King Charles III has addressed MPs and peers ahead of the late Queen’s journey to London where she will be lying in state this week.

The King thanked speeches from the speakers of the House of Lord and House of Commons by what “so touchingly encompass what our late sovereign, my beloved mother, the Queen, meant to us all”.

“As Shakespeare said of the earlier Queen Elizabeth: “She was a pattern to all princes living”,” he said.

“As I stand before you today, I cannot help feel the weight of history which surrounds us and reminds us of the vital parliamentary traditions, to which the members of both houses dedicate yourselves with such personal commitment to the betterment of us all.”

King Charles III gives his address thanking the members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons for their condolences, at Westminster Hall, London, as the Queen Consort looks on, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

The new monarch’s short speech was made in Parliament’s Westminster Hall to an audience of politicians including Liz Truss, the new Prime Minister, and Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the opposition.

In reply to addresses from both Houses of Parliament, Charles said: “Parliament is the living and breathing instrument of our democracy.

“That your traditions are ancient we see in the construction of this great hall and the reminders of mediaeval predecessors of the office to which I have been called and the tangible connections to my darling late mother we see all around us”.

Following the King’s address, the audience stood and the national anthem was sung in Westminster Hall.

The King and Queen Consort then departed, followed by the Lords and Commons Speakers.

He has now embarked on a short tour of the nations of the United Kingdom, where he will today head to Scotland to attend a vigil for his late mother alongside Liz Truss, the Prime Minister.

Tomorrow he is due to visit Northern Ireland, before heading to Wales on Friday ahead of the Queen’s state funeral on Monday.

The King and Queen Consort have boarded a plane to Edinburgh at RAF Northolt in Hillingdon, west London.

Charles and Camilla waved at dozens of members of the public as they arrived in a Rolls Royce with a police escort at about 11.15am on Monday.

They are due to fly to Edinburgh where Charles will lead the royal family in a procession as the late Queen’s coffin is moved from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to nearby St Giles’ Cathedral.

King Charles says he feels 'the weight of history' as he addresses Parliament