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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Chiara Fiorillo

Major last-minute change to Coronation oath after backlash to King Charles pledge

Brits will not have to pay homage to King Charles as a controversial element of the Coronation service at Westminster Abbey was toned down in a last-minute change.

The monarch reportedly approved that the "Homage of the People" element be changed following widespread critics by commentators who described the addition as divisive.

Broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby, a friend of Charles who wrote the King's authorised biography, said the monarch would find the Homage of the People "abhorrent".

Following the change, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will now "invite" a show of support from the congregation rather than a "call" to those in the Abbey and elsewhere to swear allegiance to the King.

Charles and Camilla will be crowned later today (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Build up to the big day has already begun with workers sweeping sand onto roads, police officers arriving and a rain shelter is being set up outside the Abbey entrance.

Metropolitan Police and military police officers patrolled the route from Victoria to Westminster from the early hours on Saturday.

Royal fans with Union flags and crowns could be seen on trains and in Tube stations from just after 4.30am.

The King will be crowned at Westminster Abbey by the Archbishop of Canterbury during a Coronation ceremony dating back centuries.

Cries of "God Save the King" will ring out around the abbey after St Edward's Crown is placed on Charles' head by Mr Welby.

Catherine, Princess of Wales, meets well-wishers during a walkabout on the Mall outside Buckingham Palace (Getty Images)

The senior cleric said in a statement issued on the eve of the Coronation that the ceremony served as "a powerful reflection and celebration of who we are today, in all our wonderful diversity".

He said people will be struck by the "majesty and sacred wonder" of the service, but also hoped they would find "ancient wisdom and new hope".

The event will bring together around 100 heads of state, kings and queens from across the globe, celebrities, everyday heroes and family and friends of the couple.

Invited guests include David and Victoria Beckham, musician Lionel Richie, French President Emmanuel Macron, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and US First Lady Jill Biden but her husband President Joe Biden will not be attending.

The day will be a display of pomp and pageantry, with the nation's Armed Forces promising a "spectacular" event when the King and Queen process through the streets of the capital.

The Duke of Norfolk, the Earl Marshall, paying homage to Queen Elizabeth II after her Coronation at Westminster Abbey, in 1953 (PA)

The event is the military's largest ceremonial operation since Queen Elizabeth II's 1953 Coronation, with 9,000 servicemen and women deployed and 7,000 of these performing ceremonial and supporting roles.

Commenting on the changes to the Homage of the People, a Lambeth Palace spokesperson said: "The Homage of the People was always an invitation rather than expectation.

"To provide further clarity as the Order of Service was finalised, it has been mutually agreed by Lambeth Palace and Buckingham Palace that the introductory words will be changed.

"This reflects the collaborative approach that has been taken throughout the coronation planning.

"We are looking forward to the service with much joy and expectation."

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