Privy Council

(asked on 17th May 2022) - View Source

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President of the Council on 26 June 2018 (156454), why the whole of the Privy Council will no longer be invited to attend the next meeting of the Accession Council; and when was the last time that the attendance of Privy Councillors at the Accession Council was limited.


Answered by
Lord True Portrait
Lord True
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
This question was answered on 25th May 2022

Revised arrangements for an Accession Council on the Demise of the Crown have been put in place following a routine review of operational delivery arrangements.

The updated arrangements are an equitable and proportionate response to three key challenges identified during the review:

First, the number of Privy Counsellors potentially eligible to attend an Accession Council has increased exponentially since 1952.

Secondly, whilst it has long been agreed that St. James’s Palace is the most appropriate setting for the Accession Council, the historic nature of St. James’s Palace presents a number of significant challenges in terms of capacity, accessibility and crowd flow.

Thirdly, the pace at which an Accession Council must take place means that very limited additional infrastructure and provision can be put in place to support dignified delivery of such an important occasion.


Attendance arrangements for previous Accession Councils has varied and - like current planning - took into account contemporary operational challenges. There is no constitutional understanding that all Privy Counsellors must be summonsed to an Accession Council.

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