#MEDIEVAL OATH OF LOYALTY SERIES#

Who cares about the monarchy?īefore getting into the context of this pushback from members of the UK public, it may be helpful to start with a series of numbers that paint a picture of the current popularity of the British monarchy. Still others made unflattering comparisons to the North Korean regime or even Game of Thrones, generally denoting a sense of disbelief that such a concept of a fealty oath was being unironically brought back in the 21st century. Her post also highlighted the public cost of the coronation, estimated in excess of £100 million, which will all come from taxpayers and how the British monarchy was rich enough to pay for such events without the use of public funds. Green Party member and House of Lords peer Jenny Jones tweeted that an oath of loyalty was an odd request to make at a time when the monarchy is losing its relevance. The Lambeth Palace, the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury, also spoke about the ‘exciting’ new oath and how it was only made possible due to advances in technology that will allow people everywhere to share in the experience of the coronation. Labour Party campaign chief Shabana Mahmood was even quoted as saying that the oath was a “lovely touch”, a way to involve the people. Many ruling and opposition ministers alike rushed to defend this new change, stating that the oath was optional and that it was not too dissimilar to pledges of loyalty taken by Members of Parliament (MP) themselves. This new oath, resembling medieval oaths of fealty in a supposedly modern constitutional monarchy, has proven divisive, to say the least.

Medieval oath of loyalty