King Charles III gets rave reviews for first speech
King Charles III received laudatory reviews of his first speech as monarch of the United Kingdom on Friday from a variety of British commentators.
King Charles spoke from Buckingham Palace following the death of his mother and predecessor, Queen Elizabeth II, at age 96 after she ruled for more than 70 years. During his address, he paid tribute to his mother and pledged to “uphold the constitutional principles at the heart of our nation.”
“As every member of my family can testify, she combined these qualities with warmth, humor and an unerring ability always to see the best in people,” Charles said, referring to his mother.
The king acknowledged the history of the country since Queen Elizabeth’s reign began but referenced a “time of change” for the royal family.
Simon Lewis, Queen Elizabeth’s former press secretary, called King Charles’s remarks an “incredibly judged speech,” given the circumstances, on CNN.
“I think all the issues people wanted to hear about, he covered, and he covered very eloquently,” Lewis said.
The speech also received praise from Nigel Farage, a British broadcaster and former leader of the Brexit Party, which supported the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union.
Farage said on Twitter that seeing Charles speak to the nation felt “strange” but that he “spoke beautifully about his beloved mother.” He said he saw “real sincerity” in Charles’s words and the inclusion of an “immediate attempt” to state that he would not be political.
Queen Elizabeth stayed away from politics throughout her reign, but King Charles has been vocal on several political issues like the environment and climate change.
He said that as king, he will no longer be able to devote as much of his time to charities and issues that he has cared for previously.
“But I know this important work will go on in the trusted hands of others,” Charles said.
Broadcaster and commentator Piers Morgan said on his show, “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” that two people told him after watching the speech that Charles “nailed it,” calling the speech “amazing.”
Morgan agreed, saying the speech was “perfectly pitched” and “hit all the right notes.”
“It made me feel, as a British subject, confident about the way we’re going to be going under this king,” he said.
Morgan said Charles’s ability to address the country hours after losing his mother is a “remarkable thing.”
Former BBC correspondent and royal commentator Peter Hunt tweeted that King Charles gave a “pitch perfect” speech, honoring his mother and presenting the monarchy as safe in his hands with help from his son and the heir to the throne, Prince William.
Hunt also noted that Charles extended an olive branch to Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, in light of the tension that has existed between them and the rest of the royal family since the couple alleged that the family fostered a toxic environment.
Dan Wootton, the presenter of “Dan Wootton Tonight” and a columnist for the U.K.’s The Daily Mail, made similar points, noting that Charles signaled a willingness to move on from the issues he has advocated for, endorsed William and Kate Middleton as the prince and princess of Wales, respectively, and “expressed love” to Harry and Meghan.
“And most importantly, gave a heartfelt tribute and goodbye to his ‘darling mama’. He has started his reign very well,” Wootton said.
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