The coronation of Britain's King Charles III will be a deeply religious affair when the Archbishop of Canterbury anoints him with holy oil and blesses him as the world looks on.
But in a modern monarchy many may wonder if he will break with tradition and include a variety of faiths as a nod to the UK’s diversity.
Meeting faith leaders in the Bow Room at Buckingham Palace on Friday, he was at pains to explain how he would both take the traditional oaths and keep commitments to other faiths.
“I have always thought of Britain as a ‘community of communities‘ [and] that has led me to understand that the sovereign has an additional duty – less formally recognised but to be no less diligently discharged,” he said.
“It is the duty to protect the diversity of our country, including by protecting the space for faith itself and its practise through the religions, cultures, traditions and beliefs to which our hearts and minds direct us as individuals.
“This diversity is not just enshrined in the laws of our country, it is enjoined by my own faith. As a member of the Church of England, my Christian beliefs have love at their very heart. By most profound convictions, therefore – as well as by my position as Sovereign – I hold myself bound to respect those who follow other spiritual paths, as well as those who seek to live their lives in accordance with secular ideals.”
Noting the value to society in diversity, he said he would cherish all who followed their conscience.
“The beliefs that flourish in, and contribute to, our richly diverse society differ,” he added. “They, and our society, can only thrive through a clear collective commitment to those vital principles of freedom of conscience, generosity of spirit and care for others which are, to me, the essence of our nationhood.
"I am determined, as King, to preserve and promote those principles.”
Ian Bradley, emeritus professor of cultural and spiritual history at the University of St Andrews and author of God Save The Queen: The Spiritual Dimension of Monarchy, believes the efforts King Charles makes will build on changes seen during his mother's long reign.
"To some extent the queen did, you just need to look at the way she reached out to other faiths, she made a particular point of visiting mosques, temples and synagogues and even in her Christmas broadcast she would reference other faiths and had a huge commitment to other faiths and tolerance," he said.
“I think the coronation will continue that, I think Charles influenced the queen. He will retain the oath of Defender of the Faith and defend the Protestant faith. But he will continue what the queen has done to position the monarchy to protect all faiths and get the Church of England to be a canopy for all faiths."
The queen was the first monarch to enter a mosque and Stephen Evans, chief executive of the National Secular Society, believes the king has equally shown an interest in Islam.
“King Charles has shown a keen interest in other faiths, I do not think he believes Christianity has a monopoly," he said.
"He is open to other faiths, he has shown a keen interest in Islam. In his first address he promised to serve all his subjects loyally and with love.
“The role of head of state is fundamentally tied up with being a religious leader."
Since the reign of Henry VIII, the King of England has held the title, Defender of the Faith, awarded in 1521 by Pope Leo X before the king broke away from the Catholic Church to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.
King Henry then declared himself Supreme Governor of the Church of England, a title that now passes to King Charles.
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
The%20specs
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Company%20profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
The%20specs
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 258hp at 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.4L/100km
Price, base: from D215,000 (Dh230,000 as tested)
On sale: now
