Coronation pledge: Read the full text of updated ‘pledge of allegiance’ to Charles after backlash
The full text of the updated pledge of allegiance to King Charles at the coronation on Saturday 6 May was shared ahead of the ceremony.
Lambeth Palace and Buckingham Palace confirmed that the controversial wording in the pledge, or “Homage of the People”, had been changed at the king’s request.
Last week, members of the public watching the ceremony were invited to “cry out and swear allegiance” to Britain’s new king during the crowning ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
Follow live updates, as Charles and Camilla take their oaths as King and Queen Consort, here.
According to the liturgy, or the words and actions of the coronation service, the Archbishop of Canterbury was going to “call 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 old order of service read: “All who so desire, in the Abbey, and elsewhere, say together:
“All: I swear that I will pay true allegiance to Your Majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law. So help me God.”
Late Friday (5 May), The Times reported the pledge would be updated at Charles’s request following criticism from the public and those within the royal circle.
Broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby called the pledge an “ill-advised” decision, adding that Charles would find it “abhorrent”.
Lambeth Palace on Saturday published the revised liturgy, updated at the king’s request, on the official website.
During the coronation, the Archbishop of Canterbury will say: “I now invite those who wish to offer their support to do so with a moment of private reflection, by joining in saying ‘God save King Charles’ at the end, or, for those with the words before them, to recite them in full.”
The pledge reads: “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 will be followed by the playing of fanfare.
Commenting on the decision to change the pledge at the last-minute, a spokesperson for Lambeth Palace told The Guardian it was “always an invitation rather than an expectation”.
The decision to change the wording “reflects the collaborative approach that has been taken throughout the coronation planning”, the spokesperson added.