Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Sept 10: Charles III of Britain will be formally crowned in a ceremony today, one day after promising his mourning subjects in his first speech that he would follow in the footsteps of his “darling mama,” Queen Elizabeth II.
The 73-year-old automatically became monarch on Thursday after the queen passed away, but a constitutional requirement to recognise his authority is an Accession Council ceremony at St. James’s Palace.
The Accession Council will be attended by all members of the Privy Council, a body of advisors to the sovereign that dates back to the time of the Norman kings. But with the membership standing at 700, mostly politicians, only 200 will be summoned.
The pomp-filled procedure, which included trumpets and a balcony declaration, is the most recent event in a 10-day official mourning period that will last far longer for the royal family and is being staged across Britain in preparation for the queen’s funeral.
“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,” Charles said in his address, which he delivered from Buckingham Palace ahead of the ceremony.