British people urged to swear allegiance to King Charles III at his coronation

Graham Smith, a spokesman for Republic, which campaigns for the abolition of the British monarchy, said: "In a democracy it is the head of state who should be swearing allegiance to the people, not the other way around."

Start from the top and tax the inherited wealth of monarchies to fund an "inheritance for all" as Nobel Prize winning economist Thomas Piketty proposes.

https://www.lemonde.fr/blog/piketty/2021/05/18/from-basic-income-to-inheritance-for-all/

Too many who could contribute much more to society are hobbled at birth to pointless routine work wasting their talents.

If the inheritors of great hereditary wealth really want to contribute to the well-being of society and the environment implement this ASAP.

I suspect that there will be WAY MORE Brits willing to swear AT than willing to swear TO that guy...

The very idea makes my blood boil and I am more likely to swear at him with a nasty remark. We can start with his inheritance tax on the money from his mother.

American children and others swear the Pledge of Allegiance daily.

why does this remind me of ramsay: "Get off your horse, and kneel."

I shall be proudly be doing so along with MANY others come Saturday Evening in Tokyo. How wonderful it is to be British and uphold these traditions rather than be part of some awful Federal Republic and swearing allegiance to a flag or piece of old parchment.

Oh dear!

Like theResident, I'm also proud to be able to swear my allegiance on Saturday from here in Tokyo. Long Live the King.

He can do one. No gods or kings.

. How wonderful it is to be British and uphold these traditions rather than be part of some awful Federal Republic and swearing allegiance to a flag or piece of old parchment.

Actually, Americans swear allegiance to the flag "and to the Republic for which it stands" - it's the Republic and its ideals, not the flag or piece of old parchment.

Unlike in dictatorships and authoritarian states, the people have a choice NOT to swear allegiance without fear of any govt reprisal. Nobody will be jailed for refusing.

This is mostly ceremonial, since the King doesn't have much real power in politics or national decisions.

I'd happily sit down for a pint with King Charles - at his place or mine. Can't say the same for about 70% of the current world leaders.

Sure @Laguna - and that makes a lot of sense doesn't it.

theResident

I shall be proudly be doing so along with MANY others come Saturday Evening in Tokyo. How wonderful it is to be British and uphold these traditions rather than be part of some awful Federal Republic and swearing allegiance to a flag or piece of old parchment.

It is not a tradition, it is a new introduction by Charles. Previously, only aristocratic lords. So you will really be a faithful subject of the monarch along with only about 60% of the pop.

60% of the populations backing. An excellent number that would make any politician smile from ear to ear.

theFuToday  12:58 pm JST

Unlike in dictatorships and authoritarian states, the people have a choice NOT to swear allegiance without fear of any govt reprisal. Nobody will be jailed for refusing.

Tell that to these people. The way they were treated seems quite dictatorial and authoritarian.

https://amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/apr/29/the-crowd-were-saying-kill-him-kick-him-to-death-what-happened-to-the-people-who-protested-against-king-charles

This is mostly ceremonial, since the King doesn't have much real power in politics or national decisions.

I'd happily sit down for a pint with King Charles - at his place or mine. Can't say the same for about 70% of the current world leaders.

I’m confused. Is he a leader or just a figurehead?

theResident

60% of the populations backing. An excellent number that would make any politician smile from ear to ear.

Yes, and politicians stand for election by the people, unlike monarchs and House of Lords.

theFu

This is mostly ceremonial, since the King doesn't have much real power in politics or national decisions.

Charles has a massive amount of power and influence backed by being one of the richest people in the country. His influence is enormous.

He is also the Head of the Church of England and has a say in that.

The power of the monarch is much more than ceremonial.

Fine by me. He's my King and I shall continue to fully support him , the monarchy and our way of Government.

Keir Starmer should he come to power will of course (with his Russian Paymasters help) try to dismantle the House of Lords and he too, shall fail.

I shall be proudly be doing so along with MANY others come Saturday Evening in Tokyo. How wonderful it is to be British and uphold these traditions rather than be part of some awful Federal Republic and swearing allegiance to a flag or piece of old parchment.

To each their own, but the old parchment allows us to throw our leaders in jail if it says to!

Discussion is happening over slavery and the involvement of the monarch in that. A group of Brits from families with a slavery history traveled to the Caribbean island of Grenada, to apologize. One, a BBC reporter gave £100,000 to a local children's charity. Many need the monarch should be doing the same.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-64527709

Laura Trevelyan quits BBC to campaign for reparative justice for Caribbean

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/16/laura-trevelyan-quits-bbc-to-campaign-reparative-justice-slavery-caribbean

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/prince-harry-spare-book-uk-royals-slavery-colonialism-slave-trade-reparations/

The people of those colonial islands are also asked to swear allegiance to their monarch.

Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.

Who do they think the British people are? It's sheer contempt they have for them. If you want to be a mental hostage to a ludicrous system and its creators then swear the allegiance. But they will be laughing into their sleeves.

All who so desire, in the abbey, and elsewhere, say together: I swear that I will pay true allegiance to Your Majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law. So help me God

Not a chance in hell, sunshine.

Kings and gods. Grow up.

UK is sinking and people asked to waste time in nonsense royalty..

Utterly decadent pathetic...

LOOOOOOL!!!!!.

Silliness.

I totally believe in freedom of speech, and enjoy it. I don't see anybody getting locked up for NOT supporting the monarchy in the UK, nor not wanting to swear allegiance or take part in these fantastic celebrations as I'm sure you will see if you choose to turn your television on at the weekend.

All Britons will be called on to swear allegiance to King Charles III at his coronation, an oath hitherto reserved for British nobility, in a move that has upset anti-royalists.

Instead, the ceremony will include a "Homage of the People", with the archbishop calling on all people in the United Kingdom and other places where King Charles is the head of state to swear allegiance.

"Charles has become head of the Commonwealth, an association of 56 independent countries and 2.5 billion people. For 14 of these countries, as well as the UK, the King is head of state".

theResident

my family has also served the country during two World Wars and beyond. A few members certainly support the monarch but I doubt even they will swear their allegiance. But the majority of my family and the younger ones no longer see a future for a monarch. Especially after all the recent scandals.

We will watch the coronation this weekend if the time is right and does not interfere with the football who are expected to play the national anthem before kick-off. Mostly because my Japanese spouse is interested in it but I might ask her to watch it in another room.

I don't particularly like the royals, but I am also not an abolitionist. I will not be swearing any kind of allegiance to an unelected monarch, even though I have no dislike for Charles or his immediate family, and quietly wish him all the best. I think he is a decent man, who can be a source of stability in a divided nation.

I would have a lot more respect for King Charles if he pressurized the parliament into removing the necessity of swearing an oath of allegiance to the Royal Family as a prerequisite for taking up an elected seat in the House. This rule prevents any republicans sitting in Parliament, even after winning democratic elections.

Instead, the ceremony will include a "Homage of the People", with the archbishop

Oh, him. What kind of numbers are the C of E pulling in these days?

Pay your taxes like the rest of us.

...and don't forget to tug yer forelock.... I'd certainly do so, while grovelling before the golden carriage, but woe is me! I'm completely smooth!

no early game on Saturday @wallace. All 11PM starts and your mob play Sunday night/Monday Morning :)

Brits are free to bend the knee. As for me, I'm standing tall.

Just had a look at C of E church attendance and the numbers were well on the slide long before Covid hit. Less than half the country now identifies as Christian, let alone C of E.

Getting harder to justify its privileged status and making anything the leader says on this issue, or any other, easier to ignore.

Still, pay your taxes.

theResident

no early game on Saturday @wallace. All 11PM starts and your mob play Sunday night/Monday Morning :)

We don't have a "mob" we are proud members of the our club who booed the national anrthem the last time it was played. Our game is Sat night/Mon morning.

If anyone wants to kiss the king's sword, be my guest.

As McLuhan said, "We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us." A monarchy is a tool and it is not one that will enlighten or elevate us.

I am a monarchist, a proud one.

I only swear an oath and allegiance to my family, first and foremost.

Second to my countries.

to their undoubted king, defender of all

Given the treatment of his ex-wife and his own son and daughter-in-law, I wouldn't get your hopes up about any "defending". I'd rather pin my hopes on Harry Maguire.

No Archbishop of Canterbury has EVER said anything useful, sensible or helpful, ever.

If you think someone with more wealth and power than you’ll ever know has a divine right to ask for your subservience you deserve all you get and don’t get.

Football fans in Glasgow swore something about the coronation, but not exactly allegiance.

https://www.thenational.scot/news/23491663.watch-celtic-fans-sing-you-can-shove-coronation-/

This is the 21st century, I will watch the pomp and the ceremony, with respect, I will not be making oaths, only to family, UK and Japan.

I will be in Japan during the coronation so can happily miss all this nonsense. I just hope the UK doesn't insist I swear an Oath of Allegiance. I am no supporter of the concept of royalty or inherited power. However, when I consider abolition of the UK monarchy I cannot avoid acknowledging the key role that the King (or Queen) has in maintaining balance in the political power struggle. Since the English Civil War ended in 1652 there have been almost 400 years of unbroken and unchallenged democracy. Which other nation can match that? There are unsavoury aspects of having a Royal Family but these should not obscure some fundamental benefits.

the archbishop calling on all people in the United Kingdom and other places where King Charles is the head of state to swear allegiance.

