In St James’s Palace, even in the financial district, the new name of the king was officially announced with elaborate rituals: So now Charles III reigns. He was visibly touched. The 73-year-old was then properly celebrated on the streets of London.
The proclamation on Saturday morning in London 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.
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.
Furthermore, the long-established plans for the funeral are being pushed forward. The coffin containing the Queen’s remains is currently in the ballroom of Balmoral Castle. The national mourning is expected to last 12 days, ending on the day of the state funeral, the date of which has not yet been set. However, it is assumed that the appointment will be on Monday, September 19th.
The night before, Charles had met Prime Minister Liz Truss and delivered the first speech to the nation as the new monarch. He renewed his mother’s promise of lifelong service to his people.
His mother once promised to devote “her whole life, short or long,” to the service of her subjects. She has kept this promise and he now wants to renew it, said the king. He feels “deep sadness” over the death of his mother. During his speech, a photo of the Queen was on a desk next to him.
On Friday afternoon, the king traveled to the British capital with his wife Camilla, where he was welcomed by thousands of cheering compatriots. In front of Buckingham Palace, Charles shook hands with people who had gathered there. Some women also kissed him on the cheek.
Not only the apparently spontaneous bath in the crowd, but also his first speech was apparently well received by the British and the British media. The newspaper “The Times” commented benevolently on Saturday that the new king had answered his critics directly with his emotional words and made a good impression.
In Scotland, members of the royal family attended a prayer service in memory of the Queen. They left Balmoral Castle, where Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday, in the afternoon and went to the nearby Crathie Kirk Church. The Queen herself was a regular guest there for years when she summered at Balmoral.
In attendance were three of their four children: Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. Her older brother Charles has succeeded his mother to the throne and has been back in London for numerous appointments since Friday. Some of the grandchildren were also in Balmoral: among others, Anne’s children, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, as well as Andrew’s children, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
Cheered return to the palace: after being proclaimed king, Charles III. returned to Buckingham Palace. The monarch drove through London in a Rolls-Royce and was celebrated by tourists, onlookers and royal fans. Thousands lined the streets of the British capital to catch a glimpse of the king as he drove through the city waving.
Regardless of the completely chilled Russian-British relations, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin (69) congratulated the new British king, Charles III, on his accession to the throne. “I wish Her Majesty success, health and all the best,” read a short telegram from the Russian president, the text of which was also published on the Kremlin website on Saturday.
Relations between Russia and Britain have been extremely strained for many years, but hit a new low with the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine in late February.
After the first reading of his proclamation as king at St. James’s Palace, Charles III. also proclaimed as the new king in the City of London. In front of the Royal Exchange, the site of the first stock exchange in London, guards, officials and thousands of onlookers gathered on Saturday.
In a solemn procession, the Lord Mayor, who heads the Financial District, proceeded from his seat known as the Mansion House to the Royal Exchange before the proclamation, preceded by fanfares, was read by a Herald. The national anthem was then sung with the new line “God Save the King”.
The new British King Charles III. declared the day of his mother Elizabeth II’s funeral an official holiday. The monarch announced the decision on Saturday as part of his official proclamation as head of state.
The burial date has not yet been announced. It was expected around September 19th. This will give the British a second out-of-order holiday this year. The first was observed in June when Elizabeth celebrated her 70th jubilee.
With trumpets and in the presence of numerous soldiers with bearskin hats, Charles III. was also proclaimed king on the balcony of St James’s Palace in central London on Saturday.
This had previously happened inside the building, but now the proclamation was also carried out on the balcony and thus in public and visible to the people.
Like so many state ceremonies in Britain, this one has survived unbroken through the centuries. “Communications from the 1400s,” said a British television commentator. “Some things never change.”
Prince William made his first public appearance since the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Saturday. In an elegant frock coat with a black tie, he attended the council in London that officially declared his father king.
William (40) was the first to sign the proclamation, followed by Queen Camilla. Both have been members of the Privy Council, which hosted the ceremony, since 2016. Elizabeth II died Thursday at the age of 96.
William, hitherto officially the Duke of Cambridge, now has the title Prince of Wales, which is customary for the heir to the throne. So it was with King Charles III. now also announced on Friday.
A specially convened council confirmed Queen Elizabeth II’s son as British head of state on Saturday in London. Charles automatically became king when his mother died on Thursday.
After his official proclamation as king, Charles III. also swore an ancient oath 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.
According to Japanese media reports, the Japanese Emperor Naruhito and his wife Masako want to travel to Great Britain for the state funeral of the Queen. As the Japanese public radio station NHK reported on Saturday, the Imperial Court Office and the Japanese government would make appropriate preparations. Accordingly, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is also considering attending the funeral.
If Naruhito’s plans are confirmed, it would be his first trip abroad since ascending to the throne in 2019 following his father Akihito’s abdication.
The formal proclamation of Charles III. as King takes place in London on Saturday morning. For this purpose, an Accession Council is convened, which could be translated as “Council for the Accession to the Throne”. The Council meets at 11:00 a.m. CEST at St. James’s Palace. The procedure will be broadcast live for the first time.
An hour later, the proclamation is read from the palace balcony. There are further readings in the City of London and on Sunday in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Even two days after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the stream of mourners at London’s Buckingham Palace has not stopped.
Thousands of people gathered early on Saturday morning to lay flowers or cards, light a candle or pause. Despite the crowds, the atmosphere was calm and respectful, British news agency PA reported. A number of mourners also traveled from further away.
To ensure that the property in London’s government district of Westminster does not sink under the sea of flowers, all the bouquets are allowed to lie in front of them for twelve hours before they are taken to the adjacent Green Park. This is also indicated by a sign on the fence of the palace.
Charles III’s first speech has garnered much praise and enthusiasm in the UK. The new British monarch had renewed the promise of his mother Elizabeth II, who died on Thursday, to lifelong service to the people on Friday, visibly moved.
The renowned newspaper “The Times” commented on Saturday that the new king had answered his critics very directly with his emotional words.
“Amidst his grief, his heartfelt tributes to his mother and his warm words about his family, one word in the king’s address to the nation counted for more than any other: service,” the paper said. Charles sent the message to the nation that he would follow his mother’s example.
Numerous newspapers in Great Britain chose Charles’ touching speech to his mother – “To my darling Mama, thank you” – as the headline for their front pages on Saturday. The “Daily Mail” spoke of an “exquisite and deeply personal homage” to Elizabeth II. The “Daily Mirror” appreciated: “Our new king’s promise to the nation: loyalty, respect, love.”