The Prince of Wales is considering making a major change when he becomes King, which would be a break with centuries of tradition, a report has claimed. Prince William – the first in line to the throne – is said to be “toying with” a change that would permanently alter the landscape of the UK, and would mark a new chapter for the monarchy itself.
Last year, at the coronation of King Charles, William was the only member of the House of Windsor to take part in the Homage of Royal Blood, which saw him swear to be his father’s “liege man of life and limb”. Previously, royal dukes all took part in this ceremony, but Charles opted for a scaled-back approach, and integrated multi-faith dimensions to the ceremony – reflecting the diverse religious landscape of the UK. But William might be considering taking this sense of modernisation one step further.
As reported in the Mail on Sunday, “William is toying with the idea of abolishing the religious oaths of the Coronation – potentially leading to the disestablishment of the Church of England.” The report contrasted this with the strong faith held by King Charles, who as monarch also holds the title of Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England. As it stands, during the coronation – a fundamentally Christian service – the monarch swears an oath on the Bible to protect and maintain the Church of England, whilst securing a protestant succession.
Charles was asked during the solemn ceremony: “Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel? Will you to the utmost of your power maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant Reformed Religion established by law? Will you maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the Church of England, and the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof, as by law established in England? And will you preserve unto the Bishops and Clergy of England, and to the Churches there committed to their charge, all such rights and privileges as by law do or shall appertain to them or any of them?”
Equally, the King promised to “solemnly and sincerely in the presence of God profess, testify, and declare that I am a faithful Protestant, and that I will, according to the true intent of the enactments which secure the Protestant succession to the Throne, uphold and maintain the said enactments to the best of my powers according to law.”
The monarch has been the head of the Church of England since the reformation when Henry VIII broke with Rome and papal authority in 1534 – and every Anglican monarch has held the title of Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England since. Since 1689, the Church of England’s position as the state religion has remained the same, but William’s considerations of removing religion from the equation in his own coronation could eventually lead to the church being disestablished – meaning that it is no longer the official religion.
The 2021 census showed that for the first time, the number of Christians in England and Wales had slipped below 50 percent, leaving some campaigners questioning whether or not it is appropriate for the monarch to remain head of the church, with Stephen Evans, of the National Secular Society calling it “absurd” that monarch maintain this position.
However, for centuries the authority of the Church of England and that of the monarchy have firmed each other up and if William were to break with tradition in this way, it could present challenges for the future of both institutions – particularly the monarchy, which relies on a sense of stability and continuity of tradition as one of its main foundational principles.
