Will You Pledge Allegiance?

What would replace the monarchy?

Maybe we could have a genuinely pared-down slim-line monarchy as some other countries do. We pay a decent salary to a king or queen and expenses for royal duties and that's it.

Upkeep of their many properties, estates and art collections would be their responsibility, just like other property owners.

The cost of ceremonials that increase tourist income could be regarded as expenses, but the final say over reasonable costs should rest with the government as our representatives.

We do not have to go straight down the presidential route - give a pared down monarchy a go and if that fails, then move on to presidential.

Farzanah

I can’t believe this mad idea for the serfs to join in (if they wish of course) by swearing allegiance to the King, ever got off the drawing board.
After the Oath business the Archbishop of Canterbury will apparently say “God Save the King” and the response is “God Save King Charles” Long May he Reign” May he Live for Ever”.
What? Long Reign! He’s already elderly and no one lives for ever anyway, not even a king!

Well, his Granny lived to 101.

Apologies if I have said this but apparently the coronation is costing us tax payers 250 million.
That is shocking given the times we are living in.
Definitely a much pared down royalty is preferable to this obscene waste of money.

When I first heard this I thought it was slightly odd. However, it’s being read as a prayer by the Archbishop of Canterbury: “I swear that I will pay true allegiance to Your Majesty according to the law. So help me God”.

So not dissimilar to the words in the National Anthem: “God save the King”

Luckygirl3

What would replace the monarchy?

Maybe we could have a genuinely pared-down slim-line monarchy as some other countries do. We pay a decent salary to a king or queen and expenses for royal duties and that's it.

Upkeep of their many properties, estates and art collections would be their responsibility, just like other property owners.

The cost of ceremonials that increase tourist income could be regarded as expenses, but the final say over reasonable costs should rest with the government as our representatives.

We do not have to go straight down the presidential route - give a pared down monarchy a go and if that fails, then move on to presidential.

I've just watched a young person (another one) who told the story of how she was helped by The Prince's Trust. She was in prison at the time, started being helped by the Trust then, and has gone on to set up her own florist's business plus two cafés. She said that Prince Charles, as he then was, took a personal interest, came to meet all her staff and see how she had succeeded, with the help of the Trust, to turn her life around.
Over one million young people have been helped by the Trust over the years.

I can't see a short-term President beginning and following through on anything like this of this scale.

What would have happened to those young people?

silverlining48

Apologies if I have said this but apparently the coronation is costing us tax payers 250 million.
That is shocking given the times we are living in.
Definitely a much pared down royalty is preferable to this obscene waste of money.

Well, you could compare the costs of a presidential election every four years with the cost of first Coronation in 70 years.

🤔 let me think .....

Do you have a breakdown of the £250 million, please?

The whole silly show is bonkers, its the 21st century for goodness sake !As for the kids taken out of their cLassrooms to chant He's Our King ..Whoever thought that up needs sacked! Indoctrination of the young ,dont GN members usually complain when places like North Korea do this stuff?
It beggers belief that people still think the monarchy is a good thing and try to justify it
In MY opinion.Not speaking for my fellow scots on here as I know they are monarchists

Admired the Queen esp when practically on her death bed, amiably greeting (disastrous) new PM. Watched every bit of funeral coverage - love the spectacle/horses/music. The soldiers/pipers/bearers!!! I understand the massive queue at WMinster Hall
- people have the urge to be part of a huge, unique occasion. So do I & will watch the Coronation with interest but absolutely no reverence for ‘royalty’ - a ludicrously outdated concept. If Charles has any sense (doubt it) he’ll initiate a gentle decline for this expensive nonsense and the concepts of ‘gentry’ and ‘nobility’ - the latter being a quality we hopefully all possess.

None of my DGC have been taken out of their classrooms to chant anything!

We didn't do that 70 years ago, so whoever decides these things needs to have a rethink.
I'm sure it wasn't Charles.

Indoctrination of the young ,dont GN members usually complain when places like North Korea do this stuff?

