King Charles paid a tender tribute to his late mother, Queen Elizabeth, on Tuesday (local time), on what would have been her 100th birthday, saying that his ‘dear Mama’ ‘will forever remain in our hearts and prayers’.
Elizabeth, the United Kingdom’s longest-reigning monarch, was born on April 21, 1926, and spent 70 years on the throne before her death in September 2022 at age 96.
In a televised statement, Charles said that his mother had shaped the world around her and touched the lives of countless people.
“Wonderful Sparkle in the Eyes”
‘Today, as we mark what would have been my beloved mother’s 100th birthday, my family and I paused to reflect on the life and the loss of a sovereign who meant so much to all of us, and to celebrate once again the many blessings of her memory,’ he said.
‘Millions of people will remember her for moments of national significance; many others for a fleeting personal encounter, a smile, a kind word that lifted spirits, or for that wonderful sparkle in her eyes as she shared a marmalade sandwich with Paddington Bear in the final months of her life.’
Elizabeth did not expect to become queen when she was born, but after her uncle Edward VIII abdicated to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson, her father became King George VI when she was ten years old. She then became queen in 1952, at the age of 25.
To mark the centenary of her birth, the royal family is carrying out a series of events this week. On Monday, Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, visited a new exhibition devoted to her fashion.
On Tuesday, the king and other members of the royal family will visit the British Museum to view the final designs for a national memorial to Elizabeth in St James’s Park, London, featuring statues of the queen and her late husband, Prince Philip.
‘The nation will celebrate her extraordinary reign with a memorial that provides a place of reflection for future generations,’ said Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a statement.
Charles’s sister, Princess Anne, will officially inaugurate the Queen Elizabeth II Garden in Regent’s Park, London, and the king will host a reception at Buckingham Palace in the evening.
‘I suspect that many things about the times we live in now may have troubled her deeply, but I take comfort in her belief that kindness will always prevail and that a brighter dawn is never far over the horizon,’ said Charles. ‘God bless you, dear Mama. You will forever remain in our hearts and prayers.’
