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The King is Dead....

Posted by Bob on July 05, 2001

In Reply to: Kill the King posted by Gary Martin on July 04, 2001

: : I'm looking for both the orgin and mean of the phrase "Kill the King, Long Live the King." I've seen some variations, some include a line like "The King is Dead". Thank You.

: "The King is dead: long live the King" has long been used in England as an acclaimation of a new sovereign. The meaning is, "The [old] King is dead; long live the [new] King". Presumably the last time it was used in Britain, when George VI died, it had to be modified a bit.

: Gary

"The King is Dead" ("Shah mat" in ancient Persia, where chess comes from) is the origin of "checkmate."

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