I don't remember many threads about N Korea.

My DGC have minds of their own.

There's a lot of nonsense in the media about the Coronation and suggestions about what we could do which just isn't necessary.

There's also a lot of tat around - plastic union jack bowler hat anyone?

It's a solemn, traditional ceremony, watch it or don't watch it.
Take your pick.

I don't mind the royal family but I'm not swearing anything. I vaguely remember swearing some sort of oath of loyalty to the Queen when joining the Girl Guides hundreds of years ago when I was young.

Surely asking the public if they want to swear allegiance is instead of the peers doing it?

Probably trying to make it more inclusive, and less of ‘them and us’.

No one is forcing you to do it, no one will know whether you do it or not.

Up to the individual.

Not worth getting het up over.

Not worth getting het up over

Absolutely.

No I dont have have a breakdown, the amount was mentioned on R4 as part of a discussion.

I'll bet most of that is security!

Well what’s the point of this “chorus of millions” then if it’s just for the small minority who drool over anything royal - what does “pledge allegiance” even mean? Are those who turn their backs on the whole circus less British than those who recite some mumbo jumbo in their sitting rooms? My DiL had to pledge allegiance when she became a British citizen, something no one born here has to do. What a load of antiquated nonsense.

Callistemon21 - there is no doubt that the Prince's Trust an the DofE scheme have been hugely beneficial. But they can be that without massive ceremonials and expenditure. Many many ordinary citizens do good without the need for all that.

I think people are feeling particularly exercised about all this because of the huge income gaps where ordinary hard-working people are needing to use food banks.

What the coronation says to me is that the rich man remains in his castle and the poor man remains poor and that concept is what we should pledge allegiance to.

Callistemon21

Right, must remember the Brownie/Guide salute and say:

"I promise that I will do my best, to be true to myself and develop my beliefs, to serve the King and my community, to help other people and to keep the (Brownie) Guide law."

My Brownie promise was “I promise to do my best to do my duty to God and the King” and then something about doing a good deed every day and keeping the Brownie law. The King was George VI, and I was seven. So I have already sworn allegiance, after a fashion.

BBC News - Coronation: Public invited to swear allegiance to King Charles
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65435426

What is Lambeth Palace playing at by putting out this nonsense?
According to this news report people will be asked to cry out and swear allegiance to the king. It hopes that people watching the telly will say it out loud It mentions a great cry around the nation and around the world of support for the king
What next? The unfurling of Make Royalty Great Again banners?
Still if people want join the chorus of millions I am sure that the egos of the king and his heirs will be suitable massaged.

Grandma70s

Callistemon21

Right, must remember the Brownie/Guide salute and say:

"I promise that I will do my best, to be true to myself and develop my beliefs, to serve the King and my community, to help other people and to keep the (Brownie) Guide law."

My Brownie promise was “I promise to do my best to do my duty to God and the King” and then something about doing a good deed every day and keeping the Brownie law. The King was George VI, and I was seven. So I have already sworn allegiance, after a fashion.

I think they left God out of the Promise many years ago, in case it upset those of no faith.
Other faiths could make their promise to whichever God they chose, I would think.

Anyway, I'm not a liege man or woman, nor a subject.
My passport tells me I'm a citizen. 🙂

The King was George VI, and I was seven
It was the Queen when I took mine 🙂

The Armed Forces swear an Oath of Allegiance to the Monarch - all except for the Royal Navy.

Who has said anyone must do this oath of allegiance stuff?
Do we need a thread where we can all refuse to do something that we haven’t been asked/told to do in the first place?

Callistemon21

^Not worth getting het up over^

Absolutely.

The coronation will happen no matter who gets het up.

Seems sad to me that wealthy King who owns castles, chauffeur driven Bentleys, has such a dysfunctional family life. His spousal history in the news, his children at odds, brother who was charged with serious crimes - distasteful, imo.

Heartbreaking for him. I imagine he'd rather a calm happy life.