Mohammed bin Salman ‘will travel to London to deliver condolences’

Crown prince will reportedly head Saudi delegation but attendance at Queen’s funeral unconfirmed

Mohammed bin Salman will deliver his country’s condolences to the royal family after the death of the Queen, a source has told the Guardian, but there has been no confirmation about whether he will attend the funeral service at Westminster Abbey.

It will be the Saudi crown prince’s first visit to the UK since the murder of the Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018 and the subsequent British imposition of sanctions. These included travel bans on a group of courtiers close to the crown prince due to their alleged involvement in the killing inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Continue reading...

Julia Gillard says Australia will ultimately become republic after death of Queen Elizabeth II

Former PM endorses Anthony Albanese’s view to wait on debate, saying ‘no rush’ on moving away from British head of state

Julia Gillard says Australia will ultimately become a republic but has endorsed the prime minister, Anthony Albanese’s view it is too soon for the debate.

The former Australian prime minister told the ABC, in her first interview since the Queen’s death, that Albanese was right to delay consideration of a republic to a future term of government.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Queen lying in state: mourners queueing into the night expect nine-hour wait to see coffin – as it happened

On the first full day of lying in state, huge queues have formed in London

The first mourners to see the Queen lying in state have told how they were overcome with emotion as they paid their respects.

Some doffed their hats, others said prayers and shed tears, while one woman said she wanted to sing Ave Maria.

Continue reading...

Mourners pay respects as Queen Elizabeth lies in state – as it happened

Thousands queue on streets of London to file past Queen after procession from Buckingham Palace

Guardian columnist Andy Beckett has written today about how there is no single “national mood” in the aftermath of the Queen’s death, in a country where support for the monarchy has fallen significantly over the last decade.

The idea that the whole country is mourning the Queen and welcoming her successor is a fiction: energetically disseminated, seductive for many in a time of division, but a fiction nonetheless. There is no single ‘national mood’ about the royal family, and there never has been, whatever most journalists and politicians say. Instead there is an assortment of feelings, even right outside Buckingham Palace.

But over the longer term, the reign of her more divisive, less historically resonant son may cause that surge to fade, and the decline in royal popularity to resume, even accelerate. With Charles, known for his impatience with staff and extravagant lifestyle, the sense of entitlement, which is as fundamental to the royal family as a sense of duty, is more obvious.

The poorer country that the UK is likely to become over the next few years may also be less tolerant of one of the world’s most lavish monarchies. The Queen’s old-fashioned, relatively plain public persona, and the length of her reign – to an extent, she continued to be judged by rather deferential, mid-20th century standards – means that modern Britain’s appetite for a less self-effacing ruler has not yet been tested.

Continue reading...

Redundancies for King Charles’s staff during mourning period ‘heartless’, says union

Up to 100 employees of Clarence House received notification they could lose job following accession to throne

A civil service trade union has criticised the decision to give redundancy notices to King Charles’s staff during the period of mourning as “nothing short of heartless”.

The Guardian reported on Monday that up to 100 employees at the King’s former official residence, including some who have worked there for decades, received notification that they could lose their jobs following his accession to the throne.

Continue reading...

Queen Elizabeth’s coffin leaves Edinburgh airport accompanied by Princess Royal on journey to Buckingham Palace – live

Queen’s coffin expected to arrive at RAF Northolt at 6.45pm BST before being transported to Buckingham Palace

If you’re wondering why there’s such a fuss about the Queen’s death, our weekly science podcast published today might have some answers.

Our science editor, Ian Sample, has been talking to Prof Michael Cholbi, chair in philosophy at Edinburgh University, about what grief is, how losing a public figure can have such a profound impact on our lives,​​ and why there’s value in grieving.

Continue reading...

King Charles pledges to ‘seek welfare of all’ in Northern Ireland

New monarch meets politicians and public as he tries to build on late Queen’s efforts at reconciliation

King Charles has resolved to “seek the welfare of all the inhabitants of Northern Ireland”, in a formal response to the region’s assembly on his visit to Hillsborough Castle to meet the public and politicians.

After being greeted by crowds chanting “God save the King” at the gates of the royal residence in County Down, he made the pledge in response to a message of condolence from Alex Maskey, the nationalist Speaker of the Northern Ireland assembly and a former IRA internee.

