Portsmouth is smartly dressed for a rare moment of silence in Guildhall Square for King Charles III's proclamation

People flocked in their hundreds to surround the famous Guildhall steps, lines of figures descending all the way down to the council’s civic offices as the proclamation of the new king drew closer.

Here a large crowd remained unstirred, a mixture of reflective and solemn expressions painted on their faces, some shedding a tear as they remembered their own memories of the Queen.

Perhaps they had met her on one of her many visits to the city like on the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar in 2005.

Or more recently, when she visited HMS Queen Elizabeth in May last year before the carrier’s maiden employment to the Far East.

But even if not, it’s clear the Queen was and will continue to be in the heart of the Royal Navy for all the hard work and dedication she deployed during her reign.

It couldn’t be more appropriate than to honour her life in the shadow of the Guildhall, a venue she opened in June 1959 after it had been rebuilt after Second World War bombing.

By 2pm the glorious sun had already cast a new feeling of hope and optimism for the future on the prospect of a new monarch and a new ‘Carolean’ era in King Charles III.

Portsmouth’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Hugh Mason, like the mayors and officials across the country did on this day, shared a moment of closeness with the crowd in remembrance of Her Majesty.

‘This time is shared by people across the globe as we remember with affection and gratitude a lifetime of service given by our longest-serving monarch,’ he said.

As the silence that followed was observed, not a soul dared to murmur, until the floodgates opened following the cue from the Lord Mayor to echo four words not heard for more than 70 years – God Save the King.

Then a gentle, understated version of the National Anthem echoed across the square which soon dissipated into hushed chatter as crowds slowly dispersed, heading into the next era.