King Charles Accused of Breaking His Coronation Oath and ‘Deserting Christians’
King Charles has come under fire over his Christian commitments, with a former royal chaplain questioning whether he has stayed true to his Coronation oath.
King Charles has recently faced criticism for his role as the defender of Christianity, and it comes from someone close to his late mother. Queen Elizabeth’s former chaplain, Gavin Ashenden, has accused the King of “deserting Christians” and failing to uphold a key Coronation commitment.
Ashenden has now accused Charles of breaking the oath he made at his Coronation to uphold the Christian Faith. His comments came after Buckingham Palace used a different description for the monarch in this year’s Sovereign Grant Annual Report, referring to him as the “Protector of the Space for Faith within the Multi-faith Nation” instead of the traditional “Defender of the Faith.”
Ashenden was particularly critical of the change, claiming that Charles “has deserted Christian allegiance, turned his back on his Coronation oath [and] repudiated the support and promotion of a Christian culture.” He added, “Some are asking whether his behavior is sufficiently subversive as to raise questions about his capacity to fulfil the office of King,” as per GB News.
Ashenden served as a royal chaplain for nine years before leaving the role after criticizing a church service where a Muslim student had been invited to recite from the Quran.
Commenting on the recent criticism of Charles, the Archbishop of Canterbury has offered a different take on the matter. Earlier this year, Dame Sarah Mullally spoke positively about her conversations with Charles, saying they had been “encouraging.” She also described Charles as “a great supporter” of the Church, where he serves as its constitutional Supreme Governor. Mullay added that the King had been keen to hear about her plans for its future direction.
She said, “He is a great supporter of the Church of England, and, you know, we share the desire to see a Church that is confident and one that speaks to the Christian hope.” “I shared with the King that I hope to be the shepherd, to care for people in their parishes, for our clergy, to support them, to enable them to do what they can do, but also to speak of the Christian hope, not just within the Church and the Anglican Communion, but also into the world and providing hospitality at a time where there's a lot of challenges for people,” Mullay added.
