‘It feels very Game of Thrones’: Call to swear allegiance to King branded ‘feudal’

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Millions of people in the UK and the Commonwealth have been invited to vocally swear their allegiance to King Charles III as they watch his coronation ceremony.

Those watching the crowning on 6 May have been asked to say: “I swear that I will pay true allegiance to your majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law. So help me God.”

It has been described as an Homage of the People and his seen by some as a break from tradition that will make the ceremony more of a “people’s coronation” – as previously only peers would make such a pledge.

Not everyone is happy with the idea, however, with some likening it to something from North Korea, or Game of Thrones.

Anti-monarchy demonstrator Symon Hill, who was arrested in September after shouting “who elected him” at the proclamation of Charles as King in Oxford, said the proposal is like something out of George Orwell’s book 1984.

He tweeted: “If it were 1 April, you’d think this was a joke: public are asked to take part in a ludicrous ‘Homage of the People’, swearing allegiance to Charles Windsor in front of their TV during the coronation.”

Political economist and chartered accountant Professor Richard Murphy wrote: “I don’t mind swearing. It’s the allegiance to an outdated legacy of eugenic feudal power that I have a problem with.”

Even some who do support the British monarchy thought the invitation went a step too far, suggesting it may be a sign that enthusiasm for the Royal Family has faded following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Speaking to GB News, journalist Martin Townsend said: “I think it’s very odd. There is a little bit of insecurity about it, and equally I think it plays into that narrative of a slightly vain king.

“I think this plays into that narrative that perhaps he’s not as a popular as the Queen or since the Queen passed away six months ago, perhaps respect for the monarchy has slightly dwindled.

“The coronation – I want a big feast of pageantry I want to see some extraordinary ceremonies going on.

“I still think being asked to pledge allegiance to the King feels very Game of Thrones to me and it doesn’t feel like the British monarchy.”

Green peer Jenny Jones tweeted: “Asking us to chant our allegiance does seem an odd request when so many of us think that the monarchy is an outdated institution that needs drastic reform.

“And I really think that the king is rich enough to pay for his own coronation, not us taxpayers. The ££ could go to #nurses.”

Street artist Mark McGowan, also known as the Artist Taxi Driver, added: “This is absolutely insane… they want us all to swear allegiance to the King… just wow!!

“Soooo creepy and North Korean, like sheep, it’s medieval it’s controlling it’s abusive, people are suffering and they want you subjugated… simply appalling, not doing it not ever.”

While millions of people across the world will be excited to watch the coronation, a poll conducted shortly before the ceremony suggests support for the British monarchy is at an all-time low.

Pollsters found only three in 10 Britons think their monarchy is “very important” – the lowest proportion on record.

Meanwhile, a YouGov poll conducted in Scotland found less than half (46%) of people think Britain should continue to have a monarchy in the future, with almost three-quarters of Scots saying they do not care about the coronation.

There’s no doubt that King Charles III has a big pair of shoes to fill given the popularity of his mother Elizabeth II throughout her 70-year reign.

Read more: Coronation poll: What do you think of Queen Camilla?

The last poll taken before the death of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch showed 81% of people held her in a positive regard, a rate she’d managed to hold for more than a decade.

In light of next weekend’s coronation, Yahoo News has launched a series of polls to gauge the public mood as the Royal Family enters a new era of its history.

Let us know what you think of the UK’s new King, and how popular you think he will be compared to his mother.