Historic moment as Charles III proclaimed King of Gibraltar

King Charles III was proclaimed King of Gibraltar during a historic parade in Convent Place at midday on Sunday.

The proclamation statement was read by the Governor, Vice Admiral Sir David Steel, from the balcony of The Convent, where he was joined by Gibraltar’s political, civic and religious leaders.

It was a public pledge of Gibraltar’s continued allegiance and loyalty to the British Crown.

Large crowds gathered in Convent Place to watch a parade of soldiers from the Royal Gibraltar Regiment and men and women from Gibraltar’s various uniformed bodies and to hear the proclamation.

After the proclamation, Sir David declared “God save the King” and led the parade and the crowds in three resounding cheers for Charles III.

The proclamation in Gibraltar unfolded at the same time as the Queen’s coffin left Balmoral on a six-hour journey to Edinburgh, where it will lie at St Giles’ Cathedral.

In bright sunshine, the hearse carrying the late monarch passed through the gates of the royal residence which was the summer refuge for the former head of state.

Draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland and with a wreath of flowers on top, it had remained at rest in the Balmoral ballroom so the late monarch’s loyal estate workers can say their last goodbyes.

The proclamation in Gibraltar - and others on Sunday in different locations around the UK - came a day after King Charles III paid tribute to the reign of the late Queen, “unequalled in its duration, its dedication and its devotion”, as he was formally declared the nation’s new monarch.

The new monarch became King the moment his mother died, but tradition holds that an Accession Council must be convened following the death of a Sovereign – usually within 24 hours.

During a poignant and sombre meeting of the Accession Council on Saturday, the King spoke movingly about his mother and the grief his family is experiencing, but said the “sympathy expressed by so many to my sister and brothers” had been the “greatest consolation”.

Watched by the Queen Consort, the new Prince of Wales and more than 200 privy counsellors – including six former prime ministers – the King pledged himself to the task now before him and the “heavy responsibilities of Sovereignty”.

After the proclamation in Gibraltar on Sunday, the Royal Gibraltar Regiment fired a 21-gun salute from Devil’s Gap Battery.

In Convent Place, the band of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment played God Save the King.

Flags over official buildings had been raised on Saturday to mark the proclamation of King Charles III in London and here.

After the last salvo from Devil’s Gap Battery, they were again lowered to half-mast as the period of mourning for the passing of the Queen continues.

The Queen’s state funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey on September 19 at 11am.