TORONTO (AP) – King Charles III was officially proclaimed Canada’s monarch on Saturday in a ceremony in Ottawa.
Charles automatically became king when Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday.
But like the ceremony in the United Kingdom, the accession ceremony in Canada is a key constitutional and ceremonial step in introducing the new monarch.
“On behalf of the Government of Canada, we affirm our loyalty to Canada’s new King, His Majesty King Charles III, and offer him our full support,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement.
Trudeau attended the ceremony where the Chief Herald of Canada read the proclamation on the accession of the new sovereign.
Also taking part was Governor General Mary Simon, who is the representative of the British monarch as head of state, a ceremonial and symbolic position. She is an Inuk, and the first Indigenous person to hold the position.
