thousands of mourners at buckingham palace guns sounding in tribute as the nation sings "god save the king." ♪ for the first time in nearly seven decades, the new king naming his son and heir william the new prince of wales and his wife, kate, the princess of wales. a title last held by the late princess diana. the new way prince william is expected to help the monarchy with his soaring popularity plus, how the country is changing. more than its currency, the king breaking with tradition already allowing cameras inside his meeting with new prime minister liz truss also our nbc news exclusive, vice president kamala harris asked if it would be too divisive to prosecute former president trump. her answer the urgent warning about the damaged nuclear power plant in ukraine. a state of emergency declared in new york after more of the polio virus is found. and our tribute to the queen's unscripted

and humorous moments over the years >> announcer: this is “nbc nightly news" with lester holt good evening the king has spoken. a day after the queen's passing charles iii stepping firmly into his new role, greeting mourners at the gates of buckingham palace where inside he addressed a heartbroken nation, paying tribute to his mother's life well lived, and echoing the late queen's promise of lifelong service. king charles also announcing new titles within the royal family his wife camilla now officially queen consort. son william taking his father's title, prince of wales his wife kate now princess of wales. as cannons boomed and bells tolled across london today in honor of queen elizabeth, the new king got down to business meeting with prime minister liz truss, herself only three days on the job. as the uk enters a long period of transition and

mourning, preparing for a send-off befitting a queen. it's where we start tonight with keir simmons. >> reporter: and, lester, right behind me here in front of buckingham palace, king charles stepped out of his car and stepped into history he walked across to greet those who are now his subjects the unmistakable message, he hopes to be a king for the people king charles, tonight his title still so new and unfamiliar, greeted by thousands today. some chanting god save the king >> god save the king >> reporter: one trying for a kiss. already devoted to duty in public amid deep, private grief. then for the first time in 70 years a new british monarch walking into buckingham palace and recording his first message to his nation. >> wherever you may live, whatever may be your background or beliefs, i shall

endeavor to serve you with loyalty, respect, and love as i have throughout my life >> reporter: if those words sound familiar they mirror vows his mother made, including in her first televised address. >> i can give you my heart and my devotion to these old islands and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations. >> reporter: king charles tonight with an emotional message for her. >> 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. 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. >> reporter: in the ten-minute address the new king promised continuity while ushering in change camilla who he called his darling wife now the queen consort, appointing william the new prince of wales, and kate seen today in windsor now the princess of wales, a title not held since diana. williams' wife now walking in the footsteps of his beloved mother >> with catherine beside him our new prince and princess of wales will i know continue to inspire and lead our national conversations. >> reporter: and a brief mention for his son prince harry and wife meghan. >> i want also to express my love for harry and meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas >> reporter: and tonight more small signs of change. the king allowing the cameras in on his first meeting with the prime minister >> it's been so touching this

afternoon when we arrived all these people coming to give their condolences. >> reporter: while on this first full day of mourning for queen elizabeth bells rang out and guns fired 96 rounds, marking every year of her remarkable life the many tributes tonight celebrating her service, but also, her sense of humor like agreeing to this famous james bond stunt at the london olympics. >> good evening, mr. bond >> reporter: pretending to parachute into the stadium. >> remember her innocent joy when i told her at the leader of a friendly middle eastern country seemed actually to believe that she had jumped out of a helicopter in a pink dress >> the blessing of god -- >> reporter: a day of mixed emotions, celebrations and sorrow for a commanding and historic leader the likes of whom we'll never see again. >> keir joining me

now. keir, it was a remarkable moment when he got out of the car in front of the palace it almost felt like the country, the people there needed this personal connection >> reporter: well, that's right, lester he's been prince charles for decades. as you watched him here outside buckingham palace, you really had to pinch yourself that he is now king charles. he has been waiting for this role for so long, lester, and now it all seems to be happening so fast. lester >> keir simmons starting us off from london, thank you. king charles has already lived a life of service but largely in the shadow of his mother, the queen. today's speech a new chance to reintroduce himself to the world richard engel reports from balmoral castle in scotland. >> god save the king >> reporter: groomed for decades, this was the moment king charles waited for his entire life. his first speech as monarch. >> queen elizabeth's was a life well-lived. >> reporter: and he made it clear like his mother he promised to

never give up the post until death. >> that promise of lifelong service i renew to all today >> reporter: charles ascends to the throne at 73, the longest wait in british history. the decades have given him many strengths, experience, patience, preparation but weaknesses, too. >> charles has struggled with personal popularity in his role as the prince of wales i think he made a big step forward today i think people now will look to him after that speech with much more sympathy than they felt before >> reporter: charles grew up at his mother's side, but her popularity never quite rubbed off but signs today that her passing may have opened hearts to him >> i think the reception he's had at buckingham palace today gives me great hope that the monarchy will continue for many years. >> reporter: king charles became the prince of wales at 20.