I had to declare my allegiance to the Queen and her heirs or successors when I joined the army. As far as I am concerned that allegiance ended when I was discharged from service.

I will not be swearing allegiance or fealty to Charles. It is now that Australia should become a republic and have a domestic head of state chosen by the majority vote of the people, as is done for the head of government during national elections.

I admit I have never held much respect for Charles, and that has not altered with the passage of time, it has solidified my thoughts about him. I had enormous respect for his mother the Queen.

The jury is still out regarding William who seems unable to patch up the relationship with his younger brother. As the elder, he should do what is needed to mend the relationship as I am sure his mother would expect him to do as the elder brother. Dianna would be beside herself with grief if she knew how things have turned out so far with her son's. A little understanding and support goes a long way.

Gareth Myles,

I fully support King Charles III at his coronation as the head of state.

This oath of allegiance is frankly a tad 17th century.

theResident

How will you perform your solemn oath of allegiance? Are there any guidelines?

Albaleo beat me to it:

https://twitter.com/HereCelts/status/1652687767942443009

While this "Homage of the People" is comically grotesque in 2023, it's always worth bearing in mind there's nothing funny about Charles' devotion to brutal Middle Eastern monarchies:

https://declassifieduk.org/stain-on-this-country-king-charles-condemned-for-120-meetings-with-arab-autocracies/

Bring up the Anointing Screen!!!

The king and the queen consort will be anointed behind a specially created screen of fine embroidery, held by poles hewn from an ancient windblown Windsor oak and mounted with eagles cast in bronze and gilded in gold leaf, Buckingham Palace has announced.

The anointing screen has been blessed at a special service at the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace, and will be used at what historically has been viewed as the most sacred moment of the coronation.

The anointing is traditionally regarded as a moment between the sovereign and God, and the screen is to be used to give sanctity to this moment. Traditionally, the moment is not photographed or televised.

https://amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/apr/28/anointing-screen-to-be-used-in-king-charles-coronation-revealed

It's like something from Monty Python...

The oath

“I swear that I will pay true allegiance to your Majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law. So help me God.” The declaration replaces the traditional homage of peers.

What do monarchist atheists do?

I will be swearing my oath of allegiance on Saturday, just as I did when I joined the British Army: "I swear by almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, her heirs and successors and that I will as in duty bound honestly and faithfully defend her Majesty, her heirs and successors in person, crown and dignity against all enemies and will observe and obey all orders of her Majesty, her heirs and successors and of the generals and officers set over me."

I will keep that promise by renewing my allegiance to Queen Elizabeth's heir and successor.

God Save The King: Long Live The King.

To heal or stand, "that is the question". Turn toward the west, and say it out loud.

The sailors of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines do not swear allegiance to the monarch.

Because the Royal Navy was created by Royal Prerogative meaning that anyone joining must be loyal to the Crown. It is inherently implied

The British Army, however, was created by Parliament, so there is no implied loyalty to the Crown unless they take the Oath of Allegiance.

I used to be something of a monarchist, mainly because I was interested in the history and with my country being a constitutional monarchy, that system seemed stable and worked well. But over time I've changed my mind as I learned more about sides of the family they would rather the public not see, and now am a republican.

If people want to swear allegiance to Charles, they're welcome to do so, but given his behaviour and who he sidles up to (such as the WEF), I wonder why they'd want to.

I swear that I will pay true allegiance to Your Majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law. So help me God."

It's 2023 for F's sake, And what might "pay allegiance, actually mean. As I child I was supposed to pledge allegiance to a flag, but never understand why. What will those that do in fact 'pay true allegiance, to a 'majesty'' get in return for doing so.

RodneyToday  12:06 pm JST

It is like Saudi with white faces

Ayo, Saudis bow their God only, not to some old pedo dude born with silver spoon in his mouth.

I will keep that promise by renewing my allegiance to Queen Elizabeth's heir and successor.

God Save The King: Long Live The King.

You missed the last bit: “May The King live for ever.”

How does that work?

Seems quite silly.

"All who so desire"

Hardly a papal bull, is it.

The king and the queen consort will be anointed behind a specially created screen of fine embroidery, held by poles hewn from an ancient windblown Windsor oak and mounted with eagles cast in bronze and gilded in gold leaf

This is beyond parody.

The pantomime scene it describes is bad enough but the person who wrote this inane gibberish is probably picking up a wage courtesy of the taxpayer.

The Japanese do not swear allegiance to their emperor.

Against the wishes of his mother, the queen consort will become queen and will be crowned.

Since the English Civil War ended in 1652 there have been almost 400 years of unbroken and unchallenged democracy.

