Britain’s National Anthem Is No Longer ‘God Save the Queen’

In the wake of Queen Elizabeth II’s passing at 96, England’s national anthem has undergone slight changes. Following the accession of Prince Charles as King Charles III, the national anthem will be modified slightly. In line with tradition, the anthem will switch from “God Save the Queen” to the de facto version “God Save the King.” A few other minor alterations will be made, such as changing “Queen” to “King” and the pronouns “she/her” to “he/his,” but the rest will stay as is.

The British national anthem is sung at patriotic ceremonies and whenever the monarch appears in public. England’s national sports teams and Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic Team will also sing this anthem at their games. In its present form, the anthem dates back to the 18th century. It is currently unknown who wrote the words and tune for the song, but it may date back as far as the seventeenth century.

"For more than 70 years, the national anthem of this country has been 'God Save The Queen.' It will now become 'God Save The King,'" @HollyMAWilliams reports.

"This really is the end of an era." https://t.co/H5YRnigDhB pic.twitter.com/lvMbewcFMj

— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 8, 2022

“God Save The King” became the national anthem at the beginning of the nineteenth century after first being publicly performed in London in 1745. Tradition dictates the words of the National Anthem, so there is no official version. Different verses have been added and removed since its first publication, and various renditions include other lyric selections in alternate orders. In most cases, only the first verse is sung on official occasions. Periodically, two verses are sung, and rarely, three.

The lyrics most recently used before the Queen’s passing were those sung in 1745 as described above, with the word “Queen” substituted for “King” wherever appropriate. “God Save the King” inspired various patriotic songs outside the British Empire, though it is still generally associated with royal occasions. The melody is used in the national anthem of Liechtenstein, “Oben am jungen Rhein,” and in the royal anthem of Norway, “