Queen death: King Charles makes William and Kate Prince and Princess of Wales

King Charles III has paid a heartfelt tribute to his late mother QueenElizabeth II, ending his speech to the nation with the words: “May ‘flights of angels sing thee to thy rest’.”

The audio of the King’s televised address was broadcast in St Paul’s Cathedral at 6pm as hundreds of people gathered for the service of prayer and reflection.

Before the address was played in the cathedral, Charles was referred to as “our new King”.

He said: “And to my darling Mama, as you begin your last great journey to join my dear late Papa, I want simply to say this: thank you.

"Thank you for your love and devotion to our family and to the family of nations you have served so diligently all these years.

"May ‘flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest’."

In the address broadcast on the BBC, the King said his mother pledged to devote her life “to the service of her peoples” on her 21st birthday in 1947.

He said: “That was more than a promise: it was a profound personal commitment which defined her whole life.”

The King said: “My life will of course change as I take up my new responsibilities.”

He added: “It will no longer be possible for me to give so much of my time and energies to the charities and issues for which I care so deeply.

“But I know this important work will go on in the trusted hands of others.”

The King pledged himself to the “constitutional principles” at the “heart of our nation” and to serve the UK and other countries where he is head of state with “loyalty, respect and love”.

He said: “As the Queen herself did with such unswerving devotion, I too now solemnly pledge myself, throughout the remaining time God grants me, to uphold the Constitutional principles at the heart of our nation.

“And wherever you may live in the United Kingdom, or in the Realms and territories across the world, and whatever may be your background or beliefs, I shall endeavour to serve you with loyalty, respect and love, as I have throughout my life.”

He went on to say his eldest son and heir, William, assumes the Scottish titles “which have meant so much to me”, and succeeds him as the Duke of Cornwall.

He said: “Today, I am proud to create him Prince of Wales, Tywysog Cymru, the country whose title I have been so greatly privileged to bear during so much of my life and duty.

“With Catherine beside him, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I know, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations, helping to bring the marginal to the centre ground where vital help can be given.

“I want also to express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas.”

Following the King’s address, Dean of St Paul’s Andrew Tremlett paid tribute to the Queen.

He said: “With proud thanksgiving, we gather in this cathedral today to mourn the death of our Sovereign Lady, Queen Elizabeth the Second.

“We celebrate her love for her family, her commitment to duty, and her calling to create unity and concord at the heart of the Commonwealth.”

Prime minister Liz Truss then gave a Bible reading from Romans 14. 7-12.

She said: “We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves.

“If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”