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The Queen of our hearts: Mourners continue to flock to Buckingham Palace

Jimie 2022. 9. 10. 19:03

The Queen of our hearts: Mourners continue to flock to Buckingham Palace where a huge mound of floral tributes has built up outside the gates – while Tower Bridge is lit up in purple in honour of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch

By JONATHAN ROSE FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 10:19 AEST, 10 September 2022 | UPDATED: 18:14 AEST, 10 September 2022

 

Thousands of mourners continued to gather at the gates of Buckingham Palace last night following the death of the Queen to pay their respects, leaving hundreds of bouquets, personal notes and candles in her honour.

A huge mound of floral tributes has built up outside the gates, while Tower Bridge has been lit up in purple in honour of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.

It comes after the King wiped away tears yesterday and appeared to clutch his heart after the first royal walkaround of his reign at Buckingham Palace.

Royal park staff begin closing area outside Buckingham Palace as thousands line up to pay tribute to the Queen

Royal park staff last night began closing the area around the Victoria memorial outside Buckingham Palace.

Metal railings were placed in front of the entrance to the memorial as staff asked members of the public to leave yesterday evening.

Thousands of mourners remained outside Buckingham Palace last night.

 

The King was greeted by kisses and shouts of 'God Save the King' as he received a rapturous welcome from thousands of well-wishers.

The King was heard saying, 'Thank you so much, it's so kind, it really is', 'God bless you' and 'I've really dreaded this day' during the 15-minute walkabout. One woman shouted to him, 'We love you King Charles and we loved your mum'.

Huge crowds cheered as the visibly emotional sovereign arrived in a vintage Rolls-Royce alongside Camilla, the Queen Consort, before he got out and began shaking hands with countless members of the public waiting behind a barrier.

In moving scenes less than 24 hours after the death of his mother the Queen, shouts of God Save the King broke out before an impromptu rendition of the National Anthem, with the words changed for the new monarch.

As the sun shone on an otherwise dull, damp day, the Royal Standard was raised above Buckingham Palace for the first time of his reign.

Onlookers shouted three cheers for Charles as one woman leaned over to kiss him on the hand and another asked 'Can I kiss you?' before pecking him on the cheek. Others reached out holding red roses for the King as the Queen Consort followed behind at a distance before joining her husband at his side to view the floral tributes left outside the gates.

As a bugle sounded, Charles, dressed in mourning black suit and tie, walked side by side with Camilla - who seemed close to tears - through the main entrance of Buckingham Palace.

Queen Camilla and the King proceeded to go through the Palace archway as Charles appeared to lift his hand to his heart and then face, in an apparent bid to wipe away a tear.

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Thousands of mourners continued to gather at the gates of Buckingham Palace last night following the death of the Queen to pay their respects, leaving hundreds of bouquets, personal notes and candles in her honour

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Tower Bridge is illuminated in royal purple to pay respect at the passing of Queen Elizabeth II

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Well-wishers gather in front of the Victoria Monument outside Buckingham Palace

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A huge mound of floral tributes has built up outside the gates, while Tower Bridge has been lit up in purple in honour of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch

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Tributes and flowers were left at the gates of Buckingham Palace as the nation mourned its great Queen, who led the country for 70 years

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Typical British weather didn't stop mourners paying their respects to the late monarch as evening drew in at Buckingham Palace

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People continue to gather in the evening to view flowers at the gates of Buckingham Palace

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Hundreds of flower bouquets line the fence and gates surrounding Buckingham Palace following the death of Her Majesty

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People continue to gather in the evening to view flowers at the gates of Buckingham Palace following the death of Queen Elizabeth II

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Flowers and messages for Queen Elizabeth II are seen at the gates outside Buckingham Palace

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Queen Elizabeth II was Britain's longest-reigning monarch and a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century

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Mourners place flowers and messages for Queen Elizabeth II at the gates outside Buckingham Palace

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A woman prays beside thousands of flowers in front of Buckingham Palace

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People gather outside Buckingham Palace, following the passing of Queen Elizabeth, in London

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A man brings flowers to the front gates of Buckingham Palace in London

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People look at flowers placed in front of Buckingham Palace

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Thousands of people bring flowers in front of Buckingham Palace

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Tower Bridge is illuminated in royal purple to pay respect at the passing of the Queen

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The Union flag at half mast at Edinburgh Waverley railway station in Edinburgh, Scotland

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Candles lit up the flowers laid by thousands of people in London last night at Buckingham Palace

