After receiving condolences from the Welsh parliament following the Queen’s death, the king said he was “deeply grateful”. King Charles, who has been Prince of Wales for 64 years, said in Welsh: “I know the Senedd and the people of Wales share my sadness. Wales had a special place in her heart.” Funeral rehearsals held at dawn – live updates The country’s First Minister Mark Drakeford paid tribute to the Queen and described her reign as “unrivalled in length and scope”. Image: King Charles greets the crowds Earlier, the King and Queen consort attended a memorial service for the Queen at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff. As they arrived in Wales by helicopter, the King waved to cheering crowds as a royal gun salute was fired. The couple were then taken to the cathedral, where Prime Minister Liz Truss was among those attending the service. The Archbishop of Wales, Bishop Andy John of Bangor, made the King smile after he said at the service: “We’ll never look at a jam jar the same way again,” referring to the Queen’s portrayal of Paddington Bear in her Platinum. Feast. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 3:20 King greets well-wishers in Cardiff The King and Queen Consort then shook hands with the Cardiff crowd, who greeted him with cheers and flowers. King Charles then traveled to Cardiff Castle where he met Mr Drakeford. The first 2,000 people in line at the castle were allowed entry. While thousands of people were expected to join the crowd, an anti-monarchy protest was expected outside. Follow The Daily Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker The trip marks the next leg of the monarch’s home nations tour after visiting Northern Ireland and Scotland following the Queen’s death. Read more: The queue to see the Queen lie in state could end. Grief and chance of state funerals ‘working’ Meghan joins royal family as Queen leaves Buckingham Palace After his visit to Wales, King Charles will return to London for a vigil by the Queen’s coffin at Westminster Hall with Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Prince Andrew at around 7.30pm. Meanwhile, thousands of people will continue to queue to see the Queen lie in state at Westminster Hall. The queue to see the coffin was closed for six hours on Friday morning after it reached capacity – stretching 4.9 miles with a 14-hour waiting time, the Department for Digital Media, Culture and Sport said. Image: Watch and watch the Queen’s funeral on TV, web and apps on Monday from 9am
