Read the first full statement from King Charles III following the death of his mother

CTV National News: Life of Queen Elizabeth II The United Kingdom mourns the death of their beloved Queen Elizabeth II. Paul Workman looks back on her 96-year life.

King Charles III issued his first statement Thursday following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who died in Scotland at age 96.

"The death of my beloved mother, her majesty The Queen, is a moment of greatest sadness for me and all members of my family," The King said. “We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother.”

"I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms of the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world," reads the statement.

"During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held," The King said.

Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest-reigning monarch, Canada's head of state and a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, died Thursday after 70 years on the throne.