Liz Truss heads to St James’s Palace where Charles will be formally proclaimed King

On Sep 10, 2022

Prime Minister Liz Truss has left Number 10 Downing Street for St James’s Palace to attend the formal proclamation of King Charles III this morning – two days after the death of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral aged 96.

Charles III will be officially proclaimed by the Accession Council at the palace at 10am, in a ceremony that will be televised for the first time.

The Accession Council – a body of advisers that dates back to the time of the Norman kings made up of 250 dignitaries including Labour former Cabinet minister Harriet Harman, the Mother of the House, and the high commissioners of the 14 Commonwealth countries where the monarch is Head of State – will initially meet without the King.

Conservative MP Penny Mordaunt, appointed Lord President of the Privy Council by Ms Truss, will announce the death of the Queen. The clerk of the Council then reads aloud the text of the Accession Proclamation, including Charles’ chosen title as king – Charles III.

The proclamation is signed by a group including Camilla, the Queen Consort, the Prince of Wales, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the Lord Chancellor, the Archbishop of York and the Prime Minister.

The Lord President then calls for silence and reads the remaining items of business, dealing with the public proclamations and orders for the gun salutes at Hyde Park and the Tower of London.

Charles III is expected to then enter for the second part of the council at 10.20am, attended only by privy counsellors and makes a personal declaration about the death of the Queen. He will take an oath to preserve the Church of Scotland and signs two documents to record it, with his wife Camilla and his son Prince William among those witnessing his signature. Privy counsellors will then sign the proclamation as they leave.

At 11am, the Principal Proclamation then follows. It will be read from the balcony overlooking Friary Court at St James’s. The proclamation will be read by the Garter King of Arms, accompanied by the Earl Marshal, other Officers of Arms and the Serjeants at Arms. This will be the first public reading of the proclamation.

Flags will also be flown at full-mast for about 24 hours, which will be until one hour after the proclamations are made in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. They will then return to half-mast in mourning for the Queen.

Gun salutes will also take place at Hyde Park and the Tower of London.

King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort view floral tributes to the late Queen Elizabeth II outside Buckingham Palace

British Prime Minister Liz Truss leaves No10 this early morning via the side door

Police officers march past Friary Court at St James’s Palace in London

Police officers stand on duty in Friary Court at St James’s Palace in London

Guards are seen at Buckingham Palace, following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II

Mid-afternoon, members of Ms Truss’ Cabinet will have their first meeting with the King just days after the Prime Minister formed her new Government.

Senior ministers attending the Accession Council at St James’s will travel to Buckingham Palace for an audience with the monarch.

Ms Truss, who was invited to form a Government by the late Queen on Tuesday, had her initial audience with the King on Friday.

The Prime Minister curtsied as she was ushered in by a Palace aide for the first of what will be their regular weekly encounters. As she offered her condolences, the King shook her hand and thanked her, saying: ‘You are very kind for coming – I know how busy you are.’

He added: ‘But it’s been so touching this afternoon when we arrived here, all those people come to give their condolences.’

Ms Truss again repeated: ‘Your Majesty, my very greatest sympathies.’ He replied: ‘You are very kind. It was the moment I have been dreading, as I know a lot of people have. We’ll try to keep everything going. Come, come have a seat.’

Earlier, the Prime Minister had led tributes in the House of Commons to the Queen as she urged the country to support their new monarch.

Those tributes will continue during rare Saturday sittings of both the Commons and the House of Lords.

Proceedings in the lower chamber will begin at 1pm with a small number of senior MPs taking an oath of allegiance to the King, and are expect to continue to around 10pm.