Next week, British citizens are being asked to individually and collectively swear an oath of allegiance to King Charles III, and that sticks in my craw. Today I have been wondering why.

First, I have been wondering why people are asked to pledge national allegiances at all. Second, I have been wondering why British citizens need to swear allegiance to Charles. Third, I wonder what the oath means to the people who swear it. And fourth, why is it bugging me?

These thoughts are complicated by the fact that I have dual British and Canadian citizenship. In addition, I once applied for a U.S. green card, but I think that application is still sitting on a bureaucrat’s desk somewhere. It has been ten years now, but I hear it’s a long process.

When I became a Canadian, I pledged allegiance to the throne, the royalty, the monarchy? It was kind of vague, actually. I wasn’t really sure what I was promising to be allied to, but according to the Government of Canada’s website:

“In Canada, we profess our loyalty to a person who represents all Canadians and not to a document such as a constitution, a banner such as a flag, or a geopolitical entity such as a country. In our constitutional monarchy, these elements are encompassed by the Sovereign (Queen or King). “

I agreed to it because I wanted to become a Canadian and the fine details didn’t really matter much at the time. It occurs to me now that when I lived in England I was never once asked to pledge allegiance to anyone or anything, and so this thing with Charles is new.

Nonetheless, I’m still not clear on what that loyalty entails. Do I have to fight for the king, or keep his secrets, or always use postage stamps with his image, or help him bury bodies? What kind of loyalty are we talking about?

Perhaps, simply by having dual citizenship, I have already failed in my allegiance. The fact that the British monarch rules over both Britain and Canada seems to resolve that dilemma. But what if I had been given that U.S. green card? Would I have become instantly disloyal? If so, what is the penalty for that? I have so many questions.

Next week, when Charles is crowned king, I imagine that lots of loyal Brits will stand in front of their televisions and pledge allegiance to him. They may even wave flags and put their hands on their hearts. In some ways, that is honourable and admirable. At the same time, though, I wonder if they all have the same understanding of the commitment they are making.

It is a very vague concept, this allegiance. If it means being an ally in the same way that we are allied with old school pals or co-workers, then fine. But if it means being allied like countries in a world war, I’m not sure I’m up for that.