The Temptation of Charles III: Beware of the False Cheers — Phony Friends

This is a moment to remember Bolingbroke’s ideal of the ‘patriot king.’

 Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
King Charles III departs the Coronation service at Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023. Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

“Lead us not into temptation.” As titular head of the Church of England, Charles III should be familiar with these final lines from the Lord’s Prayer. Or instead, like Adam and Eve’s first transgression in the Garden of Eden — tempted by Satan’s offer, “ye shall be like gods” — will the King succumb and, like our Original Parents, face eviction?

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