Read the full text of the Coronation Oaths being sworn by King Charles III.
The tradition of the oath stretches back centuries as we detailed in our article on why the Coronation Oath is so important. Yet it is not fixed in time: it changes with each successive coronation, sometimes subtly, and sometimes more drastically.
On Saturday 6 May 2023, the Royal Family released the full, 50-page Order of Service for the Coronation of King Charles III. You can download a PDF from the official royal.uk website.
Below, is the full section on The Oaths to be sworn by His Majesty during the ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
The Right Reverend Dr Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, receives the Bible from the Dean of Westminster and presents it to The King, saying
Sir, to keep you ever mindful of the law and the Gospel of God as the Rule for the whole life and government of Christian Princes, receive this Book, the most valuable thing that this world affords. Here is Wisdom; this is the royal Law; these are the lively Oracles of God.
The Moderator receives the Bible and places it before The King. The King stands and the Archbishop says:
Our Majesty, the Church established by law, whose settlement you will swear to maintain, is committed to the true profession of the Gospel, and, in so doing, will seek to foster an environment in which people of all faiths and beliefs may live freely. The Coronation Oath has stood for centuries and is enshrined in law.
Are you willing to take the Oath?
The King replies
I am willing.
The King places his hand on the Bible, and the Archbishop administers the Oath
Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the Peoples of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, your other Realms and the Territories to any of them belonging or pertaining, according to their respective laws and customs?
The King replies
I solemnly promise so to do.
The Archbishop says
Will you to your power cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all your judgements?
The King replies
I will.
The King kneels at the Chair of Estate. The Archbishop says
Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel? Will you to the utmost of your power maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant Reformed Religion established by law? Will you maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the Church of England, and the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof, as by law established in England?
And will you preserve unto the Bishops and Clergy of England, and to the Churches there committed to their charge, all such rights and privileges as by law do or shall appertain to them or any of them?
The King replies
All this I promise to do.
The King places his hand on the Bible and says
The things which I have here before promised, I will perform and keep. So help me God.
The King kisses the Bible. The Archbishop says
Your Majesty, are you willing to make, subscribe, and declare to the statutory Accession Declaration Oath?
The King replies
I am willing.
I Charles do solemnly and sincerely in the presence of God profess, testify, and declare that I am a faithful Protestant, and that I will, according to the true intent of the enactments which secure the Protestant succession to the Throne, uphold and maintain the said enactments to the best of my powers according to law.
The King signs copies of the Oaths, presented by the Lord Chamberlain, whilst the choir sings
Prevent us, O Lord, in all our doings with thy most gracious favour, and further us with thy continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in thee, we may glorify thy holy name, and finally by thy mercy obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
William Byrd (c 1540–1623) The Book of Common Prayer 1549
The King kneels before the Altar and says
God of compassion and mercy whose Son was sent not to be served but to serve, give grace that I may find in thy service perfect freedom and in that freedom knowledge of thy truth. Grant that I may be a blessing to all thy children, of every faith and belief, that together we may discover the ways of gentleness and be led into the paths of peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The King returns to the Chair of Estate and sits.
What the Charles III coronation invitations look like — and why they’ll likely be worth a fortune one day
Invitations to coronations have always been highly prized. Since the 18th century, they have also been designed to reflect the
St Edward’s Crown: The tale of the crown being used at the Coronation of King Charles III
It is to the Crown that we owe allegiance. Matthew Dennison considers the history of this most familiar attribute of
The Timetable for the Coronation of King Charles III, including the order of service and The Oath
Eleanor Doughty takes a look at what's happening over coronation weekend — and explains the changes in the roles of dukes
What is was like to be there when George VI was crowned at Westminster Abbey, by eye-witness Dorothy Wells
George VI’s coronation was lavish, with sparkling diamond coronets, clergy wrapped in spectacular copes, foreign notables in pearl-encrusted caps and
The Coronation oath: ‘This is no empty display. It is the foundation stone of our system of government’
The Queen’s Coronation saw her take an oath which is crucial to our system of Government.
It shouldn’t happen at a coronation: A brief history of crowning day disasters
Things don’t always go to plan at a coronation, from stumbling peers to muddled clergy, dripping candles and even earthquakes,
What it’s like to have a prime seat at a Royal Coronation by John Betjeman, who reported for Country Life in 1953
The late, great Poet Laureate John Betjeman was among the congregation when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in
Westminster Abbey: 1,000 years of coronations, from King Harold and William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II and Charles III
The setting of Charles III’s crowning in Westminster Abbey in London lends grandeur and history to this great ceremony. John
