Similar to his "darling mama" 11 months earlier, King Charles appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony to the sound of rapturous applause.
The momentous event - greeted with a thunderous roar - was as symbolic because it was historic. The institutional baton had been handed - formally now - to the late Queen's eldest son.
The burden of the UK and the Commonwealth now rests upon his shoulders.
There proudly stood a King who, as inheritor to the throne, had waited a lifetime for this second.
And even the rain - a deluge throughout components of the day - did not dampen his parade, or the unbridled pleasure of lots of of hundreds of well-wishers from internationally who had squeezed on to The Mall to witness this massively vital second in time.
The beaming grin on his face completely summed up the temper of the nation. Amid the gloom, actually, and after a tumultuous few years of collective heartache, smiles abounded.
Shortly after 2.30pm, the doorways to the well-known balustrade opened and out stepped the newly topped King.
Dressed within the ermine cloak worn on the ceremony earlier, bedecked with the Imperial Crown and flanked by Queen Camilla, sporting Queen Mary's Crown, he took a second to course of the extraordinary sight beneath him.
The mile to Admiralty Arch was a sea of pink, white and blue. The fantastic vista prompted a momentary glimmer of disbelief, earlier than an enormous smile of enjoyment, and the primary of many regal waves.
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Extraordinary photographs of the late Queen tentatively strolling on to the balcony to raucous cheers on the climax of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations final 12 months rank among the many most iconic of her reign.
Her triumphant look alongside her household ended up being her remaining salute to a grateful nation.
Yesterday, eight months after her passing, the sense of reduction for Charles was palpable as he gave his first as monarch.
Moments later he was joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales, their youngsters George, Charlotte and Louis, who danced a jig of enjoyment because the cheering crowd broke out right into a spontaneous rendition of God Save the King.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, their youngsters, James, Earl of Wessex and Woman Louise Windsor, Princess Anne and her husband Vice-Admiral Sir Tim Laurence added to the line-up.
It was a very British second. Because the rain teemed down, Union flags waved and an enormous crowd raced in direction of the Palace gates to catch a glimpse of the King's new-look "Agency".
Shortly after, identical to his mom had achieved on that wonderful June afternoon final 12 months, the brand new King and his household marvelled at a spectacular flypast by the Pink Arrows.
The flypast was slightly shorter than deliberate due to the gray skies - however the pink, white and blue of the Pink Arrows greater than made up for the drizzle.
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Some 68 planes had been scheduled to participate, together with Spitfire fighters and Lancaster bombers from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
In the long run, the three-minute flypast consisted solely of helicopters and the RAF's well-known Pink Arrows Aerobatic Workforce led by "Pink 1" and Squadron Chief Tom Bould.
And the Prince of Wales later took to Twitter to thank all these concerned, sharing a joke with the helicopter crews.
Together with a smiley face emoji,William, a helicopter pilot himself, wrote: "Thought the rotary crews did the heavy lifting... good flying circumstances when you ask me. A giant thanks to everybody for making right now occur."
Because the final of the patriotic plumes of smoke evaporated, the royal delegation headed inside, just for the King and Queen to re-emerge.
It was one other spotlight of a breathless and wonderful day.
That all of it came about within the shadow of the Queen Victoria Memorial was totally becoming. It was unveiled by Charles's great-grandfather, King George V, in 1911.
Continuity and fortitude have been hallmarks of his mom's faultless 70-year reign.
And the King has vowed to proceed her work and legacy.
The tidal wave of smiles from adoring households on The Mall was a patriotic show which firmly suggests he has his individuals onside.
Most recognise the cohesion, power and sturdiness that the monarchy offers in unsettling instances and want him properly.