World News | Britain's King Charles III Invokes Shakespeare in His Tribute to His Mother Queen Elizabeth
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Britain's King Charles III paid a heartfelt tribute to his "darling Mama" in a historic television address and pledged his life to serving the nation as late Queen Elizabeth II had done.
London, Sep 10 (PTI) Britain's King Charles III paid a heartfelt tribute to his "darling Mama" in a historic television address and pledged his life to serving the nation as late Queen Elizabeth II had done.
Sitting at a mahogany desk next to a photograph of his mother and wearing a black suit and tie, King Charles III, in his first speech as the new monarch last night, said the "affection, admiration and respect" the Queen inspired "became the hallmark of her reign".
In an emotional display of his affection, he ended his speech by quoting from William Shakespeare's epic play Hamlet: "May ‘flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest'". In the final scene of the tragedy, almost every character lies dead on the stage and the titular character is dying in his friend Horatio's arms.
When Hamlet passes, Horatio is left alone with bodies all around and looks down at his friend to say a line that we all have heard.
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"Now cracks a noble heart. Good night, sweet prince," says Horatio, before adding: "And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.
The famous line is frequently used by people to express their respect when someone dies.
According to the Daily Express newspaper, King Charles III was noted to have included a "subtle mention" to his late ex-wife Diana, Princess of Wales in his first speech as the new monarch.
Broadcaster Dawn Neeson noted the quote, an extract from Hamlet, had previously been linked to Princess Diana, the report said.
"The phrase from Hamlet was also sung or read at Diana's funeral. So I do wonder if him choosing that particular phrase was maybe a subtle mention and a nod to his late wife. I do hope that's the case," Neeson told Sky News.
His "angels" sign-off also featured in musical composition Song for Athene, by John Tavener and performed at Diana's funeral in 1997.
In addition to honouring his mother's memory, Charles III also confirmed Prince William and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge and Cornwall would be anointed as the new Prince and Princess of Wales.
King Charles III was proclaimed Britain's new monarch on Saturday in a ceremony, steeped in ancient tradition and political symbolism, televised for the first time in history.
The throne had passed to the 73-year-old former Prince of Wales following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on Thursday and Saturday's ceremony marked his formal declaration and oath-taking at St. James's Palace in London.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)