King Charles Leads Royal Family Tributes to Queen Elizabeth 1 Year On

King Charles III has led members of the royal family in paying tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II on the first anniversary of her death.

Elizabeth was Britain's longest-serving monarch, reigning for over 70 years, before her death last year at the age of 96 while spending the summer at her Scottish home, Balmoral Castle. The day Elizabeth died, her son, Charles, took on the crown, making today also the first anniversary of his accession.

In a special tribute sent from Buckingham Palace on Friday, the king honored his mother's devotion to duty and thanked the public for supporting him in taking on her responsibilities.

"In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majesty's death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us," King Charles said in a statement that was also released as an audio message on the royal family's social media channels.

"I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all," he said.

The king was not the only member of his family to send a message of tribute to the late queen. Her granddaughter, Princess Eugenie, posted a never-before-seen photo of the pair with a special message on Instagram.

"Thinking of you today," wrote Eugenie, the youngest daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. "Missing you so much but remembering what a life of service, love and dedication to everyone and to your family, who loved you so very much. Forever grateful to you. And always in my heart."

Sarah Ferguson also joined her daughter in posting a message to Instagram, writing of her experience as one of the late monarch's daughters-in-law, having married Prince Andrew in 1986 and divorced in 1996.

"You were a wonderful friend, a mentor, a second mother to me and grandmother to my daughters who share so much of your courage and heart," she wrote on Friday. "You will always be loved and missed by our family and our nation."

The Prince and Princess of Wales also paid tribute on their social media channels, sharing photographs of the late monarch with their children. In a personally authored message, the couple wrote: "Today we remember the extraordinary life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We all miss you. W & C."

William and Kate took in a private memorial service to the queen at St David's Cathedral on Friday during a visit to Wales.

As well as members of the royal family, a number of high-profile public figures shared their memories of the late queen, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who recalled her "wisdom" and "sharp wit" during meetings when he was chancellor of the exchequer.

Sunak was the first British prime minister to be appointed by King Charles. Queen Elizabeth appointed his predecessor, Liz Truss, just two days before her death.

One of the late queen's closest and controversial aides also posted a tribute on social media.

Angela Kelly, who rose through the royal ranks as the queen's dresser, ultimately becoming one of her closest staff members, took to Instagram on Friday to write: "I will never forget you. I will always love you. I miss you my friend."

Kelly was slammed earlier this year by Prince Harry, who claimed the aide had been obstructive before his marriage to Meghan Markle in 2018 in an incident over the duchess' wedding tiara. The incident was nicknamed "tiaragate" by the British press.

Kelly did not respond to the prince's claims in his memoir and earlier this year vacated her home on the grounds of Windsor Castle after leaving royal service when the queen died.

There was no national event planned to mark the one-year anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death.

King Charles attended church on Friday morning while staying at Balmoral Castle, keeping a tradition observed by Queen Elizabeth whereby she spent her accession day at Sandringham House in Norfolk where her own father had died.

The king was joined at the church service by Queen Camilla.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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