Accession Council
In the United Kingdom, which is Accession Council ( dt. About Thronbesteigungsrat ) a ceremonial body that the death or abdication of a monarch will meet to declare the accession of his successor and the new monarch allegiance to accept.
composition
The Accession Council consists of Privy Councilors , members of the House of Lords , the Lord Mayor of London , Councilors of the City of London and the High Commissioners of some of the Commonwealth of Nations . The council meets at St James's Palace , formally proclaims the accession to the throne of a new sovereign, and receives an oath from him to preserve the Church of Scotland . This proclamation is part of the tradition, but legally irrelevant, as in the event of the monarch's death his successor automatically becomes king, as stipulated in the Act of Settlement .
The notice and the oaths
The council announcement confirming the heir's name is signed by all Crown Councilors present. It is traditionally read publicly in several locations in London , Edinburgh , Windsor and York . In addition, it is proclaimed at a central point in every town and village. Their wording is usually:
“Since it pleased God Almighty to call home our late supreme lord / our late supreme mistress, King / in N (the #th / the #th) of blessed and glorious memory in His grace, through whose death the crown fell only and rightfully to the high and powerful Prince / the high and powerful Princess N - therefore we, the spiritual and temporal lords of this realm, proclaim and proclaim , with the support of members of the Privy Council of His / Her / her late Majesty's, with representatives of other members of the Commonwealths, with other first-class gentlemen of greatness, with the Lord Mayor, Aldermen and citizens of London, with one voice and agreement of tongue and heart, that the high and mighty Prince N now, through the death of our deceased In sovereign happy memory, King / Queen N (who / the #th) has become, by the grace of God, King / in this kingdom and all of his / her other kingdoms and territories ete, head of the Commonwealth , defender of the faith , whom his / her lieutenants assure of their trust and constant obedience, with warm and humble affection, pleading with God through whom kings and queens rule, the royal prince / princess To bless N (the # te / s) with long and happy years of reign over us. "
The wording is not always the same. For example, at the accession to the throne of George VI. be changed, since Edward VIII had not died, but had abdicated , and between Edward VII and George VI. when listing the title, the title of " Emperor of India " was also mentioned.
The new sovereign, who is usually present, then takes an oath to preserve and defend the Church of Scotland . (Queen Elizabeth II was in Kenya when she ascended the throne . The Accession Council therefore met twice, first for the proclamation and then for the oath.) The new sovereign must also take an oath on the Church of England but it does so in the presence of Parliament . This oath, known as the Accession Declaration, reads as follows:
“I, N, solemnly and sincerely profess, testify, and declare in God's presence that I am a devout Protestant and that I uphold and uphold these laws with the best of my might, in accordance with the true intent of the laws to maintain the Protestant succession to the throne of my kingdom will."
This oath, which George V was the first to take in 1910, is a moderate version of the oath every monarch of Wilhelm III. and Maria II. 1689 to Edward VII. 1901, and who was rejected in the early 20th century as too obviously anti- Catholic :
“I, N, confess, testify and declare that I believe that in the sacrament of the sacrament there is no transubstantiation of any kind of the elements of bread and wine in the body and blood of Christ , either during or after their consecration by whatever person; and that the invocation or adoration of the Virgin Mary or any other saint, and the sacrifice of the Mass , as is customary today in the Roman Church , are superstitious and idolatrous. And I confess testify and explain the presence of God solemnly that I it in the simple and ordinary meaning of the words that are read to me, make this statement and every part, as they are commonly understood by English Protestants, without any kind of dispensation by any person or authority or any person, and without believing that I could be acquitted or absolved from this declaration or any part of it before God or men, even if the Pope , or any other person or persons, or any power, could absolve me of it or cancel it or declare that it was null and void from the start. "
This oath was originally mandatory for all members of both Houses of Parliament as a result of the test act , as well as for all state officials. After the Catholic emancipation , however, it was only performed by the monarch.