King Charles accused of 'deserting Christians' as experts warn Prince William may abandon historic royal role

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Nolasco, S., Papa, A., & Stimson, B. (2026, August 19). King Charles accused of 'deserting Christians' as experts warn Prince William may abandon historic royal role. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/king-charles-accused-deserting-christians-experts-warn-prince-william-may-abandon-historic-royal-role

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Fox News · collected 2026-08-19 · by Stephanie Nolasco, Ashley Papa, Brie Stimson

Quick Summary

Gavin Ashenden, Queen Elizabeth's former chaplain, has accused King Charles III of abandoning his role as "Defender of the Faith" by omitting it from this year's Sovereign Grant Annual Report. Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams says the change in wording has caused controversy and would have been better handled differently. Author Christopher Andersen notes that Charles has long had an ecumenical streak, but Queen Elizabeth remained committed to her Christian beliefs until her death. Meanwhile, experts suggest that Prince William may follow his father's lead and potentially abandon the historic royal role of "Defender of the Faith" when he inherits the throne.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-08-19, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

King Charles III, the current monarch of Britain, is facing criticism from Queen Elizabeth's former chaplain, Gavin Ashenden, who claims that Charles is "deserting Christians" by abandoning his oath as "Defender of the Faith". This controversy arose after the phrase "Defender of the Faith" was replaced in the June 2023 Sovereign Grant Annual Report with a new wording that refers to Charles as "His Majesty is Supreme Governor of the Church of England and protects the space for Faith within the multi-faith nation". Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams suggests that leaving "Defender of the Faith" in place would have been better, and criticizes the new phrase for being "weak and woke". This change has sparked controversy among some Christians who see it as a departure from traditional Christian values.

Written for “Prince William's Royal Future” on 2026-10-16, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Prince William's Royal Future
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

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Claims extracted
19
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
5%
1 of 19 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
67/100
Fox News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-08-19 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Fox News · 4341 article(s) · 9 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 9 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Stephanie Nolasco
26 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 In January 2020, Queen Elizabeth II drew a firm line at the Sandringham Summit: There would be no "half in, half out" role for the Sussexes.
🔮 If I could somehow keep her fragrance alive, perhaps she would not be entirely gone.
🔮 As the evening came to an end, Douglas blurted out, "I'm going to be the father of your children." Fox News may be compensated for or earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. Zeta-Jones wasn't exactly swept off her feet.
🔮 Prince William isn't expected to reunite with his brother, Prince Harry, for a potential new documentary about their late mother.
🔮 "I want him to be able to go there and enjoy Vitello's as he's grown up, God willing, as long as Vitello's is there.
🔮 A former royal staffer is pulling back the curtain on Prince William and Kate Middleton's reported WhatsApp nicknames.
🔮 People reported that the passage will be corrected in the second edition of "Swan Song."
🔮 The statement continued, "It is concerning enough that certain European paparazzi appear unwilling to respect the privacy of children at school.
🔮 "William did well," Cruise added with a smile.
🔮 King Charles III and Prince William are said to be furious at Charles Spencer's new book, which makes damning allegations about the monarch and reopens decades-old wounds within the royal family.
Also by Stephanie Nolasco
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 26 articles by Stephanie Nolasco →
Ashley Papa
14 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 In January 2020, Queen Elizabeth II drew a firm line at the Sandringham Summit: There would be no "half in, half out" role for the Sussexes.
🔮 Prince William isn't expected to reunite with his brother, Prince Harry, for a potential new documentary about their late mother.
🔮 "We didn't have therapy services or counseling or anything at that time, and we, I wish we had, because these images will never be erased," Keith said.
🔮 Tennessee's failed attempt to lethally inject 30-year death row inmate Christa Pike Wednesday evening has not only put her execution in jeopardy, it may lead to the state taking capital punishment off the table altogether, according to the former Knoxville police chief who oversaw her arrest in the murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in 1995. "I'll be surprised if there are any executions in Tennessee in the near term, if again, ever," Phil Keith, who led Knoxville's police department from 1988 until 2004, told Fox News Digital.
🔮 "William did well," Cruise added with a smile.
🔮 King Charles III and Prince William are said to be furious at Charles Spencer's new book, which makes damning allegations about the monarch and reopens decades-old wounds within the royal family.
🔮 "Ultimately, Harry may finally be recognizing what has always seemed so obvious to the rest of us — being born a prince is an unbelievable privilege.
🔮 Sources told People magazine that Harry and Markle are "public figures" and that if Harry and Markle were private citizens, the Lord Chamberlain "would not have needed to issue a letter of formal guidance.
🔮 Prince Harry "will likely hear" from King Charles III on his birthday, but "don’t expect some grand royal reunion," according to a royal expert.
🔮 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are expected to steer clear of releasing photos, making comments or generating other news that could overshadow Prince George’s highly anticipated first day at Eton College, according to a royal expert.
Also by Ashley Papa
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 14 articles by Ashley Papa →
Brie Stimson
30 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 "I just think that’s enormously — I don’t know, man, that seems terrible," Affleck told the outlet while promoting a new movie in which he plays a candidate for L.A. mayor.
🔮 The "Will & Grace" actress wrote in a lengthy Instagram post that while she has been a Democrat her whole life and for years her focus has been on voting rights, the gay community and gun control, she is increasingly concerned about the quality of life in New York City.
🔮 France’s violent student protests are fueling fresh warnings about the consequences of open-border immigration policies, with the unrest being held up as a "cautionary tale" for the U.S. "I would also say as we’re sitting here in beautiful New York City, this is a cautionary tale," "The Big Weekend Show" co-host Tomi Lahren said Saturday.
🔮 In response, Berry's attorney, Marina Beck, told Fox News Digital: "To say this filing is entirely meritless and deliberately misleading would be an understatement.
🔮 "No, I think there was one time at one point where I think he thought he wanted me to do it and I think I would I would have done it," the "Say Anything" star told Josh Horowitz on his "Happy Sad Confused" podcast on Monday about the 1985 teen classic.
🔮 "What would you tell the kid who’s sleeping on the bench at Port Authority with $80 in his pocket?"
🔮 Fox News may be compensated for or earn a commission if you buy through our referral links.
🔮 Several fans who attended Ed Sheeran’s concert in Philadelphia last weekend after Macklemore was dropped for making "Free Palestine" comments, warned other artists that if they make political statements, they will alienate half of their audience.
🔮 "I couldn’t believe there was that much blood (that had) come out of a human body," Ryan Rowe, a resident who went to the beach soon after the attack, told The West Australian newspaper.
🔮 "I couldn’t believe there was that much blood (that had) come out of a human body," Ryan Rowe, a resident who went to the beach soon after the attack, told The West Australian newspaper.
Also by Brie Stimson
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 30 articles by Brie Stimson →

