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.
The Mace, that you will see being carried by the Lord Mayor’s Attendant today, is a symbol of the Lord Mayor’s Authority. There is a tradition that when the Monarch visits a borough, the Mace is inverted in recognition of the authority of the Crown. In today’s ceremony, the Mace will be inverted as a similar signal of recognition that the Crown has passed from our late Sovereign to her Successor.
