King Charles III, who’s putting all his efforts to strengthen his reign amid his health battle, has received a bad news from Canada week after Prince Harry’s solo trip to the country.
A Canadian territory, as reported by BBC, has changed its rules for elected municipal officials, allowing them to take an oath pledging allegiance to the country’s constitution instead of the British Crown when they are sworn in.
As per reports, the shocking change comes after the newly-elected council of Dawson City refused to take the King’s oath in solidarity with an indigenous council member who raised concerns about the Crown’s history in Canada.
On Friday, the territory announced that they have adjusted the law to give the option of taking one of the two oaths.
The surprising announcement comes days after the Duke of Sussex attended the Toronto’s Grey Cup in British Columbia to promote the 2025 Invictus Games in Canada.
Richard Mostyn, Yukon’s minister of community services, said the change “allows elected municipal officials to take the Oath of Allegiance in a way that aligns with society’s broader values and cultural identities”, according to the outlet.
In Canada – a Commonwealth country and former British colony – most elected officials have to take an oath in which they swear or affirm they “will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles III” and his “heirs and successors according to law”.
Questions had swirled about whether Dawson City’s new council, which was elected in late October, would be able to sit if they refused to take the oath.
Under Yukon law, a newly- elected official must take it within 40 days of their election or else their win “shall be considered null”. This gave officials a 9 December deadline to come up with a solution.