Sir Jeffrey Donaldson set to play role in proclamation of King Charles III

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson pays tribute to the Queen in the House of Commons.

King Charles is due to be formally proclaimed as monarch at an historic Accession Council on Saturday.

He automatically became King following the death of his 96-year-old mother, Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday evening.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson is to be involved in the proclamation ceremony due to his membership of the Privy Council.

Dame Arlene Foster, Lord Dodds and former DUP leader Peter Robinson will also take part.

Members of the council include certain Privy Counsellors, Great Officers of State, the Lord Mayor and High Sheriffs of the City of London, Realm High Commissioners, some senior civil servants and certain others.

Historically, the entire Privy Council is summoned to the Accession Council to oversee the formal proclamation of a new monarch, but with the number of privy counsellors - who are lifetime members and mostly past and present politicians - now standing at more than 700, restrictions have been put in place.

Just 200 will be summoned, and those cut will be asked to enter an annual ballot for a few remaining seats, with the decision prompting a row over the lack of consultation and the loss of the key duty, the Telegraph previously reported.

The Accession Council meets on Saturday at 10am at St James's Palace in London to proclaim Charles as the new sovereign.

The Privy Council will first gather without the King to proclaim the new monarch and arrange business relating to the proclamation.

The King will then hold his first Privy Council, accompanied by his wife Camilla - the Queen Consort - and his son Prince William who are also Privy Counsellors, and will make his personal declaration and oath.

The new sovereign's first public proclamation is to be read in the open air from the Friary Court balcony at St James's Palace by the Garter King of Arms.

Proclamations are made around the city and across the country.

Union flags will go to full-mast at 1pm and remain there for 24 hours to coincide with the proclamations before returning to half-mast.

King Charles III will also hold audiences with the Prime Minister, Liz Truss, and her cabinet.

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