The coronation offered a chance to reform and modernise the monarchy. It has been squandered | Martin Kettle

Despite gestures towards inclusivity, the ceremony remains rooted in outdated religious and feudal ideals

At the heart of the coronation of Charles III on Saturday is a very deliberate national deception about religion. In some ways, the deception hides in plain sight, not attracting attention. Pre-coronation speculation has focused instead on more trivial things - Camilla, Harry, Meghan - or on monarchy's general popularity in the post-Elizabeth era. But when you watch and listen to the coronation itself, the religious deception will be hard to miss - and harder to believe.

Many will instinctively want to be generous about the coronation and will not want to spoil the party. In that spirit, they might call this weekend's ritual a historical pretence that pleases many and does no particular harm. If they were being stronger-minded, as they ought to be about an event that inevitably says so much about this country to itself and the world, they could instead call the ritual what it is: a lie at the heart of the British state.

Martin Kettle is a Guardian columnist