Controversy Surrounds King Charles' Coronation and Pledge of Allegiance

King Charles III's coronation has been criticized for being out of touch with his subjects, with the monarch being accused of being willingly manipulated into a more assertive role as head of state than his mother thought right. The move to invite all of his subjects to take a personal vow of allegiance to him, “in heart and voice to their undoubted king” polarized views about the monarchy beyond anything previously seen. The coronation occurs at a time of rising destitution, and the king's personal wealth has soared to almost obscene levels while their own, at best, has barely moved in 15 years. The missteps of the coronation could be just a bump in the learning curve, but calling for blind allegiance not simply to him but to the Windsor “heirs and successors” is a cringe-making demand that reaches back to the vanities of George III.