Photo: PA MEDIA / Courtesy
In a colorful but sober event, Charles III was proclaimed king this Saturday at St. James’s Palace, in central London.
Although Carlos became monarch immediately after the death of his mother, protocol dictates that his new role must be confirmed officially by the Ascension Committee.
This is a ceremonial body that meets after the death of a monarch to make the formal proclamation of the successor’s ascension to the throne.
The event was divided into two parts, and according to the rules, the king only participates in the second section of the ceremony.
In that second part, where only the privy councilors are present, he gave a personal statement on the death of the queen, took an oath to preserve the Church of Scotland and signed two documents to register it, with the Queen Consort and the Prince of Wales among the witnesses of its signature.
The ceremony was attended by 200 of the 700 members of the Privy Council, who signed the proclamation. Among them former Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Gordon Brown.
Later, the first public proclamation took place from the balcony of the Friary Court of the Palace of St. James, through an official known as the Garter Principal King of Arms.
The declaration was accompanied by a centennial spectacle , with trumpeters playing a fanfare and the national anthem played, with the words “God save the king” and not “God save the queen” for the first time since 681.
As part of the act, salvos were fired at the Tower of London and in Hyde Park, as well as in other emblematic places of British royalty.
The photo below shows as was the commemoration of the proclamation in the gardens of Cardiff Castle.
A crowd gathered outside St. James’s Palace to witness this historic event.
Now that the ceremony is over, we will have to wait a while for the coronation of Carlos.
Let’s remember that some 16 months between the death of Queen Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, in February of 1952, and his coronation in June 1953.
Remember that you can receive notifications from BBC Mundo. Download the new version of our app and activate it so you don’t miss our best content.
- Do you already know our YouTube channel? Subscribe!