The new members of the Scouts Association have made the Pledge of the organization to the King after 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 Fairlop Waters High Ropes Park in Ilford, in East London on Friday evening.
Youth must recite the Scout Association Pledge as they invest in a new level of the program, whether Beavers, Cubs or Scouts.
This had included pledging to the Queen, who was patron of the organisation, but the group on Friday were among the first to make their pledge to the King following the Queen’s death on Thursday afternoon.
Thomas’ older brother Jacob, 13, led the historic investiture ceremony by reading the words of the Pledge, which the new scouts repeated as they all placed their left hands on a large flagpole.
They said, “On my honor, I promise that I will do my best to do my duty to God and to the King, to help others, and to obey the Scout Law.”
The scouts then waved and were applauded by their peers before starting the evening’s activities, which included high ropes and rock climbing.
Molly told the PA agency that she was “surprised” to be one of the first scouts to make the Pledge to the King.
“It’s a weird thing to say because I’m used to saying ‘queen’ and now you say ‘king,'” she said.
“I think he will be a good person to take over for the queen.”
Napo added that he was “excited” to be one of the first to make the Pledge to the King, but added: “It also feels unreal.”
On the Queen’s death, he said: “I feel very sad, may she rest in peace.”
On being invested, she added: “I’m happy to be a scout now. I’ve been a beaver and a cub and now it’s my chance to be a scout, and my sister goes and has said really good things about scouts and how scouts are fun and you can do a lot of activities as scouts.”
Scout leader Lyndsey Nassim, 47, from Chingford, said witnessing the change in the Scout’s pledge has been “history in the making”.
“It is a very special moment. We’ve been saying our pledge to the Queen for decades.
“Our commitment and dedication to the Queen has been phenomenal and will be phenomenal with our King.
“Hearing these explorers making their promise to the King today is a very special moment. It’s a change for us.”
Ms Nassim, who used to be a scout, said she was “very very privileged” to have been in the late monarch’s company several times and received the Queen Scout Award at Windsor Castle.
“What an aura,” he said of the queen. “You always felt her presence, kindness, compassion and she always enjoyed being on scouting occasions as patron of the Scout Association and you could feel she was always very happy to be at our events.”
Head of scouting Bear Grylls told the PA news agency on Friday that the Queen “lit up more” during scouting events.
He said: “I think it was one of the organizations I was most proud to represent.”
Grylls said the Queen would have wanted everyone to look forward rather than dwell on her death, adding: “The future always comes alive in the faces, hearts and actions of young people.
“I would have wanted us all to look to the future.”
