By Mariella Mandurio
He breaks the rules for mom.
A year ago today, the world looked to Scotland in shock: On September 8, 2022, Queen Elizabeth II († 96) died in her summer residence at Balmoral Castle. Exactly one year later, son King Charles III commemorated. (74) his mom in a very special way.
On the first anniversary of his mother’s death, King Charles publishes a moving and touching tribute to the former monarch. Surprising: He is breaking the Queen’s 70-year tradition.
Charles had actually planned to spend his mother’s death and his own mournful accession to the throne in Scotland in quiet remembrance.
Elizabeth also did this after the death of her father, King George VI. (†56). Without saying a word to the public, she spent the sad hours at her father’s death site at his country residence, Sandringham House in Norfolk. In all silence.
However, in recent weeks, Charles has changed his mind about how HE wants to grieve. As the “DailyMail” reported that the country’s sadness over the death of the Queen touched him deeply and at the same time filled him with pride.
A previously unpublished photo of the Queen from October 16, 1968. She was 42 years old at the time Photo: Royal Collection Trust/His Majesty King Charles III 2023/via REUTERS
Letter to mom
In a letter to his beloved mother, the 74-year-old breaks the decades-long tradition of silence. His words were posted on the official Instagram account: “On the first anniversary of Her Late Majesty’s death and my accession to the throne, we remember with great affection her long life, her dedicated service and all that she meant to so many of us has.”
The King continued: “I am also deeply grateful for the love and support shown to my wife and I this year as we did our best to serve you all.”
Unpublished photo of the Queen
The letter is signed “Charles R.”, which stands for Charles Rex (Latin for king). Another surprise is that a previously unpublished photo of the Queen can be seen, which the King personally chose to pay tribute to her.
The royal family writes on its website: “The picture of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was taken on October 16, 1968 at Buckingham Palace as part of an official meeting by Cecil Beaton (1904-80). It was chosen by His Majesty the King to celebrate the anniversary.”
The photograph was exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in November 1968 and March 1969, but was otherwise not available to the public. According to DailyMail, Charles chose the photo because of the “lovely” look in his mother’s eyes.
She has always been at his side for years, even on the anniversary of the death of his mother: Queen Camilla Photo: Hugo Burnand/Clarence House via AP
The original plan of the King and his wife Camilla (76) was that they would spend today in Scotland at Balmoral Castle (where the Queen died), but return to their own home (Birkhall) in the evening.
As with his homage, Charles changed his mind again and decided to spend the evening with Camilla at Balmoral Castle. A source told DailyMail: “I think it will be a comfort to be surrounded by so much of the familiar.”