Gavin Ashenden, a former chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II, has accused King Charles of violating the oath he swore at his Coronation to uphold the Christian Faith.
The accusation follows Buckingham Palace’s decision to alter the monarch’s traditional title in this year’s Sovereign Grant Annual Report, replacing “Defender of the Faith” with “Protector of the Space for Faith within the Multi-faith Nation.”
Ashenden, who served as a royal chaplain for nine years, has expressed deep alarm at the change.
Ashenden departed his role after criticising a church service in which a Muslim student had been invited to recite from the Koran.
Gavin Ashenden, a former chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II, has accused King Charles of violating the oath he swore at his Coronation to uphold the Christian Faith.
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He hit out at the King’s actions in stark terms, stating that Charles “has deserted Christian allegiance, turned his back on his Coronation oath [and] repudiated the support and promotion of a Christian culture.”
The former chaplain went further, noting: “Some are asking whether his behaviour is sufficiently subversive as to raise questions about his capacity to fulfil the office of King.”
This contrasts with the Archbishop of Canterbury’s public comments regarding King Charles earlier this year.
In January, Dame Sarah Mullally revealed that her discussions with King Charles had been “encouraging”.
In January, Dame Sarah Mullally revealed that her discussions with King Charles had been “encouraging”.
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The monarch, who serves as the technical head of the Church, has shown himself to be “a great supporter” of the institution, according to Dame Sarah.
She noted that King Charles was eager to learn about her plans for the Church’s future direction.
“He is a great supporter of the Church of England, and, you know, we share the desire to see a Church that is confident and one that speaks to the Christian hope,” Dame Sarah said.
When asked whether the King had shared his own views on the Church’s direction, Dame Sarah explained that he was interested in understanding her vision, much as many others have been.
She told the monarch that her priority is to serve as a shepherd, caring for parishioners and supporting clergy in their work.
“I shared with the King that I hope to be the shepherd, to care for people in their parishes, for our clergy, to support them, to enable them to do what they can do, but also to speak of the Christian hope, not just within the Church and the Anglican Communion, but also into the world and providing hospitality at a time where there’s a lot of challenges for people,” she said.