17 February 2026
When Charles III was declared King in the Royal Square in September 2022, it followed the formal proclamation that had taken place in London a few days earlier.
Approximately 373 years earlier, on February 17th, 1649, the proclamation of the previous Charles to take the throne, King Charles II, also took place in the Royal Square. However, no proclamation nor ceremony had taken place in London in the days beforehand. The mainland was gripped by the English Civil War, as Oliver Cromwell and his forces purged Parliament of Royalists and executed Charles I for treason.
The new parliamentary government made it clear that there were to be no proclamations, but Jersey chose to ignore this ruling. The Island had long been a Royalist stronghold and Charles II had grown fond of the Island during his first visit in 1646.
When the parliamentary government decreed that there should be no proclamations of a successor, the Bailiff, Sir George Carteret, ordered that the Viscount, Laurens Hamptonne, proclaim Charles II as King in the normal way.
A document was drawn up in French, which was read out in the Royal Square, then called Market Square, by Mr Hamptonne, in the presence of other significant Islanders. It was later read out at Elizabeth Castle and Mont Orgueil.
This act was historically significant as the Island became the first of its realms to proclaim him as the new king, and it has therefore been said that Charles II’s reign began in Jersey. The Jersey Proclamation of 1649 still exists, and a copy is on display in the States Chamber.
When Charles II returned to the Island in the September of the same year, the future King was met with support and celebration. After a five-month stay, Charles was forced to flee to relative safety in France as parliamentarian pressure mounted. It would be another 11 years before he would assume the throne, following the collapse of the republic and the eventual restoration of the monarchy. He was crowned King of England and Ireland on 23 April 1661.
In 1663, the Bailiff of Jersey was gifted the Royal Mace from Charles II as a symbol of gratitude for the Island’s loyalty and refuge during his exile.
If you find yourself walking through the Royal Square, take a glance over at the States Building. There, often overlooked, is a plaque commemorating the proclamation event.
