What takes place at the Accession Council? The ceremony during which Charles will be crowned King
What takes place at the Accession Council? The ceremony during which Charles will be crowned King
A special meeting of the Privy Council is normally conducted within 24 hours following the death of the king, and it will be aired for the first time.
Following the death of her father, King George VI, the Accession Council gathered at St James's Palace in 1952 to declare Elizabeth as Queen CREDIT: The Royal Family
King Charles III will be declared the country's next ruler during an accession council to be held as soon as feasible at St. James's Palace.
The Privy Council normally meets within 24 hours following a ruler's death, before Parliament convenes, and is the king's first formal appearance.
Previously held behind closed doors, the official session will now be aired for the first time.
The Council is divided into two sections and is led by Penny Mordaunt MP, Lord President of the Council.
The first segment, held in the Banqueting Hall or the Picture Gallery, is attended by Privy Councillors who may come on such short notice, as well as other high state officials, High Commissioners, and select government personnel.
Winston Churchill departs St. James' Palace after attending the Accession Council in 1952.CREDIT: PA
Traditionally, the whole Privy Council is assembled. However, throughout the Queen's reign, the number of Council members has expanded from 175 to almost 700.
As a result of the evaluation, a letter was issued to all members in early 2022 warning them that the number of participants has been drastically decreased and that their attendance is not assured.
Only 200 people will be invited, with current cabinet ministers, previous prime ministers, top judges, and the archbishops of Canterbury and York given priority. The others have been asked to compete for one of the remaining seats in an annual poll.
The Privy Council, which was established in 1708, nominally advises the king but mostly performs ceremonial functions such as giving royal charters and extending legislation to British overseas territories.
It is mostly made up of politicians, although it also includes the late Queen Elizabeth's private secretary, Sir Edward Young, and his successors, as well as the Duke of Cambridge.
Sir George Bellew, the Garter Principal King of Arms, reads out the Proclamation of the Queen's Accession in Friary Court at St James's Palace.CREDIT: ANL/Shutterstock
The Duchess of Cornwall was made Privy Councillor in 2016, before of the Queen's formal 90th birthday, which means she will be there when her husband is officially declared king.
Mrs. Mordaunt will begin the first portion by announcing the Queen's death, followed by a request that the Clerk of Council read the language of the Proclamation of Accession to the Throne.
The proclamation will be signed by a panel comprised of members of the Royal Family, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord Chancellor, the Archbishop of York, the Prime Minister, the Lord Privy Seal, the Lord Grand Chamberlain and Earl Marshal, and the Lord President.
Mrs. Mordaunt then requests silence before reading the remaining items on the agenda, which concern the distribution of the proclamation and different instructions for the firing of cannons in Hyde Park and the Tower of London.
The second part, conducted at St. James's Palace's red-carpeted Entrée Room, is considered the new monarch's first council and is attended only by the Privy Counsellors. Sometimes it happens just after the first section, but not usually.
Parts one and two of the Accession Council were convened on separate days to enable the Queen time to return from Kenya. CREDIT: ANL/Shutterstock
When King George VI died in the early hours of February 6, 1952, the first portion of the ceremonial announcing his daughter Elizabeth as the new queen began at 5 p.m.
The second half was held two days later, on Friday, February 8, at 10 a.m., following the Queen's return from Kenya.
When King Edward VII abdicated at 2 p.m. on Friday, December 11, 1936, the first and second sections of the abdication ceremony, which included the declaration of King George VI as the new king, were held at 11 a.m. the next day.
The second portion will begin with King Charles making a personal remark about his mother's death.
"By the tragic loss of my loving father, I am called upon to undertake the duties and responsibilities of sovereignty," the Queen told gathering advisors at St. James's Palace in 1952.
It is a great comfort to me at this time of great sadness to know that you and all my peoples are thinking of me."
Part two of the council is believed to be the new monarch's first and is attended exclusively by privy counsellors.CREDIT: ANL/Shutterstock
The king will next swear an oath to safeguard the Church of Scotland.
Since George I assumed office in 1714, every king has taken this oath, which is required due to the separation of powers between Church and State.
The King will sign the oath after reading it aloud in front of members of the Royal Family and Privy Councils, including First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
Ms. Mordaunt will wrap off the meeting by reading the remaining agenda items.
As they depart the Palace, the Privy Councillors will sign the Proclamation.
The meeting's official minutes will be published in a special supplement of the London Gazette and made available on the London Gazette's website.
The Privy Council departs St James's Palace following the Queen's Accession Council in 1952. CREDIT: F Hudson/Daily Mail/Shutterstock
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