The awkward response from a Q&A audience after they are asked if they will swear allegiance to King Charles III at his Coronation
- Q&A audience asked whether they’d pledge allegiance
- Question came ahead of King Charles III’s Coronation
Only two members of a Q&A audience rose their hands when asked if they’d be pledging their allegiance to King Charles III at his Coronation.
Australians and residents around the globe have been encouraged to pledge their allegiance during the Coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey on Saturday.
The Archbishop of Canterbury will call on the public to make the pledge as they watch the once-in-a-generation event from their television screens.
The request was a hot topic on Q&A on Monday night with audience member Sydney Monteiro asking the panel if they would chant their allegiance.
Q&A host David Speers asked the audience on Monday night whether they would be pledging their allegiance to King Charles
Just two members of the audience rose their hands to signal they would be pledging their allegiance
All the guests responded they would not before host David Speers turned to the audience and asked the same question.
Only two people raised their hands to confirm they would say the pledge.
‘What if you’re not going to pledge allegiance?’ he asked, as nearly everyone in the crowd raised their hand.
The panel featured American literature expert Sarah Churchwell, Aboriginal affairs commentator Anthony Dillon and Health Minister Mark Butler.
Tasmanian Liberal MP Bridget Archer, and former president of the Australian Medical Association, Mukesh Haikerwal were also among the guests.
Mr Butler said he had campaigned for a republic, and pledging allegiance wasn’t necessary at this time.
‘Every time we get elected to the parliament, we have to start by pledging allegiance or affirming or swearing allegiance,’ he said.
‘And we did that last year. I think that’s enough.’
Ms Archer revealed she had no interest in watching the broadcast of the coronation, while Mr Haikerwal said that although his father had attended the late Queen’s coronation, he had no interest in watching Saturday’s ceremony.
The Coronation will be held at Westminster Abbey, with around 2,000 people attending the once-in-a-generation event, on May 6.
During the ceremony, the Archbishop of Canterbury will say: ‘I call upon all persons of goodwill in The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of the other Realms and the Territories, to make their homage, in heart and voice, to their undoubted King, defender of all.’
The Coronation will be held at Westminster Abbey, with around 2,000 people attending the once-in-a-generation event, on May 6
The public is then 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’.
The Archbishop will then say ‘God save The King’ to which the public is asked to respond: ‘God save King Charles, long live King Charles, may The King live for ever.’
The change has drawn criticism in the UK, with Cambridge Professor Priyamvada Gopal comparing it to ‘peasants’ being asked to pledge allegiance to the rule of wealth.
One Briton tweeted they were ‘amazed’ that Charles’ advisors thought this was a good idea.
‘This could turn out very badly for the monarchy if all the people just stay silent during it (the pledge)… it’s a recipe for humiliation for him,’ they said.