King Charles III says death of Queen Elizabeth II was a 'moment I've been dreading' in meeting with PM Truss

close

Video

King Charles III addresses a nation in mourning after queen's death

King Charles III makes his first speech to the nation in his new role as the U.K.'s reigning monarch.

King Charles III said that the death of Queen Elizabeth II was a "moment I've been dreading" in a meeting with the United Kingdom's Prime Minister Liz Truss on Friday.

His comments come one day after Queen Elizabeth II died in Scotland at Balmoral Castle at the age of 96.

"It's the moment I've been dreading, as I know a lot of people have," King Charles III said, according to BBC. "But you try and keep everything going."

In a speech delivered to the nation on Friday, King Charles III said that Queen Elizabeth II is "mourned most deeply in her passing."

KING CHARLES III NAMES WILLIAM PRINCE OF WALES, EXPRESSES 'LOVE' FOR HARRY AND MEGHAN

King Charles III said that the death of Queen Elizabeth II was a "moment I've been dreading" in a meeting with the United Kingdom's Prime Minister Liz Truss on Friday. (The Royal Family)

"Alongside the personal grief that all my family are feeling, we also share with so many of you in the United Kingdom, in all the countries where The Queen was Head of State, in the Commonwealth and across the world, a deep sense of gratitude for the more than seventy years in which my Mother, as Queen, served the people of so many nations," King Charles III said.

QUEEN ELIZABETH II REMEMBERED AS KING CHARLES III ASCENDS THE BRITISH THRONE

Truss took part in what would be Queen Elizabeth II's final royal engagement on Tuesday at Balmoral Castle, when she was appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Truss said that Queen Elizabeth II was the "rock on which modern Britain was built," following her passing on Thursday.

Britain's King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, arrive at Buckingham Palace after traveling from Balmoral following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday, in London, Friday, September 9, 2022.  (Victoria Jones/PA via AP)

"On behalf of a grieving nation I offer my deepest condolences on the passing of Her Majesty," Truss said. "The thoughts of this government and this nation are with His Majesty The King and his family."

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also visited Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday and resigned from office.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Britain's King Charles III delivers his address to the nation and the Commonwealth from Buckingham Palace, London, Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday.  (Yui Mok/Pool Photo via AP)

"I am like one of those booster rockets that has fulfilled its function," Johnson said. "I will now be gently re-entering the atmosphere and splashing down invisibly in some remote and obscure corner of the Pacific."

Fox News' Lori Bashian and Ronn Blitzer contributed to this report.