Flags have been raised to full mast at the British Embassy in The Hague and the residence of the ambassador in celebration of the proclamation of King Charles III.

The new king of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and head of the Commonwealth was formally proclaimed at a meeting of the Accession Council in St James’s Palace in London.

He has been king since the death of Britain’s longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, on Thursday afternoon.

In the ceremony, the new king spoke of his grief for his late mother, saying he suspected the ‘whole world sympathised with me in the irreparable loss we have all suffered’ before promising formally to defend the protestant religion.

The British Embassy in The Hague has opened a book of condolence for people who want to pay their respects to the late queen, which will be available at the embassy on Lange Voorhout from 10am to 5pm Monday to Wednesday and until 8pm on Thursday.

There will also be a service to commemorate her life on Thursday, September 15 at the Anglican church of St John and St Philip in The Hague, starting at 11am.

According to a statement from the embassy, flags will be lowered to half-mast again on Sunday to observe the national mourning period for the late queen. Her funeral will take place on Monday, September 19.