he was a pilot in the air force and commanded a ship in the royal navy >> with this ring i thee wed >> reporter: he was 32 when he married lady diana spencer. >> diana, i suppose, in love. >> of course >> whatever in love means. >> reporter: charles was soon in the shadow of a star. it was a dark time for him and the royal family a divorce and diana's death. charles turned to campaigning for the environment and remarried, this time to his old love camilla. he took on more royal duties as his mother's health faded, and he's learned the power of charisma, already turning to his popular son william and his wife >> he's going to use william who is very popular to take up the causes that he will no longer be able to go so public about i think will also be very much in his favor. >> reporter: the next generation of british kings is in line, no

queens on the horizon. charles, william, and george seen together during the late queen's jubilee. a new chapter begins for a king with vast preparation and a history. >> richard, fair to say there's going to be a lot of focus on kate now with her new title, the princess of wales. >> reporter: and that focus seems in some ways deliberate. she is already a very popular young royal here, and now effective immediately she has the same title that diana once had. through sources princess kate said that she is aware of the history but wants to focus on the future and chart her own path lester >> richard engel in scotland, thank you. the queen was the bedrock of her realm bridging generations as the world changed now that charles is king how will the monarchy adapt to today's challenges molly hunter reports from london. >> i speak to you today -- >> reporter: for king

charles iii the challenge is clear >> it all just feels different. it feels very final now. >> we've all known just one queen she's the one we'v always looked up to. >> reporter: with a new prime minister and energy crisis looming, inflation making life harder here, the country is anxious >> i think the next two or three weeks that follow this going to be strange times not only for england or britain but all commonwealth countries. >> reporter: while queen elizabeth was widely beloved and respected, her eldest son has never enjoyed that kind of popularity >> we need some direction as probably a country where we're going to go, but whether or not we have a suitable leader in the future let's see how it unfolds >> reporter: do you think the king has it in him what would you like to see from him >> i hope they'll try and modernize the royalty. >> reporter: part of modernizing will be slimming down. the taxpayer tolerance for funding the monarchy is waning do you believe the royal family should continue in its current way? >> not in the current

way as it's going but probably in a lower status going down a little bit, yeah cutting down on the expenses, cutting down on us funding for them >> reporter: and bringing his more popular son, his heir william now prince of wales and wife kate into the fold as soon as possible may endear him to a modern britain. >> i think he needs to be way more inclusive, more diverse, reach out to people, like especially in this time of need. everyone is feeling like really low. >> reporter: also focusing on issues like climate change which he's championed for years that resonate with young people >> i think the queen's always very impartial so it will be interesting to see whether charles takes a slightly more bolder stance on issues than the queen has in the past. >> reporter: but also connect him more to a younger generation, to modern britain >> if he focuses on climate change, definitely >> molly, with the passing of the crown what other changes are people talking about or anticipating? >> reporter: lester,

there are so many changes coming and the queen's image is on so many things in this country. so stamps and currency, for example, will likely be replaced with images of the king. any potential changes, though, would come after the national mourning period. and, lester, as we heard today the lyrics of the national anthem are now god save king. lester >> molly, thank you. let's bring in nbc news royal contributor, daisy mcandrew daisy, we've just gotten a look at the remarkable planning to honor the queen. what more can we expect over the next couple of days >> the next couple of days there's reall two operations in process there's "operation london bridge," which is the queen's body currently at balmoral will move to holyroodhouse in edinburgh and brought down to london to lie in state in westminster hall then there's "operation spring tide. this is what happens to king charles. tomorrow will be the ancient ritual, the ascension counsel.

he'll be meeting just up the road from me at st. james's cathedral. 150 senior parliamentarians to whom he'll swear an oath of allegiance to parliament this is the palace built in 1531 -- built in 1531. they'll be taking a window out of the palace, laying red carpet onto the balcony where the king will be proclaimed >> daisy mcandrew, thank you. tonight tributes are pouring in from around the world honoring the queen from celebrities who were close to her to everyday people who felt like they were. tom llamas reports from edinburgh, scotland >> reporter: the outpouring began the moment the news of queen elizabeth's death ricochetted around the globe ♪ god save the queen ♪ from harry styles on stage in new york. >> join me in a round of applause for 70 years of service ♪ >> reporter: to elton john in toronto.

