According to the Daily Mail, millions of people will be asked to pledge their “true allegiance” to King Charles at the coronation set for Saturday, May 6, 2023, at Westminster Abbey.
According to the UK-based news outlet, all citizens of the UK and all other countries whose head of state is the monarch would be invited to “make their homage in heart and voice to their undoubted King” for the first time in history.
This ground-breaking decision would transform the ceremony into more of a “People’s Coronation,” as only members of the aristocracy were previously asked to make such a commitment.
The “Homage of the People” is only one of the important revisions to the traditional ceremony that will see key parts played by members of other religions in addition to the Church of England. For the first time, female clergy members will also participate.
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The two-hour event will be marked by the influence of the late Queen and a tribute to the King’s late father, Prince Philip. When Queen Camilla is crowned following her husband, it will mark the first time a Consort has been ordained in full front of the public.
When the Archbishop of Canterbury visits those gathered in Westminster Abbey for the Homage of the People, the departure from centuries of tradition will be most apparent.
It takes the place of the “homage of the peers,” in which the nobility gathered in a queue to honour the new king or queen. Now, only Charles’s heir Prince William will do so.
Sally Bedell Smith, a royal biographer, remarked, “It’s quite thrilling. With his request for the entire globe to recognise him as King, it’s likely the most drastic break with convention that we’ve heard about so far.
“It’s a wonderful, democratic and inclusive gesture and very 21st Century.
“We knew all along this was going to be a different and modern twist on the Coronation but this step is really quite a radical one.”
Sir Vernon Bogdanor, a constitutional specialist, continued, “It’s a really sensible reform. I believe that having peers there to represent the general populace was out of date even in 1953. Without a doubt, it is now outdated. It would appear absurd.
“The Coronation proved he was the legitimate King, so it’s right that a representative group of people should be performing that. The Coronation must strike a balance between adhering to tradition and evolving with the times.
150 million individuals in the UK and Commonwealth will be asked to declare their allegiance to Her Majesty, her heirs, and successors in accordance with the law during the homage. God, please help me. The general public will add: after a fanfare.
150 million individuals in the UK and Commonwealth will be asked to declare their allegiance to Her Majesty, her heirs, and successors in accordance with the law during the homage. God, please help me. The crowd will then contribute, “God save King Charles,” after a fanfare. King Charles, long live. May the King reign for all time.
“Never in our history have the people been offered such an opportunity to join with national figures in declaring their allegiance to a new sovereign,” a representative for Lambeth Palace said.
