Buckingham Palace calling: King Charles thanks PM Hasina, wishes Bangladeshis well

King Charles III has thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for personally attending his 'most beloved mother's' state funeral, to be held on Monday morning.

In a telephone call from Buckingham Palace, the new King conveyed his gratitude to the PM.

According to a press release, Charles, who long held the Prince of Wales title as heir to the throne, also thanked the President, as head of state, the Prime Minister, and also the people of Bangladesh for their sincere condolences and sympathies to the Royal family following the death of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

During the call, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, "Her late Majesty was like a mother figure to me and an extraordinary head of the Commonwealth. To pay my personal tribute to her, I decided to attend her state funeral."

The prime minister also informed the new monarch that in Bangladesh, her government observed three days of state mourning as a mark of respect to the late Queen, while special prayers were offered for her eternal peace.

She also took the opportunity to personally felicitate King Charles III on his accession to the throne, and wished him a long and prosperous reign.

Recalling his visit to Bangladesh in 1997, the PM conveyed that Bangladesh had been preparing to welcome him and Camilla, now the Queen Consort, again in just a matter of weeks, at an event to mark the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh-UK diplomatic relations.

King Charles III said, "The Queen Consort and I were so much looking forward to our visit to Bangladesh on the 50th anniversary. However, due to the recent turn of events, unfortunately we are having to cancel it."

The King also extended his best wishes for the people of Bangladesh and the British-Bangladeshi diaspora.

Buckingham Palace, official residence of the British monarch, arranged the phone call for the new King to personally speak to Prime Minister Hasina.