Prime minister Liz Truss and other MPs convened in the House of Commons on Saturday to swear an oath of allegiance to the new King of the United Kingdom, Charles III.
The House would not normally sit on a Saturday, but senior MPs came together for a special session to make the oath and pay further tributes to Queen Elizabeth II after her passing.
The session came after the Accession Council convened at St. James’s Palace earlier in the day for the proclamation of Charles III as King.
Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle took the oath first to open the session, with longest-serving MP Sir Peter Bottomley the second to do so.
Taking her pledge, prime minister Truss said: “I swear by almighty God, that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles, his heirs and successors, according to law, so help me God.”
Former prime minister Theresa May and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also came forward to take the oath.
Other MPs were not required to take the oath of allegiance, since they will have already pledged their loyalty to the heirs and successors of the Queen at the time that they took their seat and were sworn in. However, Sir Lindsay Hoyle informed members of the house that the opportunity for all to do so would be extended following the Queen’s funeral.
Sir Lindsay said: “There will be further opportunities for all honourable members to take the oath or make the affirmation following her late majesty's funeral. There is no procedural requirement to do so.”
After MPs had sworn their allegiance to the King, they began to pay their respects to the Queen by making speeches in turn, a continuation of what had occurred in the chamber on Friday.
Over Friday and Saturday, some 321 MPs made speeches in the late Queen’s honour with the final of those being Leader of the House, Penny Mordaunt.
Paying her respects to the Queen’s devotion to public duty, Mordaunt said: “Our great Queen has entrusted us all with a living legacy of triumph and over tribulation, of cheerfulness over challenge, of dedication and determination.
“She has left us; her values remain with us. Her example compels us to continued fidelity to our king and our country. God save the King.”
Friday also saw the prime minister meet with the new King, after she’d met with the Queen on Tuesday for the transfer of power. Truss, her cabinet and opposition leaders have also already gathered for an audience with the new King at Buckingham Palace.
Parliament will now adjourn until after September 21 for the period of national mourning. The Queen’s state funeral will be held on September 19, with Charles III to visit the other constituent countries of the UK in the lead-up, alongside the PM.
Photo by Adrian Pingstone (talk · contribs) - Self-photographed on Wikimedia Commons
