Queen Elizabeth II passed away on Thursday, September 8, after seven decades of reign in the UK.
Prince Charles, is the heir to the British throne, however, if he decides not to be, he can pass on the title to his son, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.
The original line of accession is Queen Elizabeth’s firstborn, Charles, Prince of Wales, followed by his firstborn, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and then his firstborn, Prince George.
It is not entirely necessary for the monarch to be crowned in order to become King – Edward VIII reigned as King without ever being crowned. This is possible because of ceremonies such as the Accession Council.
What is the Accession Council and why is it important?
The Accession Council is a special meeting of the Privy Council, a formal body of advisors to the sovereign, who are supposed to be summoned following the death Queen Elizabeth, for a two-part ceremony.
In the first part, the council will meet with Prince Charles and with Commonwealth High Commissioners from the countries where the Queen was the head of state like Malta, Mauritius, Jamaica, Canada and several more.
Prince Charles’ preference for a new regnal name is received and a Proclamation is issued witnessing and declaring the new sovereign’s accession to the throne.
Charles, who will be titled King, will then attend part two of the ceremony, which will be attended by Privy Counsellors only.
It is here, that he makes a personal declaration of his commitment to support the constitution, and swears the statutory oath in support of the Church of Scotland.
The new Prince of Wales
Charles was made Prince of Wales at age 10, in 1958.
Prince William will become the next Prince of Wales soon after his father, the King, ascends the Throne.
However, this must be decided by the new King, as the title of ‘Prince of Wales’ title is not heritable.
Prince William, will instead become Duke of Cornwall (a heritable title), and will also inherit the Duchy of Cornwall (an estate of 150,000 acres, yielding an income of just over £20 million a year).
Queen Elizabeth II has reigned for nearly seven decades, and in February 2022, she announced “it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort.” This raised some eyebrows as it was not part of the original plan for Prince Charles’ second wife.
In January 2019, Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, announced plans to pare back their royal duties.
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