In a development that has caused unease among anti-royalists, it has been revealed that all Britons will be invited to swear allegiance to King Charles III during his coronation. Previously, this oath was exclusively reserved for British nobility.

The announcement was made by the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who will preside over the coronation ceremony on May 6 at Westminster Abbey, Yahoo News reported.

The traditional “Homage of Peers,” where representatives of the nobility kneel before the king to pledge their loyalty, will be replaced.

Instead, a new component called the “Homage of the People” will be included in the ceremony.

During the coronation, the archbishop will call upon “all individuals of goodwill in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as in other realms and territories, to express their heartfelt and vocal homage to their unquestionable king, the defender of all.”

The official order of service will include the following statement: “All those who wish to do so, whether present in the abbey or elsewhere, shall say together: I solemnly swear to faithfully pledge my allegiance to Your Majesty, and to your lawful heirs and successors. So help me God.”

While British parliamentarians and Canadians, given the British sovereign’s status as their head of state, already take an oath of allegiance when assuming office, there have been indications from several elected representatives, as reported by the British media, that they will take the new oath during the coronation.

Nevertheless, an anti-monarchy group has criticized the plans to request the public’s allegiance to the king during the coronation, branding them as “offensive, tone-deaf, and a gesture that demonstrates contempt for the people.”

Written by staff