But it was also a ceremony for a new era. For the first time, the meeting of the historic Accession Council — made up of members of the Church of England, lawmakers and senior state officials — was streamed live. The decision allowed millions of Britons to watch a ceremony that usually takes place behind closed doors.
“The King personally asked for television cameras to be allowed in the Accession Council. King Charles III starts his reign as he means to go on. A new transparent monarchy for a modern age,” tweeted royal commentator Charlie Proctor.
The council’s convening, traditionally meant to occur as soon as possible after the death of a sovereign, is followed by a meeting in Parliament.
Charles, dressed in black, read and signed an oath as part of the Accession Council’s proclamation, to uphold the Church of Scotland — an oath taken by all sovereigns at their accession since George I in 1714. He also approved orders that allow for continuity of government.
Queen Consort Camilla and the new Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Catherine, stood alongside Charles.
He described Queen Elizabeth II’s death as an “irreparable loss” and her reign as “unequaled in its duration, its dedication and its devotion.”
“I am deeply aware of this great inheritance and of the duties and heavy responsibilities of sovereignty which have now passed to me,” he told the council. “I shall strive to follow the inspiring example I have been set.”
Outside the palace, crowds assembled from across the United Kingdom to await the proclamation — cellphones in hand, ready to share the scenes online. Craning their necks, some jostled for a good view. Others, turned to WhatsApp messaging groups for more detailed views and insights.
“It’s like we’re so close and yet so far,” said Adam Stanton, 32, as he tried to refresh his social media feeds for news as the 11 a.m. fanfare approached. “What are they doing in there? Where are the trumpets?”
When the public moment came, and the proclamation was read aloud again, this time through loudspeakers, the crowd was quiet for a moment, unsure of what came next. Then, for the first time, they sang their reconfigured anthem, God Save the King — tentatively at first, and then full-throatedly. It ended to cheers, as gun salutes sounded out from Hyde Park. Young children were overheard asking why they couldn’t see the new monarch. “Guys, I know this is really boring to you, but this is actually extremely important,” one mother replied.
Online, some were less enthusiastic. “No one cares it’s not the middle ages any more,” tweeted one person. Others pointed to the often violent legacy of the British Empire and colonialism upon which the monarchy depended well into Elizabeth’s rule. “The bafflement from some in the UK about how others are reacting to the Queen’s death says a lot about how little they question Britain’s colonial history and class system,” wrote Andrew Lebovich, a scholar on North Africa and the Sahel.
Charles’s decision to televise Saturday’s meeting contained echoes of his mother’s own history. In 1953, Queen Elizabeth had permitted her coronation to be televised, a first for a British monarch.
On Saturday, cameras inside the palace showed former British prime ministers mingling, among them Tony Blair, David Cameron and newly ousted Boris Johnson, surrounded by the Accession Council.
Outside, the crowds had gathered from across the Union.
In the Welsh town of Tenby, Amanda Kingston’s family had raised a toast in Queen Elizabeth’s honor on the night of her death. On Saturday, they woke at 3:15 a.m. to travel to London and watch Charles proclaimed her successor. In a time of national flux, the new monarch’s speech to the nation Friday had proved reassuring, Kingston said.
“We said to each this morning that we feel a lot happier,” she said. “He looked like a king,” she said.
Flags will be flown at full-staff across the nation for the 24 hours following the accession ceremony, before returning to half-staff as the United Kingdom continues its 10 days of national mourning.
The state funeral for Elizabeth is expected to take place on Sept. 19, with world leaders and officials, among them President Biden, due to attend.
Elizabeth, who died at Balmoral Castle on Thursday, will lie in state in Edinburgh before being transferred to London’s Westminster Abbey. She will then be buried near her husband and father at Windsor Castle.
As the sense of ceremony faded outside St. James’s Palace, the crowd ebbed away, and some headed toward Buckingham Palace to lay flowers and remember the queen.