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Thousands of people have paid their respects to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who died on Thursday aged 96

Emotional King Charles III clutches heart before wiping away tears
 
 
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Huge crowds cheered the couple as they arrived at the palace before the King left his car. Several people kissed his hand as he passed

Woman kisses King Charles on the cheek outside Buckingham Palace
 
 
 

 

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Onlookers shouted three cheers for Charles as he spoke to countless onlookers who had gathered to mourn his mother

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Cheers rang out at Buckingham Palace as the King and Queen Consort arrived, along with shouts of 'God save the King'

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Many in the crowd were visibly emotional, while others held their phones aloft to try to catch at glimpse of the King

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It was the new King's first walkabout and encounter with the public since his historic accession and crowds lined up behind a barrier clamouring to greet him

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A visibly emotional Charles pauses to look at floral tributes to his mother that have been left outside the gates of Buckingham Palace

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Charles embraces Camilla as they look at the floral tributes before making their way through the palace's main gates

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The new king thanked people for their good wishes, shaking countless hands after stepping from his state Bentley

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Shouts of God Save the King went up, along with three cheers, for the new head of state, dressed in mourning black suit and tie, who smiled and waved at the mass of people

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The King waves to crowds outside Buckingham Palace, where he arrived with Camilla after they travelled from Balmoral

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Elizabeth II, Charles' mother and an icon instantly recognisable to billions of people around the world, died at her Scottish Highland retreat

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Charles - pictured with Camilla - met Prime Minister Liz Truss today before giving a speech to the nation

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The King must turn to his duties as monarch despite his grief, and has held his first in-person audience with Prime Minister Liz Truss at Buckingham Palace

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The King and Queen Consort view the flowers and messages left by members of the public outside Buckingham Palace

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The Queen Consort joined the King at his side to view the hundreds of floral tributes, notes and Union flags left outside the gates

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The new King gives a final wave as he and his wife walk into Buckingham Palace under the watchful eye of armed policemen

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As a bugler sounded, the couple - both dressed in black - walked side by side through the main entrance of Buckingham Palace

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King Charles III and the Queen Consort drive down the Mall followed by several 4x4s before they got out at the gates of Buckingham Palace

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Huge crowds cheered the couple as they arrived at the palace before the King left his car and began shaking hands with members of the public

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Huge crowds cheered the couple as they arrived at the palace in a state Rolls-Royce, with the King visibly emotional

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Charles and Camilla - now King and Queen Consort - wave to members of the public as they arrive at Buckingham Palace in a Rolls-Royce

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Camilla had joined Charles on the poignant journey from Balmoral, where the Queen died peacefully on Thursday at the age of 96, arriving at RAF Northolt in west London at around 1.35pm

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Tributes continue to be paid to the woman described by the Prime Minister as the 'rock on which modern Britain was built', with the Dalai Lama expressing his 'deep sadness' over the death of the Queen in a letter to the King

God Save The King sung for first time at St Paul's

The first official rendition of God Save The King has been sung at St Paul's Cathedral at the end of a memorial service for the Queen.

The lyrics to the national anthem have changed from 'Queen' to 'King' and 'her victorious' to 'him victorious' to mark that King Charles III has now taken over as the new monarch.

It comes after crowds spontaneously sang the version of the song outside of Buckingham Palace on Friday as the King arrived with the Queen Consort.

The anthem is also expected to be sung at the Kia Oval on Saturday as the England v South Africa Third Test Match resumes. The match was paused on Friday following the Queen's death.

Members of the royal family did not attend the 6pm service at St Paul's, in London, which was open to the public and was broadcast live by the BBC.

However, an audio of the King's televised address to the nation was played inside the cathedral.

Within the message, which was also broadcast on television, he paid tribute to his 'darling mama', and said: '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 year.

'May "flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest".'

A total of 2,000 seats were allocated to the public on a first-come-first-served basis, with all of the wristbands for the evening service being distributed within three hours, a cathedral spokeswoman said.

Ahead of the service, a hundreds-strong queue formed, winding from St Paul's to beyond the Tube station streets away.

Attendees were dressed smartly in black suits and ties while others wore black mourning veils as they waited to take their seat inside the cathedral.

They remained quiet throughout the service, with one woman using a handkerchief to wipe tears away from her eyes as she sat in the pews.

New Prime Minister Liz Truss also attended the service, and remained solemn as she gave a Bible reading from Romans 14.7-12.

Several politicians were also in attendance, including London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Lord Speaker.

