Coronation: public invited to swear allegiance
People watching the Coronation will be invited to join a ‘chorus of millions’ declaring, ‘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 proclaim, ‘God save the King’, with a response, ‘God save King Charles. Long live King Charles. May the King live for ever.’ There are several changes to the ancient ceremony. Female clergy will play a prominent role; the King himself will pray out loud; leaders from other faiths have an active part; and it will incorporate hymns sung in Welsh, Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic. But the oaths that form the heart of the service remain unchanged, including the promise to maintain ‘the Protestant Reformed Religion’. Justin Welby said this coronation would ‘recognise and celebrate tradition’ and contain ‘new elements reflecting the diversity of our contemporary society’.
Northern Ireland: inquest opportunity for the truth
Ray and Marie Ferguson have campaigned since 2001 to discover why Rachel, their 9-year-old daughter, died at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. Marie said the new inquest, which started on 2 May, is an opportunity to establish why Rachel died from hyponatremia a day after her appendix operation. Hyponatremia, an abnormally low level of sodium in blood, can occur when fluids are incorrectly administered. Mrs Ferguson said the fact that there was a second inquest ‘speaks of the culture of cover-up involving the medical and legal professions’. The 14-year-long inquiry into hyponatraemia-related deaths was heavily critical of the ‘self-regulating and unmonitored’ health service. A 2018 inquiry into Northern Ireland hospitals where five children died, including Rachel, found death was avoidable.
Scotland: views and traditions of coronation
According to a YouGov poll, almost three-quarters of people in Scotland do not care about the coronation, and only 46% think that Britain should continue to have a monarchy in future, with 40% saying it should have an elected head of state instead. The poll of 1,032 people between 17 and 20 April found that 44% of respondents have a positive view of the royal family in general, 47% have a negative view, and the remainder do not know. See Scotland’s centuries old Stone of Destiny is an important traditional part of the coronation service. It was transported from Edinburgh to be set into the coronation throne on which the King will sit when he is crowned.
Modern-day slavery increasing
Potential victims of modern slavery and human trafficking in the UK rose by over a quarter in the first three months of 2023 and is at the highest level since identifying them began. Albanian nationals accounted for 1/3rd of potential victims. British nationals (up 25%) were the second most commonly referred nationality; third most common was Sudanese (5%). The role of anti-slavery commissioner has remained vacant since Dame Sara Thornton left the post in April 2022. Speaking at the Home Affairs Committee’s new inquiry into human trafficking, she described the failure to find her replacement ‘deeply regrettable’ and suggested there could be a conflict of interest because the Home Office was in charge of the appointment. Worldwide, almost 50 million people live as slaves today. In the UK alone there are estimated to be over 100,000 victims silently hidden in places like car washes, brothels, nail bars, and restaurants in our neighbourhoods and streets. See