Continue reading...

Thousands queuing overnight in Edinburgh to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth II – latest updates

Queen’s coffin will travel from the Scottish capital to London on Tuesday

The Press Association reports:

The Australian prime minister has faced backlash from the business and health care sector following the announcement of a one-off bank holiday to mark a national day of mourning for the late Queen.

Continue reading...

‘A brutal legacy’: Queen’s death met with anger as well as grief in Kenya

Politicians pay warm tributes but memories of colonial atrocities prompt fierce criticism too

In 1952, the then Princess Elizabeth was on a royal tour with Prince Philip at Treetops lodge in Kenya. Unknown to them at the time, she would receive news of her father’s death during that visit, and the forest lodge would long be remembered as the place where Britain’s longest-serving monarch “went to sleep a princess and awoke a queen”.

Just two years after her visit, the Mau Mau, Kenyan freedom fighters opposed to British colonial rule, burned the lodge down. It was rebuilt in 1957, and older residents who live along the long and winding path to the lodge remembered her second visit to the area in 1983 fondly, saying it had placed their neighbourhood on the map. But Treetops was not open for the end of the Queen’s life. It closed its doors last year after a dive in tourism during the pandemic forced it out of business.

Continue reading...

Australia news live: review into Stuart Ayres over Barilaro hiring finds no breach of ministerial conduct

Ayres stepped aside as deputy NSW Liberal leader and trade minister after a separate report into the controversial trade posting of John Barilaro. Follow all the day’s news live

Australia’s high commissioner to the UK meets with King Charles

Australia’s acting high commissioner to the UK Lynette Wood has had an audience with King Charles III.

Really what matters is we have the best possible person for the job, who can advance Australia’s interests in the best possible way, and that certainly needs a thorough and robust process to choose that person.

Continue reading...

Albanese says ‘inappropriate’ to discuss republic now but doesn’t rule out future referendum

Prime minister says vote to recognise Indigenous Australians in the constitution comes before any referendum on republic

Anthony Albanese has not ruled out holding a referendum on the republic if he is re-elected, saying only that it was “inappropriate” to discuss while commemorating Queen Elizabeth II.

Albanese made the remarks on Monday in a round of interviews defending plans to hold a national day of mourning public holiday on 22 September.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Queen’s coffin at rest in Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh as final journey begins – live

Public will be able to pay their respects to the Queen in St Giles Cathedral in the Scottish capital on Monday

Labour will go ahead with its autumn conference later this month, as officials, advisers and politicians from all parties attempt to balance paying their respects to the Queen with avoiding a period of political paralysis.

The Queen’s death and period of mourning has come at a moment of acute political tension, with concerns over the behaviour of Liz Truss’s new administration in Whitehall and significant gaps in the details of her energy price cap, set to cost well over £100bn.

Continue reading...

‘Entirely right’ for Charles to have lobbied ministers, says David Cameron

Former PM says he never felt Charles interfered, and ‘black spider memos’ should have stayed private

David Cameron has said it was “entirely right” for King Charles to have written to ministers and politicians when he was heir to the throne, lobbying on key issues including bovine tuberculosis and herbal medicines.

In an interview with the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme, Cameron said he never felt Charles – whose “black spider memos” to ministers were released after a 10-year legal battle – had interfered in politics.

Continue reading...

Canaletto masterpiece has starring role at the proclamation of King Charles

The painter’s view of Venice, now in St James’s Palace, once hung in George III’s bedroom

The father of the artist Canaletto painted stage scenery, and the theatrical tricks with light and perspective that he passed on to his famous son were evident in the splendid backdrop to the meeting of the accession council on Saturday in St James’s Palace.

The oil painting that featured so prominently was painted in 1744 and bought by George III in 1762. The Grand Canal With Santa Maria della Salute Looking East Towards the Bacino shows the great church of Santa Maria della Salute towering over the water in the strong morning sun. Measuring more that 2 metres (7 feet) wide, it was signed by the artist – real name Giovanni Antonio Canal – on the moored barge at the front of the composition.

Continue reading...

