THE SQUIZ
King Charles III has been proclaimed the new monarch of “Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of his other realms and territories” in an ancient ceremony that was televised for the first time from St James’s Palace in London on Saturday. Squaring away the formalities, his wife Camilla became the Queen Consort and his son William and his wife Kate are now the Prince and Princess of Wales. It all took a bit of wrangling, but the King has signed on the line. He spoke before the ceremony, telling his subjects that he would be King for the rest of his life. And he paid tribute to his mother Queen Elizabeth for her “dedication and devotion as Sovereign never wavered”.

I DON’T WANT TO BE INDELICATE, BUT WHERE IS THE QUEEN AT?
Overnight, her coffin was taken from Balmoral in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, to the capital Edinburgh. Thousands of people came out to pay their respects, lining the streets to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where the coffin will rest. Then on Monday local time, King Charles and the Queen Consort will travel to Edinburgh and accompany the Queen’s coffin to St Giles’ Cathedral. The royal family will gather for a service, and members of the public can view her coffin over the following 24 hours – then it’s off to London. But before heading north, King Charles has commitments, like meeting with the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth and the 14 High Commissioners from the countries of which he is head of state, including ours. And while in Scotland, he will see Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and attend the Scottish Parliament. This new king business comes with a lot of meetings…

AND AFTER THAT?
The King has more meetings, and Queen Elizabeth’s coffin has more processions/lying in state. The day-by-day breakdown shows a busy program between now and the funeral on Monday next week. Just on that, Queen Elizabeth’s send-off will take place at Westminster Abbey – the historic church where kings and queens are crowned, including her own coronation in 1953. There hasn’t been a reigning monarch’s funeral service there since King George II’s in 1760, and the break with tradition is said to be her call. She thought a large public place was more appropriate than St George’s Chapel within the grounds of Windsor Castle. In the meantime, her death has brought fractured brothers William and Harry and their wives together. That’s something that could not be achieved in the last couple of years of Queen Elizabeth’s life…