King Charles III mentioned his 'love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas' in his first speech as king

• King Charles III paid tribute to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in his very first speech as monarch.
• Charles expressed his "love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas."

King Charles III mentioned his love for his son, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle during his first speech as king on Friday.

Charles III delivered a speech from Buckingham Palace following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. She was 96 years old.

In a statement sent to Insider, Buckingham Palace said the Queen "died peacefully at Balmoral" on Thursday.

King Charles III spent most of his first speech as monarch paying tribute to his mother and her historic 70-year reign on the throne.

"In 1947, on her 21st birthday, she pledged in a broadcast from Cape Town to devote her life — whether it be short or long — to the service of her people," he said. "That was more than a promise, it was a profound personal commitment which defined her whole life. She made sacrifices for duty, her dedication and devotion as sovereign never wavered through times of change and progress, through times of joy and celebration, and through times of sadness and loss."

"In her life of service, we saw that abiding love of tradition together with that fearless embrace of progress that makes us great as a nation," he continued.

The king then revealed that his son, Prince William, would now be known as the Prince of Wales and that his wife, Kate Middleton, would become Princess of Wales — the same title Princess Diana once held.

But the king did not end his speech without making mention of Prince Harry and Markle.

"I want to also express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas," Charles said after acknowledging William's title.

Harry and Markle have had a fraught relationship with the royal family since they stepped down as senior royals in January 2020.

During his bombshell tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, Prince Harry revealed there was a point when his father stopped taking his calls.

"When we were in Canada, I had three conversations with my grandmother and two conversations with my father before he stopped taking my calls," Harry said of the months right before he and Markle decided to leave the UK permanently.

Harry clarified he and his father began speaking again in the following months, but that there was "a lot to work through."

"There's a lot of hurt that's happened, and I will continue to try and make it one of my priorities to try and heal that relationship," Harry told Winfrey.

In December 2021, there were new reports that Prince Harry and his father had "barely spoken" in months.

The next month, Charles wrote that he was "proud" of Prince Harry in an essay penned for Newsweek, writing that Harry "has passionately highlighted the impact of climate change, especially in relation to Africa, and committed his charity to being net zero."

Royal biographer Nigel Cawthorne, author of "Prince Philip: I Know I Am Rude," told Insider at the time that Charles' essay showed effort on his part to find a resolution with his son.

"Prince Charles is clearly realizing that he has to take on the conciliatory role of the grown-up that Prince Philip used to have," Cawthorne said.

"Like his father, he is realizing that letting emotions fester will be the downfall of the Windsors. Prince Philip used what the Queen called his 'cheeky humor' to unruffle feathers, even with Harry and William's mother Diana," he added. "Charles will have to find his own way in keeping the family together rather than let it grow apart over quibbles."