Plans to invite millions to swear an oath to King Charles during his Coronation this weekend have been ridiculed by the public.
The criticism comes after religious leaders responsible for the event said TV audiences could join the 2,000 in Westminster Abbey to swear allegiance in a 'Homage of the People' during the ceremony.
Following their allegiance to the monarch, well wishers will be urged to say the words: "God save King Charles. Long live King Charles. May The King live for ever."
Following an outcry against the plans, which saw anti-monarchy group Republic slam the move as 'offensive' and 'tone deaf', the Archbishop of Canterbury's office emphasised the moment will be 'an invitation rather than an expectation'.
But social media users have nonetheless rallied against the addition to the ceremony, which replaces the traditional Homage of Peers.
Sharing their scorn online, those who do not wish to take up the invite offered their own suggestions of Kings they'd prefer to pledge their support to.
One such Twitter user - presumably a fan of School of Rock - wrote: "I pledge allegiance to the band of Mr Schneebly and will not fight him for creative control and will defer to him on all issues related to the musical direction of the band."
Another woman named Louise joked: "I don't live in medieval times I only pledge allegiance to myself... God save Louise."
A third social media user who made their intentions clear commented "you couldn't torture this phrase out of me".
Responding to the news, a different person asked: "What's he gonna do? take my tv licence?" and another revealed: "I've already pledged allegiance to my cats that I'll be their humble servant".
Another jokester shared a selection of photos before she claimed those included were 'the only kings I'll pledge allegiance to'. The four snaps featured different news headlines, each dedicated to different creative thinkers. "Man who refused to join after-work activities wins legal right to not be 'fun' at work," read one of them.
Elsewhere, satirical political candidate @CountBinface tweeted: "RT if you'd rather swear allegiance to Count Binface than King Charles III." The jibe received more than 6,000 retweets.
Another social media user claimed: "From an outsiders pov [point of view] this sounds ridiculous," to which someone replied: "From someone who lives in the country, it is ridiculous."
Several people also expressed their concerns over the wording of the oath. "Swear allegiance to Prince Andrew (8th in line for the throne)? I don't think so. Oaths of fealty belong in Game of Thrones, not in a modern democracy," read one such reply.
In the new homage, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby will call upon 'all persons of goodwill' to make homage 'in heart and voice, to their undoubted King, defender of all'.
The order of service then invites 'all who so desire' to say together: "I swear that I will pay true allegiance to Your Majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law."
After the Archbishop declares 'God save The King', the public will be urged to follow with: "God save King Charles. Long live King Charles. May The King live for ever."
Graham Smith, a spokesman for anti-monarchy group Republic, previously said: "In a democracy it is the head of state who should be swearing allegiance to the people, not the other way around.
"In swearing allegiance to Charles and his 'heirs and successors', people are being asked to swear allegiance to Prince Andrew too. This is clearly beyond the pale."
Responding to backlash, a statement from Lambeth Palace added: "It's simply an opportunity offered by the Archbishop so that, unlike previous Coronations, those who wish to join in with the words being spoken by the Abbey congregation could do so in a very simple way.
"For those who do want to take part, some will want to say all the words of the homage; some might just want to say 'God Save The King' at the end; others might just want it to be a moment of private reflection.
“We live in a wonderfully diverse society with many different perspectives and beliefs, and it’s quite right that people decide for themselves how they relate to this moment.
"Much like the National Anthem, it's for people to join in if that feels right for them.
"For those who may wish to join in, we hope it's a moment of joy and celebration – both in the Abbey, and in homes around the country and beyond."