Deputy Prime Minister Therese Coffey, Leader of the Commons Penny Mordaunt and Welsh Secretary Robert Buckland were all seen standing together and singing along to a hymn during the service.

Dame Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London, as Dean of the Chapels Royal, delivered the address, while Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby gave the blessing.

Music included Behold O God Our Defender, Bring Us, O Lord God, At Our Last Awakening, and Nunc Dimittis from Evening Service in G.

Hymns included All My Hope On God Is Founded, O Thou Who Camest From Above, and The Lord's My Shepherd.

 

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Film director Raynald Leconte, 47, who is from New York, said he was lucky enough to speak to the King and Queen Consort. 'It was quite a moment,' he said. 'I said, 'condolences'. He said, ''really, really thank you very much''. And to his wife I wished her good luck and she said, ''thank you very much''. I think she said, ''I'll need it''.'

Mother of three Stella Johnson said: 'I think he will be wonderful, and I just wanted to come here to see him. This is really a historic moment and I wanted to make sure I did not miss it.'

Further back in the crowd, a former Guardsman, who asked not to be named, gave the crowd a running commentary as he was tall enough to see over the crowds and pick out Charles as he met mourners.

He also talked them through the protocol of the Guards who had assembled in the Palace forecourt to salute the new King as he made his way into the Palace, where he has held his first audience with Prime Minister Liz Truss.

Charles then gave a televised address to the nation at 6pm while a service of prayer and reflection took place at St Paul's Cathedral.

Details of the King's historic Accession Council, which will be held on Saturday at 10am in St James's Palace, were announced by Buckingham Palace. It will be televised for the first time in its history, showing the King being formally proclaimed monarch and Charles making his declaration and oath.

A Principal Proclamation will be read in public for the first time by the Garter King of Arms in the open air from the balcony overlooking Friary Court at St James's an hour later at 11am.

It will be followed by a flurry of proclamations around the country, with the second one in the City of London at the Royal Exchange at midday on Saturday, and further proclamations in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales at midday on Sunday.

One of the first to offer words of support to the new King was Laura Ohmona. She said after shaking hands with Charles: 'I said to him 'sorry for your loss' and he said 'thank-you'.'

Also among the crowds at Buckingham Palace was retired Ammar Al-Baldawi, 64, from Hertfordshire, who said: 'It was impressive, touching, a good move to come out to the crowds.

'I think that's where the royal family needs to communicate with the people now. These are true loyalists here and it's nice to see him back in post, taking charge of the family and the Crown, which is reassuring.'

Colin Hennessy, 52, said: 'It's great to see the King. You can see he's very emotional but he was very grateful to everybody here. He thanked as many people as he could as he walked by.'

Joyce Curtis, 72, from Jersey, said: 'I just wanted to be here. It was great. I have respect for him. He walked all the way along to see the people and back to see the flowers. It is what the people wanted to see, which is great.'

Emma Spreckley, 43, had travelled to Buckingham Palace with her friend Jacqueline Southwick, 55, from their homes in Mitcham, south London.

She was sympathetic to the grieving King: 'He looked a bit shocked, I suppose he is as it's your mum at the end of the day, and now he's here shaking people's hands and trying to, I suppose, get through it as best he can.'

In reference to the thousands who were at the palace to pay their respects to the late Queen, Ms Southwick added 'Seeing all this - he's got the support of the nation.'

Meanwhile, John Hardy said he was confident Charles would be a calming influence on the country when he is finally crowned King.

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'It does seem that he has been around for such a long time that we've all known him. No one will ever replace the Queen and the affection she has held for everyone in this country.

'But I think Charles has a lot of respect and people will support him.'

The couple had landed at RAF Northolt just after 1.30pm after leaving Balmoral, where they had stayed overnight after racing up to be at the late Queen's bedside.

Charles has already turned his hand to his duties as monarch despite his grief. He gave the order that a period of 'Royal Mourning' for the Queen will be observed from now until seven days after her funeral.

Royal Mourning will be observed by members of the royal family, royal household staff and representatives of the royal Household on official duties, together with troops committed to ceremonial duties.

The Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge is also travelling back to Windsor to be with his family ahead of the Accession Council, which William will attend.

