King Charles III will formally be declared King on Saturday but what is the Accession Council?

The new monarch automatically became King following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II who passed away peacefully on Thursday aged 96.

However, the former Prince of Wales will attend the Accession Council with the Privy Councillors which will confirm his role on Saturday morning.

The new monarch will not appear in the first half of the ceremony which is held at the State Apartments of St James’s Palace.

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What is the Accession Council where King Charles III will formally become King?

An Accession Council is a ceremonial body made up of privy counsellors and they will oversee the formal declaration of the new King.

A privy council is comprised of current and former cabinet members, the prime minister, Archbishops alongside the representatives of the Commonwealth realms, and other senior public figures.

For the first time ever, King Charles III’s accession will be televised, Clarence House has confirmed.

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The Palace said: “His Majesty The King will be proclaimed at the Accession Council at 10.00hrs tomorrow morning 10th September in the State Apartments of St James’s Palace, London.

“The Accession Council, attended by Privy Councillors, is divided into two parts. In Part I, the Privy Council, without The King present, will proclaim the Sovereign, and formally approve various consequential Orders, including the arrangements for the Proclamation.

“Part II, is the holding by The King of His Majesty’s first Privy Council. The King will make his Declaration and read and sign an oath to uphold the security of the Church in Scotland and approve Orders in Council which facilitate continuity of government.”

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Who attends the Accession Council and what is the Privy Council?

Historically, the entire Privy Council is summoned to the Accession Council for the tradition of proclaiming the new monarch.

However, on this occasion, only 200 will be summoned to the Council with the rest asked to enter an annual ballot for a few remaining seats.

The change is due to the fact that privy counsellors have a lifetime membership and there are now more than 700 members.

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What comes after King Charles III's Accession ceremony?

Following the Accession Council declaration and the King's first Privy council meeting, the Proclamation ceremony will take place.

It will feature a platform party that will sign the Proclamation which is comprised of the following people:

  • Queen Consort Camilla
  • The new Prince of Wales William
  • The Archbishop of Canterbury
  • The Lord Chancellor
  • The Archbishop of York
  • The Prime Minister
  • The Lord Privy Seal
  • The Lord Great Chamberlain
  • The Earl Marshal
  • The Lord President

The Principal Proclamation will take place at 11 am and will be read in public for the first time by the Garter King of Arms from the balcony overlooking Friary Court at St James’s.

We also see gun salutes take place at the Tower of London and Hyde Park.

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What happens after King Charles III is formally declared King?

At midday, the second proclamation will be read at the Royal Exchange in London ahead of further proclamations being read in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales at 12 pm on Sunday.

The new King will then hold audiences with Prime Minister Liz Truss and the Cabinet.

Following the weekend's events, there will be a period of royal mourning for members of the royal family and royal households.

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This will be observed until seven days after the Queen’s funeral.

Buckingham Palace is expected to confirm the date soon.

The country has entered national mourning which is expected to last around 12 days, up to the day after the Queen's funeral although this needs to be confirmed by the Government.

It is also expected that the Government will announce that the funeral day will be a public holiday to mark the Day of National Mourning.