Recalling Queen Elizabeth II’s youthful promise of a lifetime of duty and service, and that of making “the world of tomorrow a better and happier place” was the central focus of King Charles’s remembrances of his late mother on the eve of what would have been her 100th birthday.
In a video message filmed at the library of Balmoral Castle, the late queen’s beloved Scottish bolthole, King Charles spoke to the Commonwealth about his ‘beloved mother’ and the ‘blessings of her memory’ four years after her death. He was flanked by two portraits of his mother: one of Queen Elizabeth II as a child and one in her later years.
“Queen Elizabeth’s ‘promise with destiny kept’ shaped the world around her and touched the lives of countless people across our nation, the Commonwealth and beyond,” the King said.
“Her near-century was one of remarkable change and yet, through each passing decade, through every transformation, she remained constant, steadfast and wholly devoted to the people she served.”
On her 21st birthday in 1947, then-Princess Elizabeth spoke to the Commonwealth from South Africa, pledging that her whole life, “whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”
As her eldest son reflected: “Much about the times we now live in I suspect may have troubled her deeply, but I take heart from her belief that goodness will always prevail and that a brighter dawn is never far from the horizon.”
The King also recalled Queen Elizabeth II’s first-ever public broadcast, recorded at Windsor Castle in 1940 amidst the Second World War, how she spoke to the children of the world and said that they all had a part to play “to make the world of tomorrow a better and happier place.”
He continued, encouraging the world, “young or old, and whatever our differences,” to follow the late queen’s lead and “strive together towards a ‘better, happier tomorrow’ — one rooted in peace, justice, prosperity and security.”
The King also spoke of Queen Elizabeth II’s connection to people around the world and the many ways to remember the late queen, including at “moments of national significance” or “for a fleeting personal encounter, a smile, a kind word that lifted spirits” or for “that marvellous twinkle of the eye when sharing a marmalade sandwich with Paddington Bear in the final months of her life.”
In the closing moment of his speech, King Charles reaffirmed his own accession vow of service and duty. In September 2022, in an address to the Commonwealth, the King said: “I too now solemnly pledge myself, throughout the remaining time God grants me, to uphold the constitutional principles at the heart of our nation… I shall endeavour to serve you with loyalty, respect and love, as I have throughout my life.”
Then, ever the dutiful son, he spoke directly to his mother. “God bless you, darling Mama; you remain forever in our hearts and prayers.”
