accession

The succession to the throne of a new monarch after the death or abdication of the old king or queen. In the UK, the death of a monarch is proclaimed at an accession council. All members of the Privy Council are summoned, and others, such as members of the House of Lords, the lord mayor of London, aldermen, leading citizens of the City of London, and the high commissioners of the Commonwealth countries, are all invited to attend. The new monarch reads a declaration and takes an oath to preserve the Church. At the next opening of Parliament in London an oath known as the access declaration - an oath to maintain the established Protestant succession - is made. The coronation of the new king or queen follows the accession after an appropriate interval. The ceremony has remained essentially the same for over a thousand years.