I travelled to London to experience the historical change of monarch on Saturday and see the new King.
After hearing about the death of the Queen and, like many, being left in shock at the loss of such a monumental figure, I decided to make my way to the capital to see for myself the reaction of the public.
As I walked through the main gates to enter the front part of Buckingham Palace, I found myself cramped in a crowd of tens of thousands of people as barriers stopped the masses from walking on the roads.
I saw a woman climbing the gate outside the square to hang her flowers on top of the many already hung there.
Read more: Hundreds attend proclamation of King Charles III in Eastleigh
As I walked through the gates and into the square, it got less cramped.
I got to see just the sheer number of people standing outside like me, just staring at the Palace hoping that the King would come outside.
The first sense that came to me was the smell of flowers as thousands had been placed before the Palace gates and were now being moved to Green Park.
Read more: What is happening and when in the days leading to Queen's funeral
It was just after 3pm on Saturday, and the King had come back to Buckingham Palace after the Proclamation just down the road at St James's Palace.
Standing by Queen Victoria’s memorial, I noticed the silence resting over the crowds despite there being thousands of people there.
The only sound that pierced through the silence was the engines of vans and trucks slowly driving, carrying traffic barriers.
The overall sentiment wasn’t that of grief - with that said there were a lot of people taking the time to pay their respects, but some were also there with the slight hope of seeing the new King.
While waiting, many men in suits came out from the Palace. Two of them just happened to be Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, and Ian Blackford, Leader of the Scottish National Party.
I was there for around three hours, taking in the moment, hoping to see the monarch and the Queen Consort.
At last, they came out in their royal limousine.
After a tense 45 minutes of seeing the police motorbikes waiting outside the gates, the car finally drove out, slowly, as the new monarch waved to the crowds.
There was now a more celebrative mood as people smiled and some shouted ‘God save the King’.
As the car went past us, I jogged along the Mall, alongside the Rolls Royce, as enthusiastic crowds greeted the monarch.
The King and Queen Consort got out of the car and greeted the crowds, and walked into the gates of Clarence House.
This moment had clearly encouraged the public, as some had the chance to speak to King Charles as he made his way into the residence.
In the coming days, as the Queen’s coffin arrives in London, crowds will flock for the final chance to pay their respects to the late monarch, which will undoubtedly make London the centre of the world’s attention.
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