King Charles III has been appointed the new monarch of the United Kingdom.

On Thursday morning, Queen Elizabeth II, monarch of the United Kingdom for the past 70 years, passed away at the age of 96. The Queen passed peacefully in her sleep at her Scottish estate where she had been spending the summer season. In memoriam of the Queen’s passing, many businesses throughout the British metropolitan area have closed their doors today to mourn.

Following the news of his mother’s passing, the now-King Charles III was automatically appointed the new monarch of the United Kingdom. In a public statement, the King said that his mother’s death was a “moment of great sadness” for his family.

“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother.

“I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.”

The King said that he and his family have taken comfort in the “knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which the Queen was so widely held.”

British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who was one of the last officials to meet with the Queen at her appointment last Tuesday, offered some hopeful words for the era of the new King, and well-wishes to his family. “We offer him our loyalty and devotion, just as his mother devoted so much, to so many, for so long.

“And with the passing of the second Elizabethan age, we usher in a new era in the magnificent history of our great country, exactly as Her Majesty would have wished, by saying the words ‘God save the King’.”