New Delhi: Prince Charles, now King Charles III, who has been heir to the throne since the age of three, will be formally proclaimed the monarch at St James’ Palace in London on Saturday.
His mother Queen Elizabeth II, the longest reigning sovereign in Britain, passed Thursday afternoon aged 96 at her Scottish highland retreat Balmoral Castle. She was surrounded by all four of her children and grandsons William and Harry and the latter’s wife, Meghan.
Charles, 73, automatically became the king after his mother’s passing. According to custom, an accession council is convened within 24 hours after the death of a monarch to formally proclaim the new sovereign.
But in this case, it will be a day late since the Queen’s passing was announced Thursday evening, leaving very little time to arrange the established procedures by Friday.
Historically, the entire privy council – past and present politicians who advise the sovereign on matters of the state – is summoned to oversee the accession of a monarch.
The accession council must take place before the Parliament meets, and Parliament should meet as soon as practicable after the death of a monarch, The Guardian reported.
“The accession council is divided into two parts, and is presided over by the lord president of the council, who has ministerial responsibility for the privy council office,” the report said.
Charles’ coronation, which requires detailed planning, is unlikely to take place for some time. Queen Elizabeth was coronated 16 months after her formal accession, in a ceremony attended by dignitaries from across the world.
As the new king, Charles paid tribute to his “beloved mother” in a statement Thursday, saying her death was “a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family”. “We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother,” he said.
A statement from His Majesty The King: pic.twitter.com/AnBiyZCher
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 8, 2022
The former Prince of Wales’ wife Camilla will be known as Queen Consort, after an edict from the Queen during her platinum jubilee earlier this year. A report said the former Queen Mother’s crown, set with the 105.6-carat Kohinoor diamond, would be worn by her.
The crown with the diamond – kept on display in the Tower of London – was created for the deceased Queen’s mother, Queen Elizabeth (later known as Queen Mother), when her husband George VI was crowned king in 1937.
Charles’ reign will begin by playing a key role in “carefully choreographed” programmes during the national mourning period, leading up to the Queen’s state funeral at Westminster Abbey, likely on 19 September. Earl Marshal – the Duke of Norfolk – is in charge of both the funeral and the accession.
Charles is likely to meet the Earl Marshal and Britain’s new Prime Minister Liz Truss on Friday. Truss, one of the last visitors the queen received, has described the late monarch as “the rock on which modern Britain was built”. In a televised address from outside her official residence 10, Downing Street, Truss said: “She was the very spirit of Great Britain and that spirit will endure.”
On Tuesday, the queen undertook her final constitutional duty by appointing Liz Truss the new Prime Minister, the 15th under her reign.
The government will confirm the length of the national mourning – which is likely to be 12 days till a day after the Queen’s funeral – and Charles will decide the length of the royal mourning for members of the household.
He will also make a televised address to the nation, upholding his duty as the new sovereign.
The new king’s eldest son Prince William is now heir to the throne and has inherited the title Duke of Cornwall. He will be known as the Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge.
As soon as the official mourning was announced, flags on important buildings in Britain and across the Commonwealth were lowered to half-mast. Reports said church bells would be rung around Britain at noon on Friday.
The Queen’s coffin is expected to lie in rest for 24 hours at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh on Monday for the public to pay their respects.
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Source: The Print
