The countdown to King Charles’ coronation is on and we are just days away from the historic event. However, the ceremony scheduled for 6 May is attracting a lot of criticism after it was announced that members of the public watching the coronation – either on television or online or gathered in the open air at big screens have been invited to swear allegiance to King Charles.
For the first time in history, the public will be given an active role in the coronation, with the Archbishop of Canterbury calling on those watching or listening to the event to take part in a “great cry around the nation and around the world of support for the King”.
While some have deemed this new move as a “fantastic opportunity” and a “lovely idea to involve the people”, others have deemed it “an offensive and tone-deaf gesture that holds the people in contempt”.
We take a closer look at what exactly is the new move, which is being called Homage of the People and why some are seeing red over it.
New ‘homage of the people’
On Saturday, 6 May, when the coronation of King Charles III takes place, a new move called the Homage of the People has been added to the ceremony. This replaces the traditional ‘Homage of Peers’, in which a long line of hereditary peers knelt and made a pledge to the monarch in person.
The Archbishop of Canterbury will call upon all “persons of goodwill in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of the other realms and the territories to make their homage, in heart and voice, to their undoubted King, defender of all”.
The order of service will read: “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’.”
The Archbishop will then proclaim “God save the King”, with all asked to respond: “God save King Charles. Long live King Charles. May the King live for ever.”
This pledge replaces the traditional homage of peers, in which a long line of hereditary peers – or aristocrats – knelt and made a pledge to the monarch in person.
A spokesman for Lambeth Palace, the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury, deemed the move as ‘exciting’.
“Our hope is at that point, when the Archbishop invites people to join in, that people wherever they are, if they’re watching at home on their own, watching the telly, will say it out loud – this sense of a great cry around the nation and around the world of support for the King.”
‘Great showcase for Britain around the world’
Many welcomed the news of the inclusion of the ‘Homage of the People’, calling it democratic and lovely. One such person was Transport Secretary, Mark Harper. Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Harper said that the coronation would be a “fantastic opportunity” and “great showcase for Britain around the world”.
Shabana Mahmood, the Labour elections campaign chief, said it was a “lovely idea to involve the people” and that the oath was a “lovely touch”.
She said she, as a Muslim MP, had already sworn allegiance to the king on the Quran and would be “joining in at the weekend as well”.
A spokesman for Lambeth Palace later stated that it is an “invitation rather than an expectation or request”, adding that people might join in if that feels right for them, as they would take part in the national anthem.
“It’s simply an opportunity offered by the Archbishop so that, unlike previous coronations, those who wish to join in with the words being spoken by the Abbey congregation could do so in a very simple way,” he said.
“For those who do want to take part, some will want to say all the words of the homage; some might just want to say ‘God save the King’ at the end; others might just want it to be a moment of private reflection.”
‘An odd request’
The introduction of the Homage of Peers has clearly divided the people. It has invited a lot of criticism, with some calling it another example of how the monarchy is outdated.
Adrian Ramsay, co-leader of Green Party of England and Wales, said: “I will watch it (the coronation) because it’s a key time for the nation but a pledge is somewhat outdated.”
Labour MP Clive Lewis was also sceptical of the proposed oath. The Guardian had him quoted as saying, “The Church of England exhorts lots of things. Some of them on compassion in politics and wider society and others on the dangers of inequality and greed. These statements I agree with. I can also see how they connect with the broader teachings of Christian teaching. But this is the ‘high church’ making this pronouncement and I think it’s one that will either be unwelcome or ignored by many.”
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Republic, the anti-monarchist organisation protesting against the coronation, said: “Asking people to swear allegiance to Charles and his heirs means swearing allegiance to Andrew. In a democracy it is the head of state who should swear allegiance to us. This is an offensive and tone-deaf gesture that holds the people in contempt.”
The organisation added, “This kind of nonsense should have died with Elizabeth I, not outlived Elizabeth II.”
Unpopular monarchy
The British monarchy has been facing a popularity slide in recent times. A poll carried out just a week before the coronation revealed that only three in 10 think their monarchy is “very important” – the lowest proportion on record.
The survey, conducted by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), showed public support for the monarchy is at an all-time low, with 45 per cent of respondents saying either it should be abolished, was not very important, or not at all important.
The survey also asked respondents about the funding of the coronation event and 37 per cent of the respondents believe that the Royal Family should pay for the entire coronation ceremony, while 36 per cent wanted the UK government and the Royal Family to fund it together. Around 15 per cent of the respondents said the UK government should pay for the ceremony while 12 per cent said they “don’t know.”
Will the coronation be a crowning moment for Britain? No one knows, but the coming weekend will be one of fanfare and much hullabaloo.
With inputs from agencies
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from Tone-deaf gesture? Why a pledge of allegiance to King Charles has stirred a row
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