c. 72) in the following form: I, [Insert full name], do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles, his heirs and successors, according to law.

So help me God.The oath is generally sworn to the Crown, monarch, sovereign, or regent, as represented by the incumbent king or queen, currently Charles III.

The PSNI in 2001 replaced the Royal Ulster Constabulary, whose members pledged their allegiance to the late Queen Elizabeth II, but not her heirs and successors.

Act 1701 added an oath of abjuration of "the Person [...] pretending to be and taking upon himself the Stile and Title of King of England by the Name of James the Third".

And I do further swear, that I do from my heart abhor, detest and abjure, as impious and heretical, this damnable doctrine and position, that princes which be excommunicated or deprived by the Pope, may be deposed or murdered by their subjects, or any whatsoever.

And I do believe and in conscience am resolved, that neither the Pope nor any person whatsoever, hath power to absolve me of this oath, or any part thereof, which I acknowledge by good and full authority to bee lawfully ministered unto me, and do renounce all pardons and dispensations to the contrary: And all these things I do plainly and sincerely acknowledge and swear, according to these express words by me spoken, and according to the plain and common sense and understanding of the same words, without any Equivocation, or mental evasion, or secret reservation whatsoever: And I doe make this recognition and acknowledgement heartily, willingly, and truly, upon the true faith of a Christian: So help me God.

And l do further sweare, That I do from my heart abhor, detest and abjure as impious and Hereticall this damnable Doctrine and Position, That Princes which be Excommunicated or deprived by the Pope, may be Deposed or Murthered by their Subjects, or any other whatsoever.

And I doe beleeve, and in conscience am resolved, that neither the Pope, nor any person whatsoever hath power to absolve me of this Oath, or any part thereof; which I acknowledge by good and full Authority to bee lawfully ministered unto me, and do renounce all Pardons and Dispensations to the contrary.

[8]I A.B.do sincerely promise and swear, That I will be faithful and bear true Allegiance to His Majesty King George the Fourth, and will defend him to the utmost of my Power against all Conspiracies and Attempts whatever, which shall be made against his Person, Crown or Dignity; and I will do my utmost Endeavour to disclose and make known to His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors, all Treasons and traitorous Conspiracies which may be formed against Him or Them: And I do faithfully promise to maintain, support, and defend, to the utmost of my Power, the Succession of the Crown which Succession, by an Act, intituled An Act for the further Limitation of the Crown, and better securing the Rights and Liberties of the Subject, is and stands limited to the Princess Sophia, Electress of Hanover, and the Heirs of her Body, being Protestants; hereby utterly renouncing and abjuring any Obedience or Allegiance unto any other Person claiming or pretending a Right to the Crown of this Realm: And I do further declare, That it is not an Article of my Faith, and that I do renounce, reject, and abjure the Opinion, that Princes excommunicated or deprived by the Pope, or any other Authority of the See of Rome, may be deposed or murdered by their Subjects, or by any Person whatsoever: And I do declare, That I do not believe that the Pope of Rome, or any other Foreign Prince, Prelate, Person, State, or Potentate, hath or ought to have any Temporal or Civil Jurisdiction, Power, Superiority, or Pre-eminence, directly or indirectly, within this Realm.

I do swear, That I will defend to the utmost of my Power the Settlement of Property within this Realm, as established by the Laws: And I do hereby disclaim, disavow, and solemnly abjure any Intention to subvert the present Church Establishment, as settled by Law within this Realm: And I do solemnly swear, That I never will exercise any Privilege to which I am or may become entitled, to disturb or weaken the Protestant Religion or Protestant Government in the United Kingdom: And I do solemnly, in the presence of God, profess, testify, and declare That I do make this Declaration, and every Part thereof, in the plain and ordinary Sense of the Words of this Oath, without any Evasion, Equivocation, or mental Reservation whatsoever.

Muslims or Sikhs have been sworn in the usual manner except with the Qur'an (in an envelope, to avoid it being touched by one not of the faith)[citation needed] and Guru Granth Sahib respectively.

Religious restrictions in the oath effectively barred individuals of certain faiths (e.g., Roman Catholics, Jews and Quakers) from entering Parliament for many years.

