Spine-tingling moment St Paul’s Cathedral sings ‘God Save the King’ for the first time as Charles ascends to the throne

THIS is the spine-tingling moment 'God Save The King' raised the roof of St Paul's Cathedral for the first time in seven decades as King Charles III ascended to the throne.

Thousands belted out the King's version of the national anthem - written in 1745 - during a service in London to honour The Queen.

Her Majesty passed away "peacefully" on Thursday at Balmoral with her family at her bedside - ending a historic 70 year reign.

The Queen's "long life spent in the service of this country", love for her family and commitment to duty was honoured with tonight's service of prayer and reflection.

Members of the public had to queue to get their hands on a limited 2,000 wristbands to attend - these ran out in just three hours.

But the service was broadcast live on BBC One from 6pm for those who could not attend.

Members of the Royal Family were not in attendance.

But King Charles III's first speech as King to the nation was broadcast into St Paul's and to people across the world.

In it, he encouraged those mourning The Queen's death to "draw strength from the light of her example".

And in a touching personal message to his late mother, The King said: "And to my darling Mama, as you begin your last great journey to join my dear late Papa, I want simply to say this: thank you."

His Majesty went on: "Thank you for your love and devotion to our family and to the family of nations you have served so diligently all these years.

"May flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest."

A picture of The Queen, beaming in a blue outfit, sat beside her son, 73, as he made his maiden speech as King.

The service saw Dean Designate Andrew Tremlett give thanks for the Queen's "devotion to all her people".

As part of the service, Dame Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London, as Dean of the Chapels Royal, delivered the address.

And the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, delivered the blessing.

Among the well-wishers was Prime Minister Liz Truss, who gave a Bible reading from Romans 14.7-12.

Towards the end of the service, a lone piper played a rousing rendition of 'Floo’ers o’ the Forest' as he marched down the aisle in St Paul's.

The congregation then sung 'God Save The King' as the final hymn to close the service.

As well as "Queen" changing to "King";, "her victorious" has been swapped with "him victorious" to mark King Charles III taking over as the new monarch.

It is unknown who the author of the tune is but it has sometimes been attributed to the composer John Bull.

'God Save The King' is the national or royal anthem of 20 other countries and territories in The Commonwealth.

'God Save The Queen' was the national anthem since The Queen came to the throne in February 1952, following the death of her father George VI.

Hundreds queued outside St Paul's from 3pm this afternoon, winding all the way from St Paul's to beyond the Tube station, which is streets away.

Mourners were dressed smartly in black suits and ties while others wore black veils as they waited to take their seat inside the cathedral.

The Queen's passing comes as...

• Prince Harry returns to Frogmore Cottage after tragically arriving in Scotland too late to say goodbye for Queen’s death
• Liz Truss says ‘God save the King’ to cheers in Commons after touching tribute to ‘devoted’ Queen
• Charles to be proclaimed King tomorrow at Accession Council as ceremony to be televised for the first time in history
• Touching moment grieving King Charles consoled after death of Queen by same airport worker who comforted Prince Harry
• New titles for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s children confirmed following Queen’s death
• Charles gets kiss on the cheek as he joins thousands outside Buckingham Palace to chants of ‘God save the King’
• Premier League and EFL call off all weekend’s football following the death of The Queen as sporting world pays respect
• Inside the step-by-step 10-day plan leading to the Queen’s funeral – including gun salute and period of lying in state

Giving thanks to the service of The Queen, Dean Designate said: "We remember her long life spent in the service of this country and of her Commonwealth realms around the world.

"We give thanks for a life of devotion to God, her Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer, and of devotion to all her people.

"As we call to mind the promise made at her Coronation that all her judgements should be guided by Law, Justice and Mercy, we rejoice in her steady acceptance of this vocation.

"We celebrate her love for her family, her commitment to duty, and her calling to create unity and concord at the heart of the Commonwealth.

"We pray for the Royal Family, as they mourn their loss.

"We pray too for our most gracious Sovereign Lord, The King, that placing all his trust in God, he too may rule over us in peace with justice and compassion."

Those members of the public lucky enough to get a wristband had to queue outside the City of London tourism office - only one wristband was issued to each person.