Members of the public watching the coronation on television, online and in parks and pubs will be invited to swear aloud their allegiance to the monarch in a “chorus of millions of voices” to be known as the Homage of the People.
People around the UK and abroad will be invited to say the words “I swear that I will pay true allegiance to your majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law. So help me God”, in a declaration that replaces the traditional homage of peers.
Saturday’s service will also involve for the first time the active participation of representatives of faiths other than Christianity. Rishi Sunak, a Hindu, will give a reading from the Bible in his capacity as PM, despite Church of England law in effect barring other faiths from taking an active role in its services. “There is no issue about [Sunak’s] personal faith, we’re delighted that he is doing [this],” said a Lambeth Palace spokesperson.
Other new elements include the king voicing aloud a specially written prayer; a hymn sung in English, Welsh, Scottish Gaelic and Irish in an acknowledgment of the “rich heritage” of the UK; and the participation of female Anglican bishops.
The coronation liturgy, published this weekend, has been drawn up by Lambeth Palace, the London headquarters of the archbishop of Canterbury, in close consultation with the king. Its new elements “reflect the diversity of our contemporary society”, said Justin Welby, the archbishop.
But the coronation was “first and foremost an act of Christian worship”, he said. “It is my prayer that all who share in this service, whether they are of faith or no faith, will find ancient wisdom and new hope that brings inspiration and joy.”
It has also emerged that rehearsals for the coronation have been aided by the construction of a movie-style set of Westminster Abbey inside Buckingham Palace’s ballroom.
A scale model of the abbey stage has been installed to ensure everyone with a part to play – including the king – has ample chance to practise before rehearsals start in the abbey this week. Palace sources said the set had been devised so that Westminster Abbey would not have to be closed for any longer than necessary. In 1953, it was shut for months while rehearsals took place – something that was deemed an impossible imposition on the abbey and its finances in 2023.
Insiders said that the arrangement was nothing extravagant: “It’s basically a raised stage and some carpet.”
However, Graham Smith of the pressure group Republic said the coronation was already costing £100m.
“This kind of nonsense suggests that the price tag might be a lot higher,” he said. “Is it really beyond the wit of these people to do rehearsals without reconstructing Westminster Abbey?”
Describing the new homage, Lambeth Palace said: “A chorus of millions of voices [will be] enabled for the first time in history to participate in this solemn and joyful moment”.
The service will start with a procession of faith representatives of the Jewish, Sunni and Shia Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Bahá’í and Zoroastrian communities. Peers from different faiths will take part in the presentation of regalia, and at the end of the service the newly crowned king will receive a greeting spoken in unison by representatives of Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Muslim and Buddhist communities. This will be unamplified because of the prohibition on using electricity on the Jewish sabbath.
Welby will preface the coronation oath by saying the established church which the king swears to maintain “will seek to foster an environment in which people of all faiths may live freely”.
Although Welby will later refer to the monarch as “defender of the faith” – a title bestowed by the state, not the church – Charles himself will not speak the words. He will declare that he is a “faithful Protestant” and he will pledge to “uphold and maintain” the Protestant succession to the throne.
In 1994, Charles caused controversy by suggesting he would prefer to be regarded as defending all faiths, rather than being defender of the Protestant faith.
The anointing of the king – “the most sacred moment” in the service, according to Lambeth Palace – will be conducted behind a screen. Charles will remove his robes of state, and will receive consecrated oil on his hands, breast and head wearing a simple linen tunic. Afterwards, he will be vested with the supertunica
