King Charles has been officially proclaimed new Britain’s monarch, pledging to follow the example of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth.
Queen Elizabeth died at the age of 96 on Thursday after 70 years on the throne.
Her death set in long-established and highly choreographed plans for days of national mourning and a state funeral that will be held in a week.
Charles, aged 73, immediately succeeded his mother but an Accession Council met at St James’s – the most senior royal palace in the United Kingdom which was built by order of Henry VIII in the 1530s – on Saturday to proclaim him as king.
The council – formed of Privy Counsellors whose centuries-old role has been to advise the monarch – included his son and heir William, wife Camilla, and Britain’s new prime minister, Liz Truss who signed the proclamation of his accession.
Six former prime ministers, senior bishops, and a swathe of politicians shouted “God Save The King” as the announcement was approved.
“I am deeply aware of this great inheritance and of the duties and heavy responsibilities of Sovereignty which have now passed to me.
“In taking up these responsibilities, I shall strive to follow the inspiring example I have been set in upholding constitutional government and to seek the peace, harmony, and prosperity of the peoples of these islands and of the Commonwealth realms and territories throughout the world,” Charles said.
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According to Reuters, on the Proclamation Gallery, a balcony above the Friary Court of St James’s Palace, the Garter King of Arms, David White, accompanied by others in gold and red heraldic outfits read out the Principal Proclamation, as trumpeters sounded.
“Whereas it has pleased almighty God to call to his mercy, our late sovereign lady, Queen Elizabeth the Second of blessed and glorious memory, by whose decease the crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is solely and rightfully come to the Prince Charles Philip Arthur George,” White proclaimed.
Charles is the 41st monarch in a line that traces its origins to the Norman King William the Conqueror who captured the English throne in 1066. Saturday’s events reflected proclamations announcing new kings and queens that date back hundreds of years.
It was the first proclamation of a monarch to be televised. And for most Britons, it was the first such event in their lifetime as Elizabeth was the only monarch they have ever known. Charles himself was just 3 when she became queen in 1952.
Following the events at St James’s, a military band led soldiers, heralds, and men in a ceremonial dress carrying standards and pikes, through the ancient City of London to the Royal Exchange, the capital’s first purpose-built trading centre that dates back to 1566, where the proclamation was read again.
The announcement was also set to be delivered in other capital cities of the United Kingdom – Edinburgh in Scotland, Belfast in Northern Ireland, and Cardiff in Wales.
The death of Elizabeth, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, has drawn outpouring of tributes from at home and around the globe. Landmarks have been used to celebrate her life, with buildings in Europe, America and Africa lit up in the red, white, and blue of the United Kingdom.
People started gathering again on Saturday outside royal palaces, with thousands flocking to Buckingham Palace to pay respects to the queen and Charles.
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