King Charles III will formally be declared King in the first televised Accession Council ceremony on Saturday morning.
The new monarch automatically became King following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II who passed away peacefully on Thursday aged 96.
However, the former Prince of Wales will attend the Accession Council with the Privy Councillors which will confirm his role on Saturday morning.
The new monarch will not appear in the first half of the ceremony which is held at the State Apartments of St James’s Palace.
King Charles: The life and times of our new monarch
Instead, he will join after he has been proclaimed monarch, at 10 am where he will then hold his first Privy Council meeting.
When will King Charles III become King?
Charles has automatically become King after the death of his mother, but an Accession Council makes it official when they convene at St James’s Palace in London within 24 hours of the death of a sovereign.
It will be later following the death of the Queen because the announcement of her death did not come until early evening on Thursday, meaning there was not enough time to set the plans in motion for Friday morning.
Therefore Charles will be formally declared King at the Accession Council on Saturday, September 10.
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King Charles III's accession to be televised
For the first time ever, King Charles III’s accession will be televised, Clarence House has confirmed.
The Palace said: “His Majesty The King will be proclaimed at the Accession Council at 10.00hrs tomorrow morning 10th September in the State Apartments of St James’s Palace, London.
“The Accession Council, attended by Privy Councillors, is divided into two parts. In Part I, the Privy Council, without The King present, will proclaim the Sovereign, and formally approve various consequential Orders, including the arrangements for the Proclamation.
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“Part II, is the holding by The King of His Majesty’s first Privy Council. The King will make his Declaration and read and sign an oath to uphold the security of the Church in Scotland and approve Orders in Council which facilitate continuity of government.”
Historically, the entire Privy Council is summoned to the Accession Council to oversee the formal proclamation of a new monarch.
But with the number of privy counsellors – who are lifetime members and mostly past and present politicians – now standing at more than 700, restrictions have been put in place.
Only 200 will be summoned, and those cut will be asked to enter an annual ballot for a few remaining seats.
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What time is the historic ceremony where King Charles III officially becomes King
The Accession Ceremony will be broadcast across several major channels.
The BBC will begin its live coverage of the Proclamation of His Majesty the King from 9.30 am.
It will be followed by BBC News at 12.30 pm and will be followed by tribute programmes to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Viewers will also be able to watch the historic ceremony on ITV with an ITV News Special: The Proclamation of the King beginning at 9.30 am also.
This will be followed by ITV News and Weather at 12.45 pm with further memorial programmes to the Queen scheduled for this afternoon.
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What comes after King Charles III's Accession ceremony?
Following the Accession Council declaration and the King's first Privy council meeting, the Proclamation ceremony will take place.
It will feature a platform party that will sign the Proclamation which is comprised of the following people:
- Queen Consort Camilla
- The new Prince of Wales William
- The Archbishop of Canterbury
- The Lord Chancellor
- The Archbishop of York
- The Prime Minister
- The Lord Privy Seal
- The Lord Great Chamberlain
- The Earl Marshal
- The Lord President
The Principal Proclamation will take place at 11 am and will be read in public for the first time by the Garter King of Arms from the balcony overlooking Friary Court at St James’s.
This is followed by a flurry of Proclamations around the country including at the Royal Exchange, London at midday on Saturday.
This will be followed by proclamations in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales at midday on Sunday.
Union flags will be flown at full mast in recognition of the new Monarch from the Principal Proclamation at St James’s Palace until one hour after the Proclamations in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
The flags will then return to half-mast for the mourning period for the death of the late Queen.
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King Charles III makes first address nation
The monumental ceremony comes after the monarch's heartbreaking tribute to the Queen in his first televised address on Friday evening.
King Charles said: "I speak to you with feelings of profound sorrow.
"Throughout her life, Her Majesty The Queen – my beloved Mother – was an inspiration and example to me and to all my family, and we owe her the most heartfelt debt any family can owe to their mother.
“Queen Elizabeth was a life well lived; a promise with destiny kept and she is mourned most deeply in her passing. That promise of lifelong service I renew to you all today.”
The King added how the “affection, admiration and respect” the Queen inspired “became the hallmark of her reign”, adding: “And, as every member of my family can testify, she combined these qualities with warmth, humour and an unerring ability always to see the best in people.”
Read the rest of King Charles III's moving tribute here.
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