Accession Council

Composition and ceremony

The accession council is made up of the following:

• All members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom;
• The High Commissioners of the Commonwealth realms;
• The Lord Mayor and Aldermen of the City of London. The members of the accession council are summoned to assemble at St. James's Palace and it meets outside the presence chamber of the monarch, where the presiding officer or clerk of the privy council reads out the proclamation, and it is signed by the accession council witnesses. Orders are made with respect to public readings of the proclamation.

Only the privy council is then summoned to attend the monarch, and listen to the monarch's address; the monarch then signs several documents, and the documents are sealed. The two parts of the accession council meeting usually occur together, but if circumstances warrant may take place separately.

Proclamation

The council's Proclamation of Accession, which confirms the name of the heir, is signed by all the attendant Privy Counsellors.

The 2022 proclamation was:

Though proclamations have been worded broadly the same, they also vary as necessary. In the case of [Victoria, certain words were included (having regard to section 2 of the Regency Act 1830 prescribing the Oath of Allegiance) which expressly reserved the rights of any child of the late king, William IV, which might be borne to his widow, Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen. In the case of George VI, the proclamation was reworded because Edward VIII had abdicated, rather than died. The title "Emperor of India," assumed by Queen Victoria well into her reign, was added at the end of the list of titles at the proclamations of Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII and George VI, during whose reign that title was relinquished. In the case of Charles III, the proclamation was reworded to include the House of Commons for the first time. The formula "The King is dead. Long live the King!", of French royal origin, is not part of the official proclamation in the United Kingdom, contrary to popular belief.

The proclamation has been ceremonially read out in various locations around the kingdom. By custom, it is usually first read from the Proclamation Gallery of Friary Court at St James's Palace by the heralds of the College of Arms. Other readings in London have historically followed, concluding at the Royal Exchange in the presence of the Lord Mayor of London. Local proclamation events then occur, such as one at the original location of Mercat Cross in Edinburgh by the heralds of the Court of the Lord Lyon. In 2022, the first reading at the palace was televised live, and other readings in London were omitted except for the one at the Exchange.

Oaths

Under the Acts of Union 1707, monarchs are required upon succeeding to the throne to make an oath to "maintain and preserve" the Church of Scotland. This oath is normally made at the Accession Council. The provision in Article XXV Section II of the Acts of Union 1707 states with respect to confirmed Acts of Scotland:

Once the monarch makes a sacred oath to the council, the Garter Principal King of Arms steps onto the Proclamation Gallery which overlooks Friary Court to proclaim the new monarch.

Queen Elizabeth II was in Kenya when she acceded to the throne, and the Accession Council therefore met twice, first for the proclamation and again so that the new Queen could take the oath.

Upon accession, a new sovereign is also required to make what is known as the Accession Declaration. This is not usually made at a meeting of the Accession Council but in the presence of Parliament on the first State Opening following the monarch's accession to the throne or at their coronation, whichever occurs first. King George VI made the declaration at his coronation.

List of accession councils

The following is a list of the dates of accession councils and the public reading of proclamations.

Notes

References

References

1. Davies, Caroline. (10 September 2022). "Charles formally proclaimed King by privy council". The Guardian.
2. Lee, Joseph. (10 September 2022). "Charles III to be proclaimed king at historic ceremony". BBC News.
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4. (2022-09-10). "The Accession Proclamation".
5. {{London Gazette. (20 June 1837)
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7. Sackur, Leila. (10 September 2022). "Charles proclaimed king as William, Catherine, Meghan and Harry reunite". NBC News.
8. "The Union with Scotland Act 1706, Article XXV, Section II".
9. Fodor's. (2013). "Fodor's London 2014". Fodor's Travel.
10. Wilkinson, Philip. (2007). "The British Monarchy For Dummies". John Wiley & Sons.
11. Michie, Allan Andrew. (1952). "The Crown and the People". Secker and Warburg.
12. [http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN00435/SN00435.pdf House of Commons Research Briefings: The Coronation Oath] {{Webarchive. link. (2016-06-07 . see: {{London Gazette). (10 November 1953)
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