Defender of the Faith, of All Faiths, or None?

King Charles III, the Coronation Oath, and the Incoherence of Royal Pluralism
There is a certain kind of confusion that presents itself as magnanimity. It speaks warmly of inclusion, of tolerance, of the spiritual richness of diverse traditions — and it does so with complete sincerity. What it does not do, because it cannot, is think the position through to its conclusions. King Charles III is a man of genuine religious curiosity and evident personal piety. He is also, on the specific question of his role as Defender of the Faith, in a position of irresolvable self-contradiction — and the coronation oath he swore before God in Westminster Abbey in May 2023 makes that contradiction a matter of public and solemn record.