Charles III has been officially proclaimed king. “I am aware of the great legacy I am accepting,” said Queen Elizabeth II’s son on Saturday in his speech to the Privy Council. After his official proclamation as king, he swore an ancient oath. Charles swore to uphold “the true Protestant religion” in Scotland. The oath has been taken in this way by all queens and kings since the German-born King George I in 1714.
With trumpets and in the presence of numerous soldiers with bearskin hats, Charles III. was subsequently proclaimed king on the balcony of St. James’s Palace in central London. There will be further readings later in the City of London and on Sunday in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
The proclamation in London on Saturday was a formal act. An Accession Council was convened specifically for this purpose. The first to sign the proclamation was the king’s eldest son and new heir to the throne, Prince William, followed by Charles’ wife, Queen Camilla. Charles had already automatically become British king with the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.
Test our digital subscription F+ now for 3 months for only €1 per month and win tickets for a home game of Eintracht Frankfurt.
F+ READ AND WIN
The first part of the ceremony at St. James’s Palace took place without the monarch. Then Charles was to lead a session of the Privy Council called Privy Council for the first time.
The Accession Council includes members of the Crown Council, i.e. current and former members of the government, church officials, magistrates, members of the royal family and other personalities. Aside from the proclamation, there is a coronation to follow. Elizabeth II’s coronation took place in 1953 – 14 months after she became queen after the death of her father.
Former Prime Ministers Theresa May (lr), John Major and Baroness Scotland, (second row) former Prime Ministers Gordon Brown and Tony Blair, (third row) former Prime Ministers David Cameron and Boris Johnson arrive for the accession ceremony at London’s St James’s Palace .
:
Image: dpa
The Queen died Thursday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, aged 96. Two days earlier she had received the new Prime Minister Liz Truss there and formally commissioned her to form a government. Truss’ new cabinet was due to receive its first audience with the king on Saturday. The Prime Minister herself had already visited Charles at Buckingham Palace on Friday.
The Queen’s body is due to be transferred from Balmoral Castle to Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, the Queen’s residence in Scotland, this Sunday. The body will then be laid out in a cathedral in the Scottish capital before being taken to London.