The meaning behind King Charles' 'flights of angels' line from first public address
09.09.2022 - 21:39
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
King Charles III ended his historic address to the nation tonight with a very poignant message to his mother with his 'flights of angels' line. Towards the end of his speech, the new King turned attention back to his late mother and made a reference to his father Prince Philip.
Tributes have been flooding in for Queen Elizabeth from around the world as a period of national mourning begins, following her death yesterday at Balmoral. King Charles returned to London today from Scotland as his reign began in earnest and delivered a tear-jerking video message to the public.
Many viewers were deeply moved by the new king's powerful words, but some were left wondering what the meaning was behind his final line.
READ MORE: The Queen died with Charles and Anne at her bedside as other senior royals rushed to Balmoral in vain
"And to my darling Mama, as you begin your last great journey to join my dear late Papa, I want simply to say this: thank you," he stated. Thank you for your love and devotion to our family and to the family of nations you have served so diligently all these years.
"May 'flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest'."
So what exactly does that mean? King Charles was actually quoting from William Shakespeare's epic play Hamlet. In the final scene of the tragedy, almost every character lies dead on the stage and the titular character is dying in his friend Horatio's arms.
When Hamlet passes, Horatio is left alone with bodies all around and looks down to his friend to say an iconic line. "Now cracks a noble heart. Good night, sweet prince," says Horatio, before adding: "And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."
The famous line is frequently used by people to express their respect when someone dies . In the rest