Charles III has officially been proclaimed the King of the United Kingdom and fourteen Commonwealth realms during a meeting of the Accession Council in London on Saturday morning. It is the first time in history the ceremony has ever been televised.
U.K. networks including BBC, ITV and Sky broadcast the ceremony live at 10AM local time as did U.S. networks including NBC, where Savannah Guthrie was anchoring for an early morning special of the “Today Show.”
When Queen Elizabeth acceded to the throne in 1952 there was not even a discussion that the ceremony should be televised while a debate then ensued over broadcasting her coronation the following year. In the event, it was broadcast on the BBC, with over 20 million people tuning in to watch., died on Thursday. The accession ceremony is therefore a purely formal event dating back to 1603 in which a new monarch is publicly proclaimed.
The Accession Council, is comprised mostly of Privy Council members, which are senior politicians, judges and Commonwealth leaders, among others. The Privy Council was historically an advisory body to the monarch, which dates back to Anglo Saxon times but today it is more of a formality. The ceremony was made up of two parts, the first consisting only of the Accession Council, who witnessed the proclamation in the Picture Gallery in St James Palace while those invited onto the platform – which included the new Prince of Wales, Prince William, Camilla the Queen Consort, the current Prime Minister Liz Truss, the Lord President, Penny Mordaunt, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the Lord Privy Seal, and the Earl Marshall – signed a document witnessing the proclamation.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘God save the King’: Charles will use the title King Charles IIIThe new king of the United Kingdom will use the title King Charles III, according to the BBC. The 73-year-old Prince of Wales acceded to the throne on the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II at her home in Balmoral, Scotland, on Thursday. She was 96.
Read more »
King Charles III reportedly considered changing his regnal name to distance himself from Charles I & IIAn anonymous source claimed that then-Prince Charles wanted to change his regnal name to George to avoid invoking the legacies of Charles I & Charles II, two controversial kings.
Read more »
Watch Live: King Charles III addresses the United Kingdom following Queen Elizabeth II’s deathThe death of Queen Elizabeth II has triggered a series of carefully structured ceremonial and constitutional steps, as Britain undergoes a period of national mourning and heralds the reign of King Charles III.
Read more »
Queen Elizabeth live updates: King Charles III officially proclaimed king by Accession CouncilKing Charles III makes personal declaration at the Accession Council: “My mother's reign was unequalled in its duration, its dedication and its devotion … I am deeply aware of this great inheritance.”
Read more »
King Charles III: Formal steps after instant shift from UK queen to kingThe British monarchy’s rules state that “a new sovereign succeeds to the throne as soon as his or her predecessor dies.”.
Read more »
The Reign of King Charles III Begins After the Death of Queen Elizabeth IIAs the heir to Britain’s longest serving monarch, Charles has been preparing for this moment most of his life.
Read more »