- Charles III was formally been proclaimed the British sovereign in a ceremony steeped in history.
- The ceremony, called the Accession Council, took place on Saturday at St James' Palace in London.
Charles III was formally been proclaimed monarch of the UK in a historic ceremony held two days after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
The proclamation took place Saturday at St James's Palace in London in the form of a ceremony called the Accession Council.
For all previous British monarchs, the council was carried out in private, but the proceedings were broadcast live for Charles.
Charles, 73, was proclaimed king by members of the Privy Council – an advisory body to the monarch – in the first half of the two-part ceremony.
Camilla, now the Queen Consort, and Prince William, who inherited Charles's former title as the Prince of Wales, also attended the ceremony. Camilla and William were seen entering the ceremony together.
Everyone at the ceremony wore black as a mark of mourning.
William and Camilla later played an important part in the proceedings by being asked to sign the proclamation, along with the prime minister, Liz Truss.
Among the attendees were every living former British prime minister: John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May, and Boris Johnson.
In the second half of the ceremony, Charles held his first Privy Council meeting and made a declaration where he spoke about the impact of the death of his mother and swore to carry out various duties of the monarch.
"It is my most sorrowful duty to announce the death of my beloved mother, the Queen," he said. "I know how deeply you, the entire nation, and I think I may say the whole world sympathize with me in the irreparable loss we've all suffered."
"My mother's reign was unequaled in its duration, its dedication, and its devotion," Charles said.
"I am deeply aware of this great inheritance and of the duties and heavy responsibilities of sovereignty, which have now passed to me. In taking up these responsibilities, I shall strive to follow the inspiring example I have been set."
Despite the tradition of the Accession Council, the ceremony was not actually required for Charles to becoming king in the wake of his mother's death. He ascended the throne automatically from the moment of her death at her residence in Balmoral, Scotland, on Thursday.
Following the ceremony, several proclamations were due to be read throughout the UK formally declaring the new monarch.
To recognize Charles' new position as sovereign, flags flown throughout the UK were instructed to fly at full mast until an hour after the last proclamation is read in Scotland.
They were then instructed to return to half-mast to mark the period of national mourning for Queen Elizabeth II, which will be observed until seven days after her funeral.
As part of the ceremony, Charles approved an order to make the day of the funeral a public holiday.