>> i'm glad she's at rest, and she deserves it she worked bloody hard >> reporter: john knows the royal family well he was knighted by the queen, and his music became the soundtrack of the world's mourning after the death of his friend, princess diana but for millions who never had the chance to meet her majesty, the grief runs just as deep what did you think when you heard the news >> very saddened, yes. she's been around our whole life and, you know, part of my parents' life, as well >> reporter: why do you think people around the world as well as the u.s. care so much about her? >> she's a figure head, consistency, honesty, a grandmother to the world. >> reporter: events also postponed in golf, cycling and the queen's favorite sport, horse racing, a passion ignited when she was just a girl. back in the u.s. she was remembered at baseball games and the nfl season opener. >> please join in a moment of silence. >> reporter: they even temporarily suspended production of "the

crown," the show about her family, to mark her passing. its writer calling the series a love letter to her majesty she meant so much to so many. >> she represented good in this world, living a life of honor, a life dedicated to service, dedicated to bettering the lives of others. >> reporter: that's why tonight so many tributes big and small honoring this beloved woman and her extraordinary life lester, tonight i've spoken to people from all over the world here in scotland you just mention the name queen elizabeth and they light up. none of them have met her but they all feel like they know her it speaks to the effect she had on people lester >> tom llamas, thank you. in 60 seconds our exclusive with vice president harris we ask if it would be too divisive for the country if the former president is prosecuted

we are back with the legal battle over the documents found at mar-a-lago and vice president harris reacting to the doj's investigation and an nbc news exclusive here's peter

alexander. >> reporter: tonight, federal prosecutors are preparing to appeal a judge's decision to block their access to 100 classified documents that fbi agents seized from former president trump's mar-a-lago home it comes after that judge ordered an independent review of those materials by a so-called special master the justice department arguing that they are government records, not mr. trump's personal records mr. trump's lawyers insist the 11,000-plus records seized should be shielded from investigators because some are privileged. in an exclusive interview for "meet the press," nbc's chuck todd asked vice president harris about the investigation. >> what do you say to the argument that it would be too divisive for the country to prosecute a former president? >> i think that our country is the country that has gone through different periods of time where the unthinkable has happened and where there has been a call for justice. and justice has been

served >> reporter: that investigation the backdrop ahead of the november midterms now less than two months away president biden today in battleground ohio with a competitive senate race this fall touting the $280 billion bipartisan package he recently signed to transform the u.s. semiconductor industry >> the industrial midwest is back. >> reporter: still top republicans blame president biden for record high inflation. >> have the democrats stopped spending no i mean, just every month there's a new spending bill. this is hurting poor families, people on fixed income i'm fed up with these guys >> reporter: as for the investigation both the doj and mr. trump's lawyers have until tonight to submit their suggestions who should serve as that special master lester >> okay. peter alexander, thank you. you can watch more of chuck's exclusive with vice president harris sunday on "meet the press. still ahead, state of emergency the urgent new push to control polio.

in ukraine an increasingly dire situation is unfolding at that nuclear power plant where russian shelling has knocked out power for the plant's cooling systems. engineers there fearing it will soon fail the u.n.'s nuclear watchdog group is calling for an immediate stop to the shelling in order to fix power. today new york's

governor declared a state of emergency over concerns of a growing polio outbreak at least one person has been infected with the virus that's been detected in wastewater throughout several new york counties. the emergency declaration frees up resources needed to ramp up vaccination efforts. and next, the queen off script memorable moments that showed a side of elizabeth that endeared her to the world.

though her public appearances were carefully managed, there were also unscripted moments

that brought out queen elizabeth's humanity and humor. here's kelly cobiella. >> reporter: by the time she was 10, queen elizabeth's future was already decided, a lifetime of duty and protocol her path choreographed and scripted, but every once in a while we caught a glimpse of the real person underneath that heavy crown. >> i knew before we came that we had exported many of our traditions to the united states, but i had not realized before that weather was one of them. >> reporter: she had a reputation for being funny, said to have a wicked sense of humor. and when she let it out, you could see the sparkle in those blue eyes >> thank you, mr. prime minister of canada, for making me feel so old. >> reporter: but other times we saw how this life of service could weigh on her in one of her few interviews she shared what it's really like to wear that sparkling symbol of the monarchy

>> and you can't look down to read the speech you have to take the speech up because if you did your neck would break. it would fall off. >> reporter: other times she almost seemed just like us. her love for animals especially her prized corgis was clear but helicopters over her backyard, not so much >> sounds like president trump. or obama >> reporter: humor and humility >> let us not take ourselves too serious. none of us has a monopoly of wisdom >> reporter: she reminded us of what truly matters. kelly cobiella, nbc news, balmoral, scotland and that's "nightly news" for this friday. thank you for watching, everyone i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night

coming up on nbc bay area news tonight, how long will the heat wave last? >> they say it is random, but why does it always happen here. why the power problems are not over yet. remembering the queen. we get perspective from the consulate general's office in san francisco. good evening. it is friday and we have