It takes some mental contortions to see "almost 400 years of unbroken and unchallenged democracy", Gareth Myles, when all adult men were not enfranchised until 1918 and all women not until 1928. For most of that time, only the propertied classes could vote and in 1780 - over 100 years after the end of the Civil War - that amounted to only 3% of the population. The propertied classes, including royalty, resisted real democracy for as long as possible.

I’d prefer choosing my leaders to having them being born rich and then anointed with holy oils then continuing to live in gilded palaces.

But this is what we have. Nothing new.

I’ll be swearing during the coronation. Well, not during since I won’t watch it but I always swear when I see a member of the royal family.

Wow - I thought I'd have a little laugh about this earlier in the day about 'pledging my allegiance' etc. I'm not...but I'm really quite surprised at the anger about the whole thing. Why is everybody so bitter? I couldn't care what the non Brits think, but the Brits here, who live in Japan, why do you care so much?

The long weekend is expected to cost British taxpayers at least £100 million ($125 million). A recent investigation by the Guardian puts King Charles’s personal fortune at an estimated £1.8 billion, though the full picture of the monarchy’s finances remains largely opaque.

A modern king should be picking up his tab and some more.

theResident

Wow - I thought I'd have a little laugh about this earlier in the day about 'pledging my allegiance' etc. I'm not...but I'm really quite surprised at the anger about the whole thing. Why is everybody so bitter? I couldn't care what the non Brits think, but the Brits here, who live in Japan, why do you care so much?

So you were actually poking fun at the idea of pledging your allegiance but you are a monarchist anyway.

As for Brits living in Japan, you are the same as the rest of us so why even any interest since you left decades ago and pay no taxes? Why do you care so much? I guess you really wanted to stir up the hornet's nest and see what happened.

I didn't change my ideals and beliefs just because I came to live in Japan. I am a British citizen and entitled to hold my views, just as you are.

couldn't care what the non Brits think, but the Brits here, who live in Japan, why do you care so much?

Because they are British and have family in Britain living under the centuries old yoke of an idiotic idea of pomp and ceremony?

Charles is the monarch of 14 countries, not just the Brits. Don't they have a say too?

I'm not...but I'm really quite surprised at the anger about the whole thing. Why is everybody so bitter? 

Have you dabbled in the history of the British monarchy?

Spoiler, it has a lot of anger and bitterness. Welcome to the party I guess.

British Embassy Tokyo coronation party who is invited?

Wow - I thought I'd have a little laugh about this earlier in the day about 'pledging my allegiance' etc. 

You might have been kidding, but I wasn't. I might live in Japan, but I am British and proud of where I'm from and proud of our traditions.

Congratulations Charlie, you have been waiting this day for 70 years. You set a world record of the longest waiting to be a King of the monarchy system.

The tone of this article is not quite correct.

The 'calling upon' the people to swear allegiance is purely an optional matter and most will chose to disregard it. There are no terror squads of executioners lurking in the shadows waiting to despatch anyone with the temerity not to comply!

Most here will remain respectful of the Sovereign as we were to our sadly missed Queen but our loyalty to her was based on appreciation for her tireless efforts over decades - who would want to have their life mapped out for them in such an intense way?

That said, Charles has a very tough act to follow and is starting his new job at the age when most of us have been retired for years…….

Since the English Civil War ended in 1652 there have been almost 400 years of unbroken and unchallenged democracy.

Yes, a democracy which still has an unelected monarch as Head of State, an unelected House of Lords as an Upper Chamber, a first-past-the-post electoral system to guarantee election wins for the established parties that support the monarchy, and the requirement to swear loyalty to the Royal Family in order to take up an elected seat in Parliament. Women couldn't even vote until 1928, and for much of that period we had rotten boroughs and a death sentence for 222 offences, including cutting down a tree and robbing a rabbit warren. I am not ashamed to be British at all, but fair play old chap, that is taking things a little too far on the democracy front.

"Well, I didn't vote for him!"

(The Holy Grail, by M.Python et al.)

Britain has become so diluted that swearing an allegiance to the King seems as out dated as most of Britain is at present. Perhaps it works in films like Excalibur (filmed in Ireland), but these days, I doubt anyone really cares.

The interesting thing is, for those who become a British Citizen, during the said ceremony, they have to say something along the lines of "I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King ...", so if as a Naturally born "Citizen" you refuse to honor the same, does that mean you can potentially forfeit your Citizenship if the King (or his Government) so decides ? And as we have seen recently, if your actions Politically go against those of the Government/(King) then you can be stripped of your Citizenship - so I wonder, how much of a precedent that sets for stripping Citizenship from anyone who refuses to take that oath if a renewal is required by Law...