Her additional role as lord president of the privy council, given to her in the cabinet reshuffle just four days ago, meant she played a central role in the historic ceremony – the first to take place in 70 years and the first ever to be televised . After Charles made a formal “declaration” on the Queen’s death, and read and signed an oath to defend the safety of the Church of Scotland, Mordan outlined the King’s new orders, with himself replying “I agree” as he read each one. The role of lord president of the privy council is by convention always an MP, and in recent years it has been typical for them to also serve as leader of the House of Commons or Lords. Previous holders of the post include Neville Chamberlain and Clement Attlee – and, more recently, Michael Foot, Peter Mandelson, Andrea Leadsom and Jacob Rees-Mogg. Charles was joined at the accession council ceremony by Camilla, the Queen’s new wife, and the new Prince of Wales, his son William. Others in attendance included former prime ministers John Major, Tony Blair and Boris Johnson, as well as archbishops, judges and many senior members of the House of Lords. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. After the privy council ceremony, a major proclamation was read publicly by the Garter King of Arms from the balcony overlooking Friary Court at St James’s Palace. By law, Charles became king the moment his mother died on Thursday afternoon. However, by time immemorial custom, the council must meet and transact certain business. The event, which symbolizes the 1707 union between Scotland and England, was followed by a trumpeter and a colorful array of heralds. The reworked national anthem received one of its first outings. ‘God save the King’: King Charles III officially declared Britain’s new monarch – video Penny Mordaunt was the star of the early days of the Tory leadership contest, where she came second in every round of MP voting except the crucial final.
