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Rosemary for remembrance and Queen’s corgi vase feature in King’s address

Touching tributes to the late monarch formed part of the setting for Charles’s televised broadcast from Buckingham Palace.

Laura Elston
Friday 09 September 2022 22:01 BST
Members of the public in The Prince Harry Pub, Windsor, watching a broadcast of King Charles III (John Walton/PA)
Members of the public in The Prince Harry Pub, Windsor, watching a broadcast of King Charles III (John Walton/PA) (PA Wire)

Touching tributes to the Queen – from a vase decorated with corgis to rosemary for remembrance – featured in the King’s historic address to the nation.

Charles was sat at an antique polished desk in Buckingham Palace’s Blue Drawing Room, one of the grand state rooms, where the Queen would sometimes film her Christmas broadcasts.

To the King’s left was a framed photograph he chose himself of his late mother the Queen, smiling broadly and wearing a vivid blue coat and matching hat decorated with a red flower.

The King delivers his address to the nation (Yui Mok/PA) (PA Wire)

It was taken in 2010 during a visit to see the scallop industry and local food producers in Kirkcudbright, Scotland, Buckingham Palace said.

And on the right, delicate white sweet peas set with sprigs of rosemary – the herb a traditional symbol of remembrance – were placed in memory of Elizabeth II.

The posy stood in a small silver vase – at the base of which were several small silver playful-looking corgis.

The ornament was used by the Queen when she used to sit at the very same desk.

It was a touching nod to the monarch’s love of her favourite dogs, who were a constant source of happiness during her long reign.

The Queen after recording her Christmas Day broadcast in the Blue Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace in 2013 (John Stillwell/PA) (PA Wire)

The Blue Drawing Room, designed by John Nash, is decorated with pairs of scagliola columns, painted to resemble onyx in 1860.

There are five cut-glass chandeliers, an assortment of settees, chairs and tables, and it is often used for royal receptions.

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