King Charles III’s emotional speech to a grieving nation made front pages on Saturday, which highlighted his tender language with his “dear mother” and his promise to serve the people in a similar way to the queen’s
The Times used a cover showing a contemplative Charles outside Buckingham Palace, and its inside cover depicted him in the Blue Room inside the palace, at a desk with a photo of his mother. The headline is “I promise you”.
The Guardian uses a picture of Charles taking a moment of quiet reflection and carries a line from Friday’s speech as its headline: “I will strive to serve you with loyalty and love.” It carries a 40-page supplement inside, which describes a royal life.
The Daily Mail carried the most emotional picture of a tearful Charles delivering his address, which it described as “an exquisite and deeply personal tribute” to the Queen. It’s headlined: “Tearful Charles’ Tribute to His Beloved Mother.”
Somber tones dominate the front page of the Daily Mirror, which looks ahead to the poignant style of leadership Charles wants to exercise. Depicting him sitting at his desk, the headline is “Our New King’s Pledge to the Nation… Loyalty, Respect, Love.”
The Daily Telegraph looks at Charles’ thanks to his mother and his promise to follow her example during his reign. “To my dear mother, thank you” is the headline. Indicators for commenting on the pieces dominate the bottom half, describing everything from personal encounters with King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth II to how the Queen tried to be good, rather than the “Queen of Hearts”.
The i weekend reads simply “My darling Mama” in its headline and features Charles doing a royal wave, with Camilla, now Queen Consort, behind him.
The Sun continue to use a rich shade of purple on the front and have placed “God Save the King” below their logo. On its cover, Charles gazes admiringly at his mother, with the headline ‘To my dear mother, thank you’. Its wrapper highlights three key quotes from Friday’s speech: first, one about his love for wife Camilla, who is now the Queen consort; second, William and Catherine become Prince and Princess of Wales; and finally his love for Harry and Meghan.
The FT Weekend features a full-width picture of Charles, showing him engaging with supporters outside Buckingham Palace, and the headline: “I will strive to serve with loyalty, respect and love.” A dispatch at the bottom of the page describes the scenes outside the palace as dignified, with a crowd drawn from all walks of life. “These are the days when Britain does it right, when the country shakes off its doubts and commands attention,” write Henry Mance and Jennifer Williams.
The Daily Express shows a slightly red-faced Charles during his speech and its headline is the Hamlet quote he used in his message to his mother: “Let ‘the flights of angels sing to you in your rest'”.
The Daily Record highlights Charles’ principles of “loyalty, respect and love” and also includes a picture of the Queen in the prime of her youth for her retirement.
The National gives its front page to a boy adding a floral tribute to the many already laid on the ground, saying in its headline “Scotland pays its tribute”.