As soon as Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday, the British throne immediately passed to her son and heir, Charles, then Prince of Wales.
He chose to call himself King Charles III, opting for the first of his four names—Charles Philip Arthur George. His wife Camilla becomes queen consort, a new title used for the monarch’s wife. The officialization of Charles should take place this Friday (9), at St. James in London, the official residence of royalty.
Charles will be proclaimed King by a council made up of MPs, the Mayor of London, civil servants, High Commissioners from Commonwealth countries, Prime Minister Liz Truss and a range of religious leaders.
In all, the 670 members of the so-called Adhesion Council are invited to the event, but the fact that the call was made at the last minute may mean that not all of them are present. When Elizabeth was proclaimed queen in 1952, there were only 192 members. By tradition, the new king does not attend the meeting.
In practice, the president of the council will announce the death of the queen and the secretary will read aloud the text of the Accession Proclamation. The wording may change, but traditionally it consists of a series of prayers and promises, praising the previous occupant of the throne and pledging support for the new one. Then members of the royal family and other officials sign the proclamation.
The chairman of the council then calls for silence and the other members take care of the rest, such as issuing the proclamation and instructions for firing artillery weapons in Hyde Park and the Tower of London.
The Accession Council should meet again on Saturday (10), this time with the presence of the king. Charles will make a statement on the occasion and, in keeping with an early 18th century tradition, will also swear an oath to preserve the Church of Scotland.
After a fanfare of trumpeters, a public proclamation will be made declaring Charles the new king. This takes place on a balcony of St. James, by an officer whose annual salary is £49, fixed in 1830.
He will say “God save the King”, and for the first time since 1952, when the national anthem is played, the words will be those, not “God save the Queen”, as was used until Elizabeth’s death.
The most awaited moment for the new monarch is his coronation, but that could still take months, because of the necessary preparation. Elizabeth II was only crowned in June 1953, nearly a year and a half after being proclaimed Queen in 1952.
Charles will be the 40th monarch to be crowned at Westminster Abbey, following a 900-year tradition. The ceremony is Anglican, performed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. It is he who will place the crown of Saint Edward on Charles’ head — a solid gold piece, dating from 1661, that weighs more than 2 kilos. Charles will also receive a scepter.
There will be music, readings and the ritual of anointing the new monarch, with orange, rose, cinnamon, musk and amber oils. Then Charles will read the coronation oath.
The coronation is a state event — the government pays for it and chooses the guest list.
Charles has become this fifth head of the Commonwealth, an association of 56 independent countries with some 2.4 billion people. For 14 of these territories, in addition to the United Kingdom, he is the head of state: Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines , New Zealand, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.
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