Coronation lapse: not a word for Australia, nor any of King Charles’ 14 ‘other realms’

Omitting specific mention of the Commonwealth’s self-governing countries in King Charles’ coronation oath is a return to 1911, and seems quite dismissive.

King of Australia, Charles III swore to ‘govern the people of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’ and his ‘other realms’. Picture: Getty Images

Can you crown the King of Australia without actually mentioning Australia? Strangely, this was precisely what the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey was intended to do. How did we come to this?

When the Commonwealth of Australia came into being on January 1, 1901, the Crown was regarded as “one and indivisible”. Edward VII was crowned in 1902 as “the undoubted King of this Realm”, because there was only one realm that incorporated the self-governing dominions.

Charles inspects a guard of honour in Canberra during one of his many visits to Australia when he was a prince. Picture: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images

The first nod of recognition to the dominions occurred at the coronation of George V in 1911, where South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and India were represented in the procession into the abbey by standard bearers.

The coronation ceremony changed, however, in 1937. By then the Crown had become divisible. Australia was a separate realm with its own Crown. This led to a dilemma for the British government – should it be the coronation of the King of the UK only, or should George VI also be crowned as King of Australia and each of his realms?

This coronation had been originally planned for King Edward VIII. But his abdication was forced when he decided to marry Wallis Simpson. The dominions, including Australia, played a significant role in insisting that he could not marry Mrs Simpson and remain king. As they were partially responsible for dethroning a king, it was seen as necessary that they support and acknowledge his successor.

Camilla and Charles at the Australian War Memorial in 2012 as part the second leg of a Diamond Jubilee Tour that took in PNG, Australia and New Zealand. Picture: Getty Images

The recognition part of the coronation ceremony, where the new monarch is declared the “undoubted king”, was particularly important, as there were still supporters of Edward VIII who did doubt the change in succession.

Crowning George VI as king of all the realms added political weight to his claim to the throne. Instead of proclaiming George VI the “undoubted king of this realm”, he was declared to be “King George, your undoubted king”. The word “your” was intended to cover all the realms – not just the UK.

This was made clear in the change of the coronation oath. The previous oath was to “govern the peoples of the kingdom of England and the dominions thereto belonging according to the statutes in parliament agreed on, and the laws and customs of the same”.

The new oath required the king to swear to “govern the peoples of Great Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Union of South Africa … and of your Empire of India, according to their respective laws and customs”.

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh on the day of their coronation, an event where the oath incorporated Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon. Picture: Getty Images

The Australian prime minister, Joseph Lyons, said that agreement on the oath’s wording had been negotiated with Australia and the other dominions and that the old oath failed to reflect their constitutional position of equality of status with the UK.

Before the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, Winston Churchill told the Westminster parliament that “the queen will be crowned queen not only of the UK, but also of other self-governing countries of the Commonwealth” and that the form of the oath had been agreed by them, and therefore should not be altered. The oath incorporated Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon.

In 2023, according to the order of service, Australia was not mentioned in the oath or in the coronation ceremony at all. King Charles III swore to “govern the people of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland” and his “other realms” according to their respective laws and customs.

True, there are now 14 “other realms”, which might have taken an extra minute to name, but the decision not to take the time to mention them or acknowledge that it is a coronation of their King, too, seems quite dismissive.

We have been sent back to 1911, where carrying a standard in a procession is enough. We were called upon as the “other realms” to make homage in heart and voice to King Charles, although many may have found they have “other” priorities.

Anne Twomey is a professor emerita of the University of Sydney.