Popular TV presenter and close friend to the King, Jonathan Dimbleby has said the monarch would find the public being asked to swear allegiance to him "abhorrent".
This comes after widespread backlash to the request for a "homage of the people" during the coronation of Charles on Saturday.
Dimbleby talked about the plans on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, saying: “I can think of nothing that [Charles] would find more abhorrent. He’s never wanted to be revered. He’s never wanted, as far as I know, to have anyone pay homage to him, except in mock terms as a joke.
“He wants, I think, to feel that people will share in the event – and I don’t quite know how this might have happened. I don’t know for certain but it would seem to me that this was an initiative by the archbishop who, as we know, is strongly evangelical, who thought it would be a good thing to give everyone a chance to pay that homage. I think it was well-intentioned and rather ill-advised.”
"That it is so different from the King that I know."
— BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) May 5, 2023
Jonathan Dimbleby describes the invitation to swear allegiance during the Coronation as an 'ill-advised' move by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
📻 Listen to the whole interview live: https://t.co/eqxNk35bHL#R4Today pic.twitter.com/3sDkQWR1Xg
Jonathan Dimbleby is a close friend of the King and a well-known broadcaster who has made a name for himself through his many documentary series' and through his political coverage.
The Coronation oath was described as "most bizarre" by Dimbleby with the presenter adding that the move was likely due to "miscommunication".
Previously Lambeth Palace, the office of the Archbishop said that, for the first time, the general public would be asked to join in by declaring their loyalty to King Charles III.
It is hoped by organisers that the public will join in by saying the following oath of loyalty: “I swear that I will pay true allegiance to your majesty, and to your heirs and successors, according to law. So help me God.”
Despite what Dimbleby says, Lambeth Palace insisted that its plans were drawn up in close collaboration with Buckingham Palace.
Public Oath of Allegiance to Charles III 'very much an invitation'
A spokesperson said the service reflected a "complete consensus between Lambeth Palace, the royal household and His Majesty’s government.”
When asked if the public homage idea had been a good one, Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, said: “The whole service is a major collaborative process in which everyone worked through, a huge range of people work through the whole thing. There’s no individual who can claim the credit for this service.”
A Lambeth Palace spokesperson said earlier this week: “Oaths and commitments of allegiance are very much commonplace all over the country, from parliaments and assemblies to the church, police, armed forces, citizenship ceremonies and even in scouts and guiding.”
They added that the homage was "very much an invitation, rather than an expectation or request".
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