After the death of Queen Elizabeth II’s mother, and the day after a touching speech in which he paid homage to her, Charles III was officially proclaimed king from the United Kingdom, Great Britain and Northern Ireland this Saturday morning. For the first time, the sovereign’s declaration of accession was broadcast live on television.
It was not about the coronation ceremony which will probably not take place for several months, after having observed a period of mourning. The coronation of Elizabeth II, in 1953, had required more than a year of preparation.
A very codified ceremony, televised for the first time
The Accession Council, a group made up of former prime ministers, magistrates, deputies, monks or ambassadors, first noted the death of Elizabeth II, then proclaimed Charles as the new king. Charles himself was not present. His wife Camillanow Queen Consort, was present, as was her son William, now Prince of Wales.
“May God save the king!” proclaimed the members of the council, before the text was signed by William, the queen consort, the prime minister or even the archbishop of Canterbury.
The members of the Accession Council, 200 people this Saturday, then went to meet the new king, in the Throne Room, a piece that only serves this moment in history, the succession between two British sovereigns.
I will dedicate what remains of my life to this very heavy task – Charles III
Charles III read a speech, first returning to the death of Queen Elizabeth: “The whole world accompanies me in this loss, it is a consolation for me and all my family”. He also mentioned his “beloved wife” Camilla who would support him in his duty as monarch.
“My mother’s reign was unmatched in its duration, devotion and devotion” added Charles II “I am deeply aware of this great heritage, of the duties and heavy responsibilities of sovereignty, which are now transmitted to me”. “I will dedicate what remains of my life to this very heavy task”he concluded before taking the oath, very formally, to maintain and preserve the Church of Scotland.
The proclamation must then be relayed by the King of Arms of the Order of the Garter and half a dozen heralds in a carriage, who will also read it in Trafalgar square, then at the Royal Exchange, the City’s first stock exchange. of London, founded in the 16th century.
Under a gray sky and in front of hundreds of people who gathered in front of Saint-James Palace, a few dozen meters from Buckingham Palace, the proclamation should be read on the balcony. It will be followed by 41 cannon shots.
The protocol then provides for Parliament to take a vow of allegiance to Charles III and express its condolences. Then the new king receives the Prime Minister and key ministers in the afternoon.
Charles III gets into his new head of state clothes
This proclamation ceremony is the beginning of a long formal sequence from here to the funeral of the queen, but also of the gradual seizure of royal power by Charles III. The new monarch must meet the secretary general of the Commonwealth, of which he has also become the king. The Commonwealth brings together 56 states, almost all former territories of the British Empire. With the disappearance of Elizabeth II, some countries may be tempted to leave the organization.
Charles III will then begin a UK tour, to meet its inhabitants, to collect their condolences, but also to ensure the unity of this kingdom. Scotland, for example, could organize in the coming months a new referendum on independence.
“God Save The King” at St. Paul’s Cathedral
On Friday night, for the first time in 70 years, the British anthem “God save the King” (God save the king) was sung in its male version at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, at the conclusion of a religious service in homage to Elizabeth II. It replaces “God save the Queen”, the anthem since the accession to the throne of the late sovereign in 1952.
The date of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II has not yet been officially set. The coffin of the deceased sovereign must leave this Sunday Balmoral, where she died Thursday, for Edinburgh, still in Scotland.