(Ottawa) King Charles III was officially proclaimed Canadian head of state on Saturday morning during a ceremony at Rideau Hall.
Posted at 10:44 a.m.
Updated at 3:51 p.m.
Governor General Mary Simon, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of the cabinet gathered shortly after 10 a.m. to sign the approval of the decree and the proclamation for the accession of the new sovereign.
Sitting next to Mme Simon, the prime minister asked, “Can we proceed with the proclamation of accession?” After the Governor General nodded, they both signed the approval of the decree.
After a short moment of silence, all the guests in the room clapped in honor of King Charles III, who had just been proclaimed Canadian head of state.
PHOTO SEAN KILPATRICK, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Ceremony at Rideau Hall, Saturday
A few minutes later, the Chief Herald of Canada, D.r Samy Khalid, read the proclamation of the accession of the new sovereign in public. Three trumpeters from the Canadian Armed Forces announced the start of the ceremony.
“His Royal Highness Prince Charles Philip Arthur George is now Charles III, by the grace of God, King of the United Kingdom, of Canada, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, to whom we acknowledge all faith and allegiance,” said announced the herald-at-arms.
” Long live the king ! he concluded when reading the official announcement in French, which was made as a 21-gun salute had begun.
The 28-member Canadian Armed Forces band then played “God Save the King” during the gun salute, followed by “O Canada”.
Prime Minister Trudeau showed up at Rideau Hall with his son Hadrian and laid flowers near the book of condolences in memory of Queen Elizabeth II, who died Thursday at the age of 96.
“Close friendship” with the king
In a statement released after the ceremony, the Prime Minister recalled that Canada has a long-standing relationship and “close friendship” with King Charles III, who visited the country just last spring.
“Through his naval career and later his role with over 400 organizations around the world, His Majesty King Charles III demonstrated his willingness to serve. We are confident that his deep commitment to education, the environment and youth empowerment will provide a strong foundation on which he will build as he continues to work for the betterment of the Commonwealth and its population,” added Mr. Trudeau.
The Canadian flag was raised to mark the accession of the new sovereign, but it was lowered immediately and will remain so for the duration of the official period of mourning.
“Our collective mourning speaks to the deep and enduring affection we had for our Queen and the palpable connection she had with Canada. On behalf of all Canadians, I offer my deepest condolences to His Majesty the King,” the Governor General said in a statement on Saturday.
“As we look to the future, I am honored to represent the Crown in Canada and proclaim the accession to the throne of His Majesty King Charles III — the new King of Canada. At this historic moment, we look forward to welcoming Her Majesty and The Queen Consort to Canada, and continuing important conversations about reconciliation, diversity and our collective well-being. May he reign long. »
Other ceremonies
The ceremony in Ottawa was more modest than that which took place earlier on Saturday in London, where Charles III was officially proclaimed British monarch.
The new king approved a series of ordinances, including declaring the day of his mother’s funeral, September 19, a public holiday.
In Canada, the national commemoration in honor of the Queen will take place on the same day, with a parade, air show and 96-gun salute to mark each year of her life.
A service will also be held at Christ Church Anglican Cathedral in Ottawa, where Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, went twice, in 1957 and 1961.
Christ Church Cathedral hosted a similar national commemoration for the death of Prince Philip last year and another for the death of the Queen Mother in 2002.
According to the official calendar, the House of Commons is due to resume sitting for the fall session on September 19. It was not immediately clear on Saturday whether that return date will stand.