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King Charles’ cancer fight reshapes his royal outlook
Royal photographer Chris Jackson, author of “Modern Majesty,” shares how King Charles’ cancer diagnosis shifted his perspective, deepening his connection with the public and his royal role.
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King Charles III was criticized by Queen Elizabeth’s former chaplain, Gavin Ashenden, recently, who claimed the monarch is “deserting Christians” and abandoned his oath as “Defender of the Faith.”
This came after “Defender of the Faith” was replaced in this year’s Sovereign Grant Annual Report in June with “His Majesty is Supreme Governor of the Church of England and protects the space for Faith within the multi-faith nation.”
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital the “new wording” has “caused considerable controversy.”
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King Charles III and Prince William attend the Thistle Service at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland, on July 1, 2026
He added that it would have been better to leave “‘Defender of the Faith’ in the text after ‘Supreme Governor of the Church of England’ and then add a phrase that recognised Britain as multi-faith which should be included. Whoever wrote ‘protects the space for Faith within the multi-faith nation’ is no credit to the English language as this phrase is both weak and woke.”
“Whoever wrote ‘protects the space for Faith within the multi-faith nation’ is no credit to the English language as this phrase is both weak and woke.”
Christopher Andersen, author of the new biography “Kate!” noted that Charles has always had a “powerful ecumenical streak.”
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“Kate!: The Courage, Grace, and Power of the Woman Who Will Be Queen” by Christopher Andersen is available now.(Gallery Books)
“As far back as his student days at Cambridge, Charles in the 1970s was showing a strong interest in what eastern religions had to offer, particularly Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism,” he said.
And while Elizabeth was “very respectful” of other religions’ customs, “she never wavered when it came to her Christian beliefs,” he said.
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King Charles III is crowned with St. Edward’s Crown by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Justin Welby, during his coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London, England, on May 6, 2023
Andersen explained, “Charles is just a different sort of animal. The current king has long believed that no one religion has all the answers. He also knows that if he is going to have a big-tent reign, then he can’t leave non-Christians standing out in the cold — he’s going to have to let Muslims and Hindus and Jews and Buddhists inside.”
And it’s not just Charles, he noted.
“The new generation of royals isn’t quite so sure about how to react to the whole ‘Defender of the Faith’ thing,” Andersen said. “A particularly telling moment came when William enrolled at Eton College in 1995.”
With cameras rolling, William sat at a desk filling out enrollment papers.
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Prince Charles breaking fast with Muslims in East London during Ramadan in 2001.(Tim Graham Photo Library
“When it came time to fill out the space marked ‘Religion,’ the future Head of the Church of England looked up at his father quizzically and asked what he should put down,” Andersen emphasized. “If that is any indication, it is obvious that once they are king and queen, William and Kate will in all likelihood move to phase out the Defender of the Faith role altogether.”
Royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner called Charles a “deep thinker when it comes to religion,” adding that “William is not interested in the church whilst Catherine has been a staunch Christian, especially renewing her beliefs more recently during her cancer diagnosis.”
Fitzwilliams, however, stressed that the Church of England shouldn’t be weakened any further.
“Queen Elizabeth memorably compared the Church of England to an umbrella under which other faiths could flourish,” he said. “She was a believer. The Church of England is clearly extremely weak. It is emphatically not in the royal family’s interest, especially as we are the only monarchy in Europe to have a Coronation, to weaken it further.”
