New Scouts make Promise to the King after Queen’s death

Credit: PA

New Scout members have made the organisation’s “Promise” to the King following the death of the Queen.

Jakubas Zadruzniene, 11, Napo Mensah, 11, Molly Gilles, 11, and Thomas Poole, 10, were invested as Scouts with the 32nd Chingford Group at the Fairlop Waters high ropes park in Ilford, east London on Friday evening.

Young people must recite the Scouts Association’s “Promise” as they are invested into a new level of the programme, be it Beavers, Cubs or Scouts.

This promise had included pledging duty to the Queen, who was patron of the organisation.

But the group on Friday were among the first to make their promise to Charles after the Queen’s death on Thursday afternoon.

Scouts start their activities after an investiture ceremony in Fairlop Waters, Ilford, east London Credit: PA

Thomas’ older brother Jacob, 13, led the historic investiture ceremony by reading out the words of the Promise, which the new Scouts repeated while all placing their left hand on a large flagpole.

They said: “On my honour, I promise that I will do my best to do my duty to God and to the King, to help other people and to keep the Scout Law.”

The group then made the Scouts salute and were applauded by their peers before starting their activities for the evening, which included high ropes and rock climbing.

Molly told the PA agency that she felt “amazed” to be one of the first Scouts to make the Promise To The King.

“It’s weird saying it because I’m used to saying ‘queen’ and now you say ‘king’,” she said.

“I think he’s going to be a good person to take over the Queen.”

Charles meeting cub scouts at the rugby club in Pontypool, during his tour of Wales following his investiture in 1969. Credit: PA

Scout leader Lyndsey Nassim, 47, from Chingford, said witnessing the change in the Scout’s Promise has been “history in the making”.

“It’s a very very special moment. We’ve been saying our promise to the Queen for decades.

“Our commitment and dedication to the Queen has been phenomenal and it will be to our King.

“To hear those Scouts making their promise to the King today is quite a special moment. It’s a change for us.”

The comments come as the nation prepares for King Charles III to be formally proclaimed monarch during an Accession Council ceremony due to be televised for the first time. Charles automatically became King on the death of his mother, but the Accession Council, attended by Privy Councillors, will confirm his role on Saturday morning.

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