John Cleese sparked a furious debate on Twitter when he made reference to former President Donald Trump while contemplating the coronation of King Charles III.
The 83-year-old Fawlty Towers and Monty Python legend provoked his followers when he questioned the oath of allegiance that the UK public was asked to recite while watching the King being officially crowned.
The oath of allegiance is believed to have been used for more than a thousand years and requires those living in the UK to pledge allegiance to the monarch - while foreign nationals who achieve citizenship receipt the oath as part of the process.
The oath itself states: “I 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.”
John Cleese sparked controversy when he compared King Charles to Donald Trump (Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
The actor tweeted his thoughts about the coronation of King Charles III (Getty Images)Despite the oath being around for centuries, John took to Twitter on Saturday to imply that it is an ego stroking statement.
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He tweeted: “The pledge of allegiance idea would certainly please Donald Trump.
“But, since we no longer live in a feudal society, our pledge of allegiance should be to the Rule of Law, not to an individual.”
Over in the USA, where John lives, citizens pledge allegiance to the flag - with his tweet confusing many Americans who didn’t appear to realise he was referencing the UK’s oath.
While many others fired up their keyboards to take aim at John - or to agree with him.
John suggested an oath of allegiance that references a person would appeal to someone like former President Trump (Charles Krupa/AP/REX/Shutterstock)One follower responded: “I think it’s to a great deal more than both an individual and the rule of law.
“It is loyalty to hundreds of years of tradition, and over 2k years of loyalty to Christian beliefs, and to eternal archetypes.”
Another wrote: “Think the world of you John but having served for 35+ years I still stand by the oath I FREELY took. So I have to say - B*****ks.”
Some followers thought John was merely seizing an opportunity to bash the former President, with one musing: “And just like that, the pivot to Trump is checked off for the hour.”
The USA traditionally spends a fortune to celebrate the inauguration of their President every four years (Getty)Others asked John to embrace the UK’s celebrations, with one writing: “Love you John, but lighten up. It’s a pageant. Enjoy the show.”
Another wrote: “Relax. Everyone knows that this is all ceremonial pantomime. We are celebrating our history, tradition and culture. The monarchy and this coronation are just symbols of our national heritage.”
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While others typed that they “agree” with the star.
The coronation celebrations drew thousands to the streets while millions around the world watched via TV (Getty Images)The coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla drew huge crowds to London as celebrations filled the streets around Buckingham palace and Westminster despite rainy weather.
There were anti-monarchist protesters among the crowd who held placards and chanted slogans against the King.
However, their protests were largely drowned out by the sound of UK fans chanting the national anthem - while police arrested some protestors, leading them away from celebrations in cuffs.
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