Turner: 'I wish the very best to the newly crowned King Charles III'

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner extended his well wishes to the new British monarch, King Charles III on Thursday.

The 73-year-old Charles immediately ascended to the throne after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, at the age of 96. 

“As the royal family begins its transition, I wish the very best to the newly crowned King Charles III,” Turner said in a tweet.

The mayor added that he met the then-Prince of Wales at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP26, in Scotland.

“I had the honor [and] privilege of meeting his majesty,” Turner further tweeted. “I am pleased to have a champion for climate leading the British monarchy.”

Turner is the second Houston leader to interact with a British royal after Kathy Whitmire, who played host to the late queen and her husband, Prince Philip, during their first and only visit to the city in the spring of 1991.

Philip died a year ago at the age of 99.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported that Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

"We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother,” King Charles III said, the BBC reported. “I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the realms and the Commonwealth and by countless people around the world."

Queen Elizabeth II, who ascended to the throne in 1952, was the longest-reigning British monarch.

Per Houston CBS affiliate KHOU, the City of Houston memorialized her by bathing city hall in red, white and blue lights – the colors of the Union Jack.

“[We] will fondly remember her for her tireless service to the United Kingdom for 70 years, longer than any other monarch," Turner said, the station reported.

Houston NBC affiliate KPRC reported that the British consulate in Houston has invited the public to sign a condolence book for Queen Elizabeth II.

According to KPRC, the book can be found in the consulate’s lobby, which is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday and then 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. from Tuesday to Friday.