 

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Service of Prayer and Reflection at St Paul's Cathedral, London, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday

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Charles and Camilla wave to crowds outside Buckingham Palace. The bollard in the background bears his mother's cypher

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Charles - wearing a black mourning suit - joins his wife to inspect the flowers and Union flags laid outside the palace

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Charles spent about 15 minutes greeting members of the public before joining his wife as they walked through the palace gates

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The new King places his arm around Camilla as they walk pass photographers towards the gates of the palace

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In a touching moment Charles put his hand around his wife who was visibly moved after meeting the well-wishers before the began to look at the letters, cards, bouquets and candles left in memory of the Queen

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A sentry stands guard by Buckingham Palace, where the Royal Standard had been hoisted for the first time in Charles' reign

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King Charles and Queen Camilla walk into Buckingham Palace, following the passing of Queen Elizabeth

Yesterday, tributes continued to be paid to the woman described by the Prime Minister as the 'rock on which modern Britain was built', with the Dalai Lama expressing his 'deep sadness' over the death of the Queen in a letter to the King.

He told Charles: 'Your mother lived a meaningful life with dignity, grace, a strong sense of service and a warm heart, qualities we all should treasure.'

Charles has already turned his hand to his duties

He gave the order that a period of 'Royal Mourning' for the Queen will be observed from now until seven days after her funeral.

Royal Mourning will be observed by members of the royal family, royal household staff and representatives of the royal household on official duties, together with troops committed to ceremonial duties.

Royal salutes were fired with one round for every year of the Queen's life on Friday at 1pm in Hyde Park by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery.

Thousands of people stood in solemn silence for 16 minutes as the cannons boomed once every 10 seconds, sending smoke across the grounds with each round, applauding as the spectacle came to an end.

The PM and senior ministers attended a public service of remembrance at St Paul's Cathedral in central London last night.

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King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, arrive at RAF Northolt in London yesterday afternoon

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Charles is welcomed by Station Commander Group Captain McPhaden after he and Camilla touched down at the RAF airbase

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The couple left the airport in a vintage Rolls-Royce for the journey to Buckingham Palace where thousands of people had gathered to greet them

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An emotional King Charles III leaving Balmoral on his way to Aberdeen Airport on the first leg of his journey to London

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Queen Consort Camilla also appeared to have teary eyes as she sat in the front seat en route to Aberdeen Airport

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King Charles III arrives at Aberdeen Airport after leaving Balmoral, following the death of his mother on Thursday night

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The monarch shook hands at the airport before boarding a flight to London, where he addressed the nation

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King Charles III at Aberdeen Airport as he travels to London with the Queen Consort following the death of his mother

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A vehicle carrying Britain's King Charles leaves Balmoral Castle, following the passing of Britain's Queen Elizabeth

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King Charles III and the Queen Consort leave Birkhall in Scotland as they travel to London following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday

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The King has also instructed a period of royal mourning from now until seven days after his mother's funeral - a date yet to be confirmed

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King Charles III and the Queen arrive at Aberdeen Airport as they travel to London following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday

Members of the royal family had made the urgent dash to be with the frail monarch as her health failed.

Prince William - now using the title of the Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge - left Balmoral just before 1pm and is travelling back to Windsor to be with his family ahead of the Accession Council, Kensington Palace said.

Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, still remain at the estate.

'During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held.'

Charles was by his mother's side for much of the day after catching the royal helicopter from Dumfries House in Ayrshire with his wife Camilla.

 

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Handout issued by Buckingham Palace of the notice for the Accession Council and Principal Proclamation of King Charles III

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Charles has released a statement about the death of Queen Elizabeth, describing her as a 'cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother'

Charles III becomes first King Charles since 1600s

Charles III is the first King Charles since the 1600s and shares the official name with monarchs who reigned during one of the most turbulent periods in British history.

The new monarch chose to use his Christian name as his official name, as his mother did, breaking from royal tradition.

The reigns of father and son Charles I and Charles II spanned from 1625 to 1685 and saw the overthrow and restoration of the monarchy, the Great Fire of London, and the plague.

Charles I was the only British monarch to have been publicly tried and executed for treason, while Charles II - known as the Merry Monarch - spent many years in exile, fathering a dozen illegitimate children by numerous mistresses.

Charles II's reign also featured the plague and the Great Fire of London.

Although Charles is Charles III, Bonnie Prince Charlie - The Young Pretender - was known to his supporters as Charles III.

Charles I was an unpopular king whose reign saw the temporary downfall of the monarchy and the establishment of an English republic before it was restored 11 years later.

Born in November 1660, Charles I moved to England from Scotland when his father, King James VI of Scotland, inherited the English throne in 1603.

He became heir apparent when his brother, Henry Frederick Prince of Wales, died at the age of 18 in 1612.

Charles I married Bourbon Princess Henrietta Maria of France in 1625 angered protest