King Charles Vows to Follow Queen’s Example as He Is Proclaimed Monarch

By Staff, Agencies

King Charles pledged on Saturday to follow the example of his late mother as he was officially proclaimed as Britain's new monarch on Saturday at a historic ceremony in St James's Palace.

The death of 96-year-old Queen Elizabeth on Thursday after 70 years on the throne set in train long-established and highly choreographed plans for days of national mourning and a state funeral that will be held in just over a week.

Charles, 73, immediately succeeded his mother but an Accession Council met on Saturday to proclaim him as king, with his son and heir William, wife Camilla and Britain's new prime minister, Liz Truss, among those to sign the proclamation.

During the formal meeting of the council, six former prime ministers, bishops and a host of politicians shouted "God Save The King".

"I am deeply aware of this great inheritance and of the duties and heavy responsibilities of Sovereignty which have now passed to me," Charles said.

"In taking up these responsibilities, I shall strive to follow the inspiring example I have been set in upholding constitutional government and to seek the peace, harmony and prosperity of the peoples of these islands and of the Commonwealth realms and territories throughout the world."

Later, on the Proclamation Gallery, a balcony above Friary Court of St James's Palace, the Garter King of Arms, David White, accompanied by others in traditional heraldic outfits read out the Principal Proclamation, as trumpets sounded.

Watching on at St James's – the most senior royal palace in the United Kingdom which was built by order of Henry VIII in the 1530s – were a few hundred people allowed into the court, including small children on parents' shoulders, a woman clutching flowers and the elderly on mobility scooters.

The proclamation was also set to be read publicly in the other capital cities of the United Kingdom – Edinburgh in Scotland, Belfast in Northern Ireland, and Cardiff in Wales – and at other locations, too.

The death of Elizabeth, Britain's longest-reigning monarch, has drawn outpouring of tributes from at home and around the globe. Landmarks have been used to celebrate her life, with buildings in Europe, America and Africa lit up in the red, white and blue of the United Kingdom.

In Britain, people started gathering outside royal palaces in the early hours of Saturday morning, with thousands flocking to Buckingham Palace to pay respects to the queen and Charles - who was proclaimed king at the nearby St James's Palace.

"It's a poignant time in our country's history," design manager Ian Bilboe, 54, said. "[We're] here to be part of that and show respect to the late queen and also to the new king."

Charles is king and head of state not only of the United Kingdom but of 14 other realms including Australia, Canada, Jamaica, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.