King Charles III addressed both houses of Parliament and received condolences from British lawmakers on Monday, the first time he has done so as sovereign and head of state of the United Kingdom.

“I cannot help but feel the weight of history, which surrounds us,” said the new king, as he and his wife Camilla, Queen Consort, heard condolences from the speakers of both houses of Parliament at Westminster Hall before heading to Edinburgh to meet with the Scottish Parliament.

The ceremony, held under the hammer-beam roof of Westminster Hall, is an important one in cementing the relationship between government and the monarch. It was also the start of a busy day for the new king, who is about to embark on a four-nation mourning tour.

Speaking at a gilded lectern, the king said that he was “deeply grateful” for the condolences, saying the sentiment “so touchingly encompasses” what his “darling” late mother meant to everyone. Charles referenced William Shakespeare when describing his mother’s legacy: “As Shakespeare says of the earlier Queen Elizabeth, she was ‘a pattern to all princes living.’ ”... Read More: Washington Post