Accession Council

With 2015 being the year in which H.M. Queen Elizabeth II becomes the longest service head of state in the history of the United Kingdom, England and Scotland I wanted to refresh my knowledge on the activities which started our Soverign Lady's time as our Queen.

As you will all know the moment King George VI stopped breathing and was called to God's side HRH The Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II. However there are a number of formal events which take place in those important few hours and days of which the first is the Accession Council.

The Accession Council is made up of  the former Monarchs Privy Councillors, members of the House of Lords, The Lord Mayor of the City of London, the Aldermen of the City of London and the High Commissionairs of some of the Commonwealth Countries.

The purpose of the Accession Council is to meet at St. James's Palace and proclaim the new Monarch and receive a religious oath from the new King / Queen.

It should be noted that the proclamation has no legal authority what so ever as the Crown automatically passes to the Heir Apparent on the death of the Monarch under the terms of the Act of Settlement 1701.

The most recent proclamation was as follows:

Whereas it has pleased Almighty God to call to His Mercy our late Sovereign Lord King George the Sixth of Blessed and Glorious memory, by whose Decease the Crown is solely and rightfully come to the High and Mighty Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary:
WE, therefore, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal of this Realm, being here assisted with these His late Majesty's Privy Council, with representatives of other Members of the Commonwealth, with other Principal Gentlemen of Quality, with the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Citizens of London, do now hereby with one voice and Consent of Tongue and Heart publish and proclaim that the High and Mighty Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary is now, by the death of our late Sovereign of happy memory, become Queen Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of this Realm and of all Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, to whom Her lieges do acknowledge all Faith and constant Obedience with hearty and humble Affection, beseeching God by whom Kings and Queens do reign, to bless the Royal Princess Elizabeth the Second with long and happy Years to reign over us.

The oath which the new Monarch takes is as follows:

And further Her Majesty with Advice aforesaid expressly declares and statutes that none of the Subjects of this Kingdom[Scotland] shall be liable to but all and every one of them for ever free of any Oath Test or Subscription within this Kingdom contrary to or inconsistent with the foresaid true Protestant Religion and Presbyterian Church Government Worship and Discipline as above established and that the same within the Bounds of this Church and Kingdom shall never be imposed upon or required of them in any sort And lastly that after the decease of Her present Majesty (whom God long preserve) the Soveraign succeeding to Her in the Royal Government of the Kingdom of Great Britain shall in all time coming at His or Her Accession to the Crown swear and subscribe that they shall inviolably maintain and preserve the foresaid Settlement of the true Protestant Religion with the Government Worship Discipline right and Privileges of this Church as above established by the Laws of this Kingdom in Prosecution of the Claim of Right. 

While "The King is dead. Long live the King" is commonly believed to be part of the official text of the Proclamation of Accession read out following the decision of the Accession Council as to the rightful heir to the throne, it is in fact only tradition that causes it to be recited immediately after the proclamation is read aloud in many villages and towns.