The restrictions were lifted by the Oaths Act 1888 after the six-year effort (1880–1886) of noted atheist Charles Bradlaugh to claim his seat.

When the majority of MPs and Members of the Lords have been sworn in, both Houses of Parliament are ready to hear the King's Speech at the State Opening starting the business of the session.

The new Member will have collected a certificate relating to their election from the Public Bill Office to hand to the Clerk of the House before taking the oath or making the affirmation.

[15]Those elected to the House of Commons, to the Scottish Parliament, or to the Senedd who refuse to take the oath or affirmation are barred from participating in any proceedings, and from receiving their salaries.

However, members are required to sign the Assembly's roll of membership, designate their identity as "Nationalist", "Unionist" or "Other", and take a Pledge of Office.

Judges of Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh religions can omit the words "I swear by Almighty God" and replace it with an acceptable alternative.

[33]The Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 replaced the previous declaration with the following: I do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of constable with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality, and that I will uphold fundamental human rights and accord equal respect to all people, according to law.

Canon C13 now requires the oath of allegiance to be made by anyone appointed archbishop or bishop, priest or deacon, or to be licensed or admitted to any office in the Church of England.

[36] All persons joining or commissioning in the British Armed Forces, except Royal Navy Officers, are required to attest to the following oath or equivalent affirmation, with the date of attestation treated as the commencement of service even if not reporting for training until a later date: I swear by Almighty God [or: do solemnly, and truly declare and affirm] that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles III, His Heirs and Successors, and that I will, as in duty bound, honestly and faithfully defend His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors, in Person, Crown and Dignity against all enemies, and will observe and obey all orders of His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors, and of the [admirals/generals/air officers] and officers set over me.

[citation needed] The Oath of Allegiance, with the addition of the words "on becoming a British citizen" (or other type of British national, as appropriate), is also used at citizenship ceremonies, where persons being registered or naturalised in the United Kingdom are required to swear or affirm their allegiance to the King, his heirs and successors, and additionally make a pledge to follow the laws of the country and uphold its democratic values.

The following have occurred since the passing of the Oaths Act 1978: 21 July 1988 Presentation and first reading I, A B, Do swear by Almighty God Or Solemnly declare and affirm That I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the peoples of the United Kingdom, according to their respective laws and customs; preserving inviolably their civil liberties and democratic rights of self government, through their elected representatives in the House of Commons, and will faithfully and truly declare my mind and opinion on all matters that come before me without fear or favour.13 January 1998 Presentation and First Reading: I do solemnly Declare and Affirm that I will, to the best of my ability, discharge the responsibilities required of me by virtue of my membership of the House of Commons and faithfully serve those whom I represent here.29 July 1998 Motion for leave to introduce a Bill.

[12] However, there would be nothing to prevent a Parliamentary majority debating a republic or from seeking to renegotiate the constitutional settlement since freedom of speech is guaranteed by article 9 of the Bill of Rights 1689.

After the 1997 general election, the Speaker, Betty Boothroyd, made a new ruling on entitlement to salary, allowances and services as they relate to Members who have not taken the oath.

Represented by human rights lawyer Louise Christian, their campaign is seeking to change the law so that both MPs and others required to take the oath can swear allegiance to the country and people, rather than the monarchy: "It is vital we challenge offensive and discriminatory oaths of allegiance – if our elected MPs ignore our calls we'll take this issue to court."

The Irish republican party Sinn Féin follows a policy of abstaining from the House of Commons; this is because its members refuse to recognise the legitimacy of the British Parliament as a body that legislates for Northern Ireland.

[2] As absentees, Sinn Féin MPs are denied their salaries, worth around £1.5 million over the five years to 2009, but may claim staff costs and additional accommodation allowances.

In 1999 the Sinn Féin member of parliament Martin McGuinness challenged the legitimacy of the Oath of Allegiance required of British MPs by taking the matter to the European Court of Human Rights.

The application was deemed inadmissible on the basis that the requirement of an oath to the reigning monarch was "reasonably viewed as an affirmation of loyalty to the constitutional principles which support [...] the workings of representative democracy in the respondent State".