Cannon shots, speeches to the British and proclamation: what is expected on Friday and Saturday
A ten-day period of national mourning begins today – day one – in the UK until the funeral. The course of the next few days, prepared since the 1960s and supervised by the sovereign herself, must still be confirmed by the palace. But the main lines are already known. Here is what is expected the day after and the day after the death of Elizabeth II.
- Friday: King Charles III returns to London and first speech to the British
At midday, 96 cannons will be fired from several locations around the country and the bells of St. Paul’s, Westminster Abbey and Windsor Castle will ring.
After returning to London with Camilla, now queen consort, on Friday, the king will address Britons for the first time on television, in a message recorded and broadcast in the evening. For the moment, no image has been released since the announcement of the death of Elizabeth II.
Shortly before, he will meet with Prime Minister Liz Truss, whose the enthronement, Tuesday, by Elizabeth II constituted the last constitutional act of a life devoted to its role to the end.
- Saturday: the proclamation of King Charles III
Charles III must then be officially proclaimed king on Saturday by the accession council, meeting at St. James’s Palace in London, near Buckingham Palace. The Accession Council is made up of certain members of the Royal Family, the Prime Minister and several Ministers of State, two Archbishops of the Church of England, the Lord Mayor of the City, and some seven hundred members of “privy council” of the monarch.
The dress code will be black, and decorations – military or otherwise – will not be worn. The ceremony will take place in two stages, first without the new monarch, then in his presence. Then, the proclamation will be read in front of the Palace, and then, by tradition, at the Royal Exchange, a building in the heart of the City. Across the country, all the flags, which were at half mast for mourning, will be raised at the top of the mast, signaling the presence of the new sovereign.
To learn more about the rest of these ten days of national mourning, you can read this article: