The Reading Proclamation of Accession at Langton Matravers
We come together following the passing of our late Sovereign, Queen Elizabeth the Second. Our sadness at this time is shared by people across the globe, as we remember with affection and gratitude the lifetime of service given by our longest reigning Monarch.
But the basis on which our monarchy is built has ensured that through the centuries the Crown has passed in an unbroken line of succession. This occasion marks the formal Proclamation to the people of the Parish of Langton Matravers of the beginning of our new King’s reign.
Yesterday the Accession Council met at St. James’s Palace to proclaim our new Sovereign. The flags which had flown at half-mast since The Queen’s death have been raised briefly to their full height to mark the start of His Majesty’s reign.
The Accession Council also made an Order requiring the Proclamation to be read across the Kingdom. It is that task which as Chair of Langton Parish Council and with humble duty I will in a few moments discharge here today.
The proclamation of the new Sovereign is a very old tradition which can be traced back over many centuries. The ceremony does not create a new King. It is simply an announcement of the accession which took place immediately on the death of the reigning monarch.
In an age where modern methods of communication convey news around the globe in an instant, the proclamation is no longer the means by which people learn for the first time that they have a new Monarch.
Today, however, is one of the first occasions when communities such as ours have an opportunity to come together and reflect on the moment in our nation’s history when the reign of our longest-serving Monarch came to an end and our new Sovereign succeeded.
Ladies and Gentlemen please be upstanding for the reading of The Proclamation of the Accession.
“Whereas it has pleased almighty God to call to his mercy our late Sovereign lady Queen Elizabeth II of blessed and glorious memory, by whose decease the Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is solely and rightfully come to the Prince Charles Philip Arthur George.
“We, therefore, the lords spiritual and temporal of this realm, and members of the House of Commons, together with other members of Her late Majesty’s Privy Council, and representatives of the realms and territories, aldermen, and citizens of London and others, do now hereby, with one voice and consent of tongue and heart, publish and proclaim that the Prince Charles Philip Arthur George, is now, by the death of our late Sovereign of happy memory, become our only lawful and rightful liege lord, Charles III, by the grace of God, of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, and of his other realms and territories, King, head of the Commonwealth, defender of the faith, to whom we do acknowledge all faith and obedience with humble affection, beseeching God, by whom kings and queens do reign, to bless His Majesty with long and happy years to reign over us.”
God save the King
National Anthem
Three cheers for His Majesty the King