000 people at the star-studded Windsor Castle gala featuring a whole host of A-lister performers including the likes of Katy Perry and Lionel Richie.
In the speech, William also made a reference to his late grandmother Queen Elizabeth II after taking to the stage. Check it out:
In the momentous speech, Prince William addressed his father, the King, by the very informal mode of address 'Pa' before expressing the royal family’s pride in him saying: "Pa, we are all so proud of you."
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The speech seemed to echo the many speeches King Charles gave during the late Queen’s Jubilee concerts and funeral processions, when he referred to her as 'Mummy'.
At his Golden Jubilee concert speech in 2002, Charles introduced his mother, as she stood beside him, with "Your Majesty… Mummy" and later said: "We feel proud of you."
On Saturday (6 May), William was the only member of the royal family tasked with paying homage to the King during the traditional coronation ceremony.
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He knelt before his father, touched his crown, kissed him on the cheek and vowed to be his 'liege man of life and limb'.
The prince began his stint on stage tonight with: "Good evening Your Majesties" but made no other direct mention of his stepmother, the newly-crowned Queen Camilla.
Starting his speech this evening, William started with a joke about Lionel Richie’s smash-hit 'All Night Long', saying: "Good evening Windsor! A huge thank you to everyone for making this such a special evening."
He went on to tell the crowd: "I want to say a few words about my father, and why I believe this weekend is so important.
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"But don’t worry, unlike Lionel, I won’t go on all night long."
Hardy Har Har.
William then made a reference to his grandmother the late Queen saying: "As my grandmother said when she was crowned, coronations are a declaration of our hopes for the future.
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"And I know she’s up there, fondly keeping an eye on us. And she would be a very proud mother. For all that celebrations are magnificent, at the heart of the pageantry is a simple message. Service."
More than 20 members of the royal family watched from the royal box as William delivered his speech.
In his final comments, William said: "I also want to express my pride and gratitude for the millions of people who serve, in the forces, in classrooms, hospital wards and local communities.
"I wish I could mention you all. Your service inspires us. And tonight we celebrate you too."
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He concluded: "I commit myself to serve you all. King, country and Commonwealth. God save the King!”
Topics: UK News, Prince William, King Charles III, Royal Family, Coronation
Rhiannon Ingle