Sharjah24 – AFP: King Charles III made his first address to the British parliament on Monday before heading to Scotland, where crowds of mourners massed for a chance to pay their respects before Queen Elizabeth II's coffin.
"I cannot help but feel the weight of history which surrounds us," the 73-year-old king told lawmakers at Westminster Hall in London, where he received parliament's formal condolences.
He vowed to follow the "example of selfless duty" set by his "darling late mother", who died last Thursday aged 96 after a record-breaking 70 years on the throne.
Charles then headed to Edinburgh, where he will walk in procession with other senior royals behind his mother's coffin from the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where it rested overnight, to St Giles' Cathedral.
On Monday evening, the monarch will lead a family vigil at the 12-century cathedral. The public will also be able to pay their respects there before the coffin is flown to London ahead of the funeral on September 19.
Prince Harry -- Charles' younger son, who renounced royal duties in 2020 and moved to the United States -- paid tribute to his grandmother, his "guiding compass".
"You are already sorely missed," the 37-year-old Harry said in his first public statement since the queen's death. He added that he and his American wife Meghan "now honour my father in his new role".
Thousands of people, many in tears, had packed the streets of the Scottish capital on Sunday to see the hearse carrying the queen's oak coffin arrive from the Balmoral estate in the Scottish Highlands where she died.
It was a taste of the crowds expected in London when the late monarch lies in state at Westminster Hall. Her coffin will be there for four days from Wednesday, with reports suggesting there could be queues of up to 20 hours for people wishing to pay their respects.
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