King Charles will vow 'to serve' in coronation service that remains rooted in deep tradition

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When the coronation service for King Charles begins on Saturday morning, a young Chapel Royal chorister will welcome him.

In this new greeting added to a ceremony steeped in 1,000 years of history, Charles will respond, saying that he comes "not to be served, but to serve."

Those listening in the audience at Westminster Abbey in London will also be in marked contrast to those who were in the same place 70 years ago, for the coronation of Charles's mother, Queen Elizabeth. 

Rather than the many aristocrats of that day, this one will include representatives of charities, along with people who have been honoured for doing good deeds in their community.

Just how the service might seek to balance tradition with the modern day is a question that has loomed large, particularly before the order of service was released last weekend.

What stood out most for Bob Morris, a member of the honorary staff of the constitution unit at University College London, when he finally saw the liturgy was its "inclusiveness … and the attempt that runs right through it to emphasize the role of service of the monarch … to our society." 

WATCH | 5 key moments in the coronation service for King Charles:

Since the liturgy was released, much attention — and some controversy — has focused on one new element: an Homage of the People that replaces the Homage of the Peers.

People in the abbey and at home will be invited to declare their allegiance to the new King.

"You can see the intention, which was to replace the paying homage from the peers to broaden it out to include everyone," said Craig Prescott, a constitutional law expert at Bangor University in Wales.

"Somehow it's not landed that way ... It came across perhaps quite medieval rather than being viewed as a modernizing thing, which is what its intention was."

Other changes in the service include Charles offering a prayer of his own, something Morris said is "absolutely unprecedented."

There's also, Morris noted, a new statement by the Archbishop of Canterbury before he starts the coronation oath.