A document suggesting King Charles III wants to redefine the monarch's role from "defender of the faith" to "protector of the space for faith within the multi-faith nation" has ignited fury among Britain's religious right.
Dr Gavin Ashenden, a former chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II, accused the king of betraying the Church of England, the constitution, and Christians.
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"While the monarch cannot technically be a traitor, we might take refuge in grammar and find that the verb carries our feelings even if the noun cannot," he said.
Ciarán Kelly, director of the Christian Institute, echoed the sentiment: "Christianity, not some multi-faith mishmash, is the bedrock of our nation's laws and culture.
This latest move seems designed to convey the message that Christianity is just one religion among many, and that all are equally valid.
They are not."
A Long-Held View
But the king's position is not new.
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As Prince Charles, he first expressed a desire to be "defender of faith" in general rather than "the faith" in a 1994 interview with Jonathan Dimbleby.
Conservative Christians reacted strongly then, with the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland accusing him of imposing "woolly religious beliefs."
Even Queen Elizabeth II articulated a similar view in a 2012 speech at Lambeth Palace, saying the Church of England's role was "not to defend Anglicanism to the exclusion of other religions" but to "create an environment for other faith communities and indeed people of no faith to live freely."
Ravi Holy, a vicar and standup comedian, defended the king in a recent article, arguing that the multi-faith approach is consistent with the spirit of the Protestant Reformation and modern secularism.
"In the same spirit of generosity and tolerance that the Germans displayed in the 16th century, we need to create a society in which people of all faiths and none can live together in the 21st century," he wrote.
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Holy concluded: "As far as I'm concerned, he's no traitor, he's 100% faithful. It's the critics I worry about."
