King Charles shares touching tribute to Queen Elizabeth on the anniversary of her death

King Charles has shared a public message on the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's death, paying tribute to her 'long life and devoted service.'

• King Charles has made a speech to mark the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's death.
• Addressing the nation, he paid tribute to Her Majesty and her 70-year reign, as well as thanking the public for their support of him and Camilla as monarchs.
• In other royal news, Prince George could be set for special overseas trip very soon but it might mean deciding where his loyalties lie.

It's been one year today since we found out the sad news that Queen Elizabeth had passed away - and to mark the anniversary of the Queen's death, King Charles has publicly addressed the nation with a touching statement.

In his speech, he paid tribute to his late mother as well as thanking the public for their support of him and his wife, Queen Camilla, in her first year as monarchs.

The speech was shared on the royal family's official Instagram account, alongside a sweet montage of photos of the late Queen Elizabeth.

In the post, King Charles can be heard saying, "In marking the first anniversary of Her Majesty's death and my accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us."

And thanking the public for their support of him and Camilla, he added, "I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all."

It was previously reported that King Charles will mark the anniversary "quietly and privately at Balmoral Castle, where the Queen died. And His Majesty’s decision to spend this poignant day in private is something that in itself could be seen as paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth. During her reign, she used to spend the anniversary of her father King George VI’s death privately at Sandringham where he passed away in 1952.

Meanwhile, Prince William and Kate will pay homage to Queen Elizabeth in Wales with a special visit today.

Queen Elizabeth died on September 8, 2022, aged 96 at Balmoral Castle. Her death came just three months after she celebrated her Platinum Jubilee in June 2022, marking what was her milestone 70th year of her already extraordinary reign. 

The official statement from Buckingham Palace declared, "The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and the Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow."

And in a heartfelt speech to the nation following her death, King Charles said, "I speak to you today with feelings of profound sorrow." He also hailed his "beloved mother" as an "inspiration and example to me and to all my family."