Ashford Mayor Cllr Mrs Jenny Webb with, from left to right, Sir George Jessel, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Kent; James Kirk, KFRS Station Manager for Ashford and Maidstone; Tracey Kerly, Chief Executive, Ashford Borough Council; and Cllr Gerry Clarkson, Leader of Ashford Borough Council.
A Proclamation of the accession of the new monarch, His Majesty King Charles III, took place outside the Civic Centre in Ashford on Sunday 11 September.
Around 100 people attended the ceremony during which the Mayor of Ashford, Cllr Mrs Jenny Webb, read the Accession Proclamation. This was followed by singing the first verse of the national anthem and then Cllr Webb called for three cheers for His Majesty the King.
The Union flag was then lowered to half mast, where it will remain until after the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Before reading the Proclamation, Cllr Webb said: “We come together this afternoon following the passing of our late Sovereign, Queen Elizabeth the Second. Our sadness at this time is shared by people across the globe, as we remember with affection and gratitude the lifetime of service given by our longest reigning Monarch.
“But the basis on which our monarchy is built has ensured that through the centuries the Crown has passed in an unbroken line of succession. Today’s ceremony marks the formal Proclamation to the people of the Borough of Ashford of the beginning of our new King’s reign.
“The Proclamation of the new Sovereign is a very old tradition which can be traced back over many centuries. The ceremony does not create a new King. It is simply an announcement of the accession which took place immediately on the death of the reigning monarch.
“In an age where modern methods of communication convey news around the globe in an instant, the Proclamation is no longer the means by which people learn for the first time that they have a new monarch.
“Today, however, is one of the first occasions when communities have an opportunity to come together and reflect on the moment in our nation’s history when the reign of our longest-serving monarch came to an end and our new Sovereign succeeded.
“Yesterday (Saturday 10 Sept), the Accession Council met at St. James’s Palace to proclaim our new Sovereign. The flags which had flown at half-mast since The Queen’s death were raised briefly to their full height to mark the start of His Majesty’s reign (and will remain raised until after the Proclamation has been read in Ashford).
“The Accession Council also made an Order requiring High Sheriffs to cause the Proclamation to be read in the areas of their jurisdiction. The High Sheriff of Kent discharged that duty earlier today and now, with my humble duty, I now bring the words of the Proclamation, exactly as they were read yesterday at St James’s Palace, to the residents of the Borough of Ashford.”
A PROCLAMATION
Whereas it has pleased Almighty God to call to His Mercy our late Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth the Second of Blessed and Glorious Memory, by whose Decease the Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is solely and rightfully come to The Prince Charles Philip Arthur George: We, therefore, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal of this Realm and Members of the House of Commons, together with other members of Her late Majesty’s Privy Council and representatives of the Realms and Territories, Aldermen and Citizens of London, and others, do now hereby with one voice and Consent of Tongue and Heart publish and proclaim that The Prince Charles Philip Arthur George is now, by the Death of our late Sovereign of Happy Memory, become our only lawful and rightful Liege Lord Charles the Third, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories, King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, to whom we do acknowledge all Faith and Obedience with humble Affection; beseeching God by whom Kings and Queens do reign to bless His Majesty with long and happy Years to reign over us.