{"id":42861,"date":"2025-04-23T04:06:12","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T04:06:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/42861\/"},"modified":"2025-04-23T04:06:12","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T04:06:12","slug":"king-charles-orders-somber-change-in-royal-households-taking-immediate-effect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/42861\/","title":{"rendered":"King Charles Orders Somber Change in Royal Households Taking Immediate Effect"},"content":{"rendered":"

King Charles III<\/a><\/strong> recently ordered a somber change in royal households, taking immediate effect following the death of Pope Francis<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

On Easter Monday, April 21, Pope Francis\u2014born Jorge Mario Bergoglio<\/strong><\/a>\u2014died at 88 following a 38-day hospitalization<\/a> due to complications from pneumonia. (His cause of death<\/a> was not directly related, however.)<\/p>\n

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In the wake of the death of the leader of the Catholic Church, King Charles ordered flags to be flown at half-mast at his homes to honor Pope Francis, Hello! magazine reported<\/a>. The British monarch instructed solemn music to be played during the Changing of the Guard.<\/p>\n

Flags were similarly flown at half-mast when Queen Elizabeth II<\/strong> died<\/a> in 2022, and her husband, Prince Philip<\/strong> died<\/a> in 2021. As in the U.S., half-mast flags are a sign of respect following the death of a politician or other public leader.<\/p>\n

After the announcement of Pope Francis’ death, King Charles and Queen Camilla<\/a><\/strong> issued a statement.<\/p>\n

“My wife and I were most deeply saddened to learn of the death of Pope Francis,” he wrote, in part, in a message shared via Instagram<\/a>. “Our heavy hearts have been somewhat eased, however, to know that His Holiness was able to share an Easter Greeting with the Church<\/a> and the world he served with such devotion throughout his life and ministry.”<\/p>\n

King Charles added, “His Holiness will be remembered for his compassion, his concern for the unity of the Church and for his tireless commitment to the common causes of all people of faith, and to those of goodwill who work for the benefit of others.”<\/p>\n

Next: Prince William Announces Major Royal Shake-Up With Key Individual Stepping Down<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n