The British public will be invited to say a pledge of allegiance to the King when he is crowned next Saturday.
The coronation ceremony next week (May 6) will see the Archbishop of Canterbury calling on the millions of people watching the event to take part in a “great cry around the nation and around the world of support for the King”.
The Archbishop 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”.
It’s the first time in history that the British public will be given an active role in the coronation.
The order of service will 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.”
It will be followed by a fanfare, before the Archbishop says: “God Save The King”, with all asked to respond: “God Save King Charles. Long Live King Charles. May The King live for ever.”
A spokesman for Lambeth Palace said: “The Homage of the People is particularly exciting because that’s brand new.
“That’s something that we can share in because of technological advances, so not just the people in the abbey, but people who are online, on television, who are listening, and who are gathered in parks, at big screens and churches.
“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.”
[Image: Peter Rhys Williams via Shutterstock]