What is the Privy Council and what does it have to do with the King's proclamation?

King Charles III's Proclamation has taken place as Britain officially welcomes in its new monarch.

Charle's role as the new King was confirmed during a meeting of the Accession Council attended by privy councillors at St James’s Palace in London.

Initially, the Privy Council was the executive arm of the English government and dates all the way back to the 13th Century. Nowadays, it remains an advisory body to the monarch and requires a special oath in order to be a member.

Orders in Council - which are backed by the law - can be legislative, executive, or judicial and can provide a wide range of things from the constitution of an Overseas Territory to setting up new governmental departments. Members of the Privy Council are appointed by the monarch and are members for life.

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It often includes senior politicians and judges from the UK and Commonwealth. As part of the custom, all Cabinet ministers are Privy Counsellors as well as Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the Speaker of the House of Commons, and the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales.

Some members also include senior Royal Family members. As of September 2022, there are 718 members in the Privy Council.

The Privy Council is summoned to the Accession Council to oversee the official proclamation of King Charles III. In the future, the Privy Council will regularly meet with the King in attendance who can approve or refer any items brought up for discussion in the meetings.

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