When the Queen passed away on Thursday, her heir Charles, the former Prince of Wales, immediately became King.
The new King Charles III is expected to give a statement to the country on Friday and be formally proclaimed King the following day.
Following the Queen’s death, Charles paid tribute to his “beloved mother”, whose loss he said would be “deeply felt” around the world.
He added that in this difficult time, the Royal Family would be “comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which the Queen was so widely held".
Upon her passing, Charles took Queen Elizabeth II’s place as head of the Commonwealth and head of state for 14 of its realms. The change of title for Charles will also see changes across the Royal Family.
His wife, Camilla, is now the Queen Consort for example. His son, Prince William is now heir to the throne. Prince William and his wife Catherine are now known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Cornwall. Charles must also decide whether to bestow his former title of Prince of Wales upon his son.
On Saturday (September 11), it is expected that the Accession Council will convene at St James’s Palace in London to proclaim Charles as King. During this procedure, the death of Queen Elizabeth II will be announced by the Lord President of the Privy Council, Penny Mordaunt, and a proclamation read which is likely to include prayers and pledges. The proclamation is then signed by the prime minister, Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor.
Charles will then attend a second meeting of the Accession Council alongside the Privy Council to give his own declaration as per tradition, and make an oath to preserve the Church of Scotland. A public proclamation will then be made by the Garter King of Arms from St James’s Palace, declaring Charles as the new King of the UK.
The Garter King of Arms will call out the words “God save the King”, and the national anthem will be played with the new lyrics sung. This will be greeted by gun salutes from Hyde Park, the Tower of London and British naval ships. The proclamation of the new King will also be read aloud in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.
The coronation ceremony of King Charles III has no set date yet. It will be held as a state event at Westminster Abbey when it comes around. The new King will be the 40th monarch crowned there in a tradition dating back 900 years.
The Archbishop of Canterbury will deliver the coronation service and at the end, he will place the solid gold St Edward’s Crown upon Charles’ head as the monarch holds the royal orb and sceptre. The crown, which originates from as far back as 1661, will be returned to the Tower of London after the ceremony to lie with the rest of the crown jewels.