Topics

Britain Christian Christians Fox News Digital the Church of England

Subjects

Charles PERSON · 5× the Church of England ORG · 5× William PERSON · 4× Andersen PERSON · 3× Elizabeth PERSON · 3× Christian NORP · 2× Charles III PERSON · 1× Christians NORP · 1× Gavin Ashenden PERSON · 1× Richard Fitzwilliams PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Christopher Andersen, author of the new biography "Kate!" noted that Charles has always had a "powerful ecumenical streak." "As far back as his student days at Cambridge, Charles in the 1970s was showing a strong interest in what eastern religions had to offer, particularly Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism," he said. And while Elizabeth was "very respectful" of other religions' customs, "she never wavered when it came to her Christian beliefs," he said.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-08-19
🔮 Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital the "new wording" has "caused considerable controversy."

Claims (19 extracted, 1 hedged)

King Charles III was criticized by Queen Elizabeth’s former chaplain, Gavin Ashenden, recently, who claimed the monarch is "deserting Christians" and abandoned his oath as "Defender of the Faith." asserted
monarch → criticize → Faith
This came after "Defender of the Faith" was replaced in this year’s Sovereign Grant Annual Report in June with "His Majesty is Supreme Governor of the Church of England and protects the space for Faith within the multi-faith nation." asserted
Majesty → come → nation
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital the "new wording" has "caused considerable controversy." asserted
wording → tell → controversy
He added that it would have been better to leave "‘Defender of the Faith’ in the text after ‘Supreme Governor of the Church of England’ and then add a phrase that recognised Britain as multi-faith which should be included. asserted
which → add → Britain
Whoever wrote ‘protects the space for Faith within the multi-faith nation’ is no credit to the English language as this phrase is both weak and woke." asserted
phrase → write → language
"Whoever wrote ‘protects the space for Faith within the multi-faith nation’ is no credit to the English language as this phrase is both weak and woke." asserted
phrase → write → language
Christopher Andersen, author of the new biography "Kate!" noted that Charles has always had a "powerful ecumenical streak." "As far back as his student days at Cambridge, Charles in the 1970s was showing a strong interest in what eastern religions had to offer, particularly Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism," he said. And while Elizabeth was "very respectful" of other religions' customs, "she never wavered when it came to her Christian beliefs," he said. asserted
he → note → beliefs
Andersen explained, "Charles is just a different sort of animal. asserted
Charles → explain → animal
The current king has long believed that no one religion has all the answers. asserted
religion → believe → answers
He also knows that if he is going to have a big-tent reign, then he can't leave non-Christians standing out in the cold — he's going to have to let Muslims and Hindus and Jews and Buddhists inside. asserted
he → know → Muslims
" And it’s not just Charles, he noted. asserted
he → ’ → ?
"The new generation of royals isn't quite so sure about how to react to the whole ‘Defender of the Faith’ thing," Andersen said. asserted
Andersen → react → thing
"A particularly telling moment came when William enrolled at Eton College in 1995." asserted
William → come → 1995
With cameras rolling, William sat at a desk filling out enrollment papers. asserted
William → roll → papers
"When it came time to fill out the space marked ‘Religion,’ the future Head of the Church of England looked up at his father quizzically and asked what he should put down," Andersen emphasized. asserted
Andersen → come → what
"If that is any indication, it is obvious that once they are king and queen, William and Kate will in all likelihood move to phase out the Defender of the Faith role altogether." asserted
William → move → role
Royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner called Charles a "deep thinker when it comes to religion, adding that "William is not interested in the church whilst Catherine has been a staunch Christian especially renewing her beliefs more recently during her cancer diagnosis." Fitzwilliams, however, stressed that the Church of England shouldn’t be weakened any further. " asserted
Church → call → England
Queen Elizabeth memorably compared the Church of England to an umbrella under which other faiths could flourish," he said. uncertain
he → compare → which
It is emphatically not in the royal family's interest, especially as we are the only monarchy in Europe to have a Coronation, to weaken it further." asserted
we → have → it
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