<P> At the time, French was the primary language of the nobility in England, and the proclamation was quickly taken up as ideally representing the same tradition--which in England dates back to 1272, when Henry III died while his son, Edward I, was fighting in the Crusades . To avoid any chance of a civil war erupting over the order of succession, the Royal Council proclaimed: "The throne shall never be empty; the country shall never be without a monarch ." Thus, Edward was declared king immediately, and he reigned in absentia until news of his father's death reached him and he returned to England . Another example is among the French royalty . In France, Louis XV was the predecessor of Louis XVI . Upon Louis XV's death at around 11: 00 pm on 10 May 1774, heir - apparent Louis - Auguste, le Dauphin, immediately became King Louis XVI of France . This quick transition of sovereignty was made within the phrase "The King is dead, long live The King!" </P> <P> In Denmark, the prime minister makes a similar proclamation upon the death of a monarch--Kongen leve, kongen er død (hail the king, the king is dead)--from the balcony of Christiansborg Palace (the Danish Parliament building). </P> <P> This declaration is official and marks the ascension of a new monarch immediately after the death of the old . This is due to the fact that Frederick III abolished the coronation ceremony with the introduction of the hereditary and absolute monarchy in 1660 . The king was now supreme and accountable only to God, so the crown became a birthright, and not something to be bestowed only after the father's death with the nobles and the church's approval . </P> <P> With the introduction of constitutional monarchy in 1849, the monarch's power over the State was again limited, but his claim to the throne remained undisputed and absolute . </P>

The king is dead all hail the king