King Charles has officially completed the final step in becoming the full monarch by approving a new Great Seal of the Realm, according to Buckingham Palace.
The Great Seal is a historic symbol of royal power. It’s placed on important state documents to show that the King has personally approved them. Every British monarch gets their own version of this seal during their reign.
The design of the new seal shows King Charles sitting on a throne, while the back of it carries the Royal Arms these were created by heraldic artist Timothy Noad. The approval of the new seal and the counter seal happened during a meeting of the Privy Council this week.
By tradition, when a new monarch comes in, they break the old seal with a hammer during this meeting. It’s a symbolic way of saying the old reign has ended and a new one has begun. The broken seal isn’t thrown away though—it’s kept safely as part of the historical record.
A statement from the Palace explained that this marks the last part of King Charles’s formal transition. It also mentioned that this new seal joins other national symbols like his new image on coins made by The Royal Mint.
This event came during a very busy week for the King. He led the Royal Family and the country in remembering the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The celebrations started with a military parade and a flyover earlier in the week and ended with a special service and a large concert at Horse Guards Parade on Friday.
At the concert, King Charles gave a powerful speech asking the world to work together for peace. He honored the sacrifices of those who fought in the war, calling their victory a clear example of what people can do when they unite against evil. In a moving gesture, he gave his speech at exactly 9 p.m. the same time his grandfather, King George VI, spoke to the country back in 1945 when the war in Europe ended.
Adding a touch of humor, Charles said he wouldn’t have the energy to lead everyone in a giant conga line back to Buckingham Palace. He even read a fun memory from his late mother Queen Elizabeth II’s diary about how she secretly went out and danced with crowds on the streets as a young princess on VE Day in 1945. Her entry talked about dancing through the city in the rain, singing until 2 a.m., and finally going to bed at 3 a.m.
The crowd of 12,000 people laughed as the King joked that he hoped their celebrations would be just as joyful though he admitted he probably wouldn’t last as long dancing and singing.
