Accession Council
The Accession Council of New Ingerland is a ceremonial body which assembles in the Great Hall of Parliament House upon the death or abdication of the monarch (Demise of the Crown), to make a formal proclamation of the accession of his or her successor to the throne, and to receive the oath of office from the new monarch.
Under the provisions of the Succession to the Crown Act[1], the Crown passes to the heir apparent (or heir presumptive) immediately upon the death or abdication of his predecessor, and so the functions and duties of the Council are largely ceremonial and symbolic in nature.
Function and duties
Proclamation
The first function and duty of the Council is make a Proclamation of the Accession, which confirms the name of the heir. The death of the previous monarch automatically triggers a meeting of the Council at Parliament House. At 9:00 AM on the morning after the demise of the Crown, the Lord Chancellor reads a summons from the front steps of Parliament, calling on all members of the Council to come to Kingsbury and meet in the Great Hall of Parliament within three days. Once it has assembled, the Council will deliberate for about an hour. At the end it's deliberations, the Accession Council passes a resolution declaring its sorrow for the death of the previous monarch and then issues the Proclamation, with all those present signing the document before it is presented to the Lord Chancellor for dissemination.
Once copies of the Proclamation have been made, it is traditionally read out aloud from the balcony of Parliament House by the Lord Chancellor, with the event carried live on television and radio. Later, it is also read at a central location in each town or village in New Ingerland by the local mayor or chairman of the parish vestry.
The most recent proclamation for the accession of Geoffrey VII was as follows:
Whereas it hath pleased Almighty God to call to His mercy our late Sovereign Lord King Arthur, of Blessed and Glorious Memory, by whose Decease the Crown of New Ingerland is solely and rightfully come to the High and Mighty Prince Geoffrey Alexander Philip John: We, therefore, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal of this Realm, with other Principal Gentlemen and Subjects of New Ingerland sitting as Members of the Accession Council, being here assisted with these of His late Majesty's Executive Council, do now hereby, with one Voice and Consent of Tongue and Heart, publish and proclaim, That the High and Mighty Prince Geoffrey Alexander Philip John, is now, by the Death of our late Sovereign of happy Memory, become our only lawful and rightful Liege Lord Geoffrey the Seventh, by the Grace of God, King of New Ingerland: To whom we do acknowledge all Faith and constant Obedience, with all hearty and humble Affection: beseeching God, by whom Kings and Queens do reign, to bless the Royal Prince Geoffrey the Seventh, with long and happy years to reign over Us. Given at Parliament House, the ninth day of December, in this year of our Lord two thousand and five.
Monarch's Oath of Office
The second duty of the Council is to administer the oath of office to new monarch. Under the provisions of the Constitution of New Ingerland, the Sovereign may not exercise of the powers and privileges of the Crown until he has taken the oath[2].
It is customary however, for the oath to be taken on the day the heir to the throne achieves full legal majority (i.e 21 years of age), and so the re-taking of the oath in front of the Council is a purely symbolic act and a reaffirmation of the The Sovereign's oath of office is as follows:
I, [Name], do hereby do swear by Almighty God that I will strive to the best of my ability to uphold, protect and defend as the Supreme Law the Constitution of the Kingdom of New Ingerland, and faithfully to obey, execute and administer the laws of the Kingdom of New Ingerland; that I will protect the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and the material resources of the Kingdom of New Ingerland; and that I will endeavour to the best of my ability to ensure justice for all the inhabitants of the Kingdom of New Ingerland.
Membership
The membership of the Accession Council is drawn from a variety of sources. As of July 2013, the membership of the Council is as follows:
- 3 ex officio members:
- The Lord Chancellor of New Ingerland, who acts as the presiding officer of the convention;
- The Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition;
- 16 Peers of the Realm;
- 10 Members of His Majesty's Executive Council that have been appointed to the Senate;
- 7 Bishops of the Ingerian Church of New Ingerland;
- The Chief Justice of New Ingerland and Lord Justices of the Judicial Committee of the Executive Council;
- The Speaker of the House of Assembly; and
- The Lord Mayors of Kingsbury and Port Frederick.
See also
References and notes
- ↑ Succession to the Crown Act (Public Act No. 3 of 1972).
- ↑ Constitution of New Ingerland (1982). §15