Featured Image Credit: DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images
Topics: King Charles III, Royal Family, UK News, The Queen
Rhianna Benson
Topics: King Charles III, Royal Family, UK News, The Queen
In a new video message honouring what would have been his late mother's 100th birthday, King Charles III claimed Queen Elizabeth would be 'deeply troubled' by the current state of the world.
The saddening remark was shared from Buckingham Palace on Tuesday (21 Apr), which would have marked the Queen's centenary.
The late ruler passed away at Balmoral Castle in Scotland in September 2022, aged 96, following a record-breaking 70 years on the throne. Her eldest son, Charles, automatically inherited the powerful position, becoming the oldest person in history to become King.
Queen Elizabeth's legacy will be commemorated throughout this week during a string of royal events. This'll include a royal gathering of all the charities and organisations that she supported, including Cancer Research UK and the Army Benevolent Fund.
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In this week's video, Charles, 77, described his 'darling Mama' as having 'remained constant, steadfast and wholly devoted to the people she served' throughout her seven-decade reign.
Charles went on to acknowledge, however, that ongoing conflicts across the globe, as well as the challenges currently faced by British citizens, would have 'troubled her deeply'.
With this in mind, the father-of-two renewed his 'own solemn pledge of duty and service to you all'.
"Much about the times we now live in, I suspect, may have troubled her deeply, but I take heart from her belief that goodness will always prevail and that a brighter dawn is never far from the horizon," Charles continued.
"For, as a young Princess Elizabeth put it in her first ever public broadcast, aged just 14, we can each play our part 'to make the world of tomorrow a better and happier place'.
"It is a belief which I share, with all my heart."
It's also possible that The King was referencing his brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's recent arrest - as well as the stripping of his royal titles - over his February arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
The move came amid allegations that the former 'Prince' - the Queen's second son - had shared confidential information with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein between 2001 and 2011 while serving as the UK's trade envoy.
The issues that would have 'troubled' the late Queen may have also been the US-Israeli attack on Iran, which quickly prompted a widespread, devastating war across the Middle East.
The conflict simultaneously triggered a spike in petrol prices, especially in the UK, and wreaked havoc on global shipping costs.
Charles may have also been referring to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has dragged on now for five long years.
Continuing his message, which was reportedly recorded from the library at Balmoral, The King added of his mother: "Queen Elizabeth's ‘promise with destiny kept' shaped the world around her and touched the lives of countless people across our nation, the Commonwealth and beyond.
"Her near-century was one of remarkable change and yet, through each passing decade, through every transformation, she remained constant, steadfast and wholly devoted to the people she served."
He added: "Millions will remember her for moments of national significance; many others for a fleeting personal encounter, a smile, a kind word that lifted spirits - or for that marvellous twinkle of the eye when sharing a marmalade sandwich with Paddington Bear in the final months of her life."
Charles concluded his heartfelt statement by emphasising the importance of following the late Queen's example.
"So, young or old, and whatever our differences, let us therefore seek to follow this example as we make today not the marking of a milestone felt by absence but the celebration of a life well-lived, and a legacy of hope, as we strive together towards a 'better, happier tomorrow'," he gushed.
"One rooted in peace, justice, prosperity and security."
Speaking to Queen Elizabeth directly, The King said: "God bless you, darling Mama; you remain forever in our hearts and prayers."