‘Pace yourself’: lessons for King Charles on working in your 70s

From failing eyesight and tiredness to dealing with younger colleagues – some of the challenges facing the new king

The biggest challenge for those, like the King, who are working in their 70s is adapting to change, according to David Smith, 73, who, for the past 20 years, has been chief officer of the men’s charity, 15 Square.

“I think a lot of people get into their 70s and say ‘I’ve always done it this way and this is how I’m always going to do it’,” says Smith, who is the same age as Charles. “And that is a recipe for disaster. You have to embrace change.”

Continue reading...

Governor general proclaims King Charles III as Australia’s head of state – As it happened

Anthony Albanese has set 22 September as National Memorial Service Day for Queen Elizabeth II. This blog is now closed

Howard says the popularity of the Queen was the key reason behind the republican movement failing, but that the monarchy offers stability.

I think there’s also a keener appreciation of the value of the institution and its strength. People look around the world at the moment and the alternative governance systems on offer, everyone in democracies, don’t look all that flash on occasions. I think the strength and durability and flexibility of the constitutional monarchy is something that more people appreciate than is imagined.

That is fair enough. It’s a democracy. People can argue for change. My observation is the strength of the monarchy in Australia was immeasurably increased by the personal popularity of the Queen.

Continue reading...

Jacinda Ardern expects New Zealand’s royal ties to ‘deepen’ under King Charles III

New Zealand and Australia hold ceremonies to recognise new head of state and pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

Australia and New Zealand have held proclamation ceremonies for the new head of state King Charles III, with New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern saying she expected her country’s relationship with the royal family to “deepen”, and Australia declaring a one-off public holiday as a national day of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II.

New Zealand held its formal ceremony on parliament’s grounds, with the proceedings led by governer general Cindy Kiro and Ardern, beginning with the national anthem and a prayer in te reo Māori – the Indigenous language.

Continue reading...

Antigua and Barbuda to hold republic referendum within three years, says PM

Prime minister Gaston Browne reiterates plan for referendum in wake of Queen’s death

The prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, has said he will call for a referendum on the country becoming a republic within three years, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Browne signed a document confirming Charles III’s status as the new King, but minutes later, said he would push for a republic referendum after indicating such a move earlier this year during a visit by the Earl and Countess of Wessex.

Continue reading...

King Charles III: royal family, including Anne, Andrew and Edward, greet wellwishers at Balmoral – live

Charles publicly declared new monarch in series of proclamations after historic meeting of accession council

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have charted a path for themselves in California with King Charles’s stamp of approval. Will the Queen’s death change Meghan and Harry’s new chapter?

Lois Beckett writes:

The couple live in the celebrity enclave of Montecito, in a mansion reportedly purchased for $14.65m and have started Archewell, a combination of nonprofit and for-profit ventures that aims to “unleash the power of compassion to drive systemic cultural change”.

In a move that echoes the post-White House ambitions of Barack and Michelle Obama, the pair signed a reported $100m, multi-year deal with Netflix to produce TV shows, films and children’s programs. Meghan launched a Spotify podcast Archetypes, featuring interviews with American celebrity royalty such as Serena Williams, Mariah Carey and Mindy Kaling.

The duo is engaged in several humanitarian organizations, including Harry’s Invictus games, and frequently speak out on public issues…

More scrutiny of Windsor family dynamics and the role these two royal dissenters might play in the reign of Harry’s 73-year-old father, Charles III, is likely, especially given the anticipated release of Harry’s memoir, which is expected to delve into the aftermath of Princess Diana’s death, and Harry and Meghan’s life in the UK before their departure to California.

Continue reading...

MPs and peers retake parliamentary oaths to swear allegiance to King Charles III

First MP to take new oath was Lindsay Hoyle, followed by Harriet Harman and Peter Bottomley, then Liz Truss

MPs and peers, among them Liz Truss, have formally retaken their parliamentary oaths to swear allegiance to the new King, followed by another round of tributes in both parliamentary houses to the late monarch.

The first MP to take the revised oath, which refers to the King rather than Queen, was the Speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, followed by the two longest-serving MPs, Peter Bottomley and Harriet Harman, then Truss and a dozen or so other senior MPs, mainly ministers, shadow ministers and party leaders.

Continue reading...