Inauguration of the Monarch of Austranthium

Upon his or her accession to the throne, the new Monarch of Austranthium undergoes an inauguration as required by the constitution. The ceremony is taken before the Parliament of Austranthium, and is held in Oppidia.

Background

King Charles I said that instead of a coronation ceremony, the monarch must swear an oath before the parliament, this requirement was added in the constitution. The inaugration of the monarch is largely based off of the Inauguration of the Dutch Monarch.

Ceremony

The ceremony takes place as a session of the Parliament and is presided over by the president of the joint session (i.e. the Lord president of the Parliament). The ritual is held at the Palace of Aurum, in the capital city of Oppidia. Regalia such as the crown, orb and sceptre are present but are never physically given to the monarch, nor are they worn by him or her, instead they are placed on cushions, on what is called a credence table. The royal regalia surround a copy of the constitution. Two other regalia–the sword of state and the standard of the kingdom bearing the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Austranthium–are carried by two senior military officers. During the ceremony, the monarch, wearing a ceremonial mantle, is seated on a chair of state on a raised dais opposite members of the Parliament.

The ceremony consists of two parts

The monarch's master of ceremonies announces the arrival of the new monarch, who takes his seat on a chair of state opposite members of the Parliament and the regalia. The monarch gives an address before taking the oath to uphold the constitution and protect the people of the Kingdom.

I swear (promise) to the people of the Kingdom that I shall constantly preserve and uphold the Constitution for the Kingdom of Austranthium.

I swear (promise) that I shall defend and preserve the independence and the territory of the Kingdom to the best of my ability, that I shall protect the freedom and rights of all Austranthian citizens and residents, and that I shall employ all means placed at my disposal by the law to preserve and promote prosperity, as a good king should do. So help me God! (This I promise!)

Following the monarch's oath, the monarch is paid homage to by the assemblage of people. The president of the joint session makes a declaration on behalf of those assembled and then swears or affirms this declaration.

We receive and invest, in the name of the people of the Kingdom and in accordance with the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Constitution, you as king; we swear (promise) that we will maintain your inviolability and the rights of your Crown. We swear (promise) to do all that a good and faithful States General, States of Aruba, States of Curaçao and States of St Maarten should do; So help us God! (This we promise!)

Following this, the names of the members of the Parliament are called out, who then swear or affirm this declaration in turn. They either swear with the right hand raised and state, "So truly help me, God almighty", or take a pledge with a simple "I promise that".

After every willing member has sworn or affirmed the declaration, the president of the joint session declares the ceremony to have been completed. This is followed by the senior King of Arms exclaiming that the monarch has been inaugurated and the president crying "long live the king!" to the response of three hurrahs from the public. The other heralds proceed outside the church to Central Square where they also announce to the public outside that the monarch has been inaugurated and cry "long live the king!"

After the homage ceremony, the monarch and his retinue then exit the church and return to the palace. The ceremony is then followed by an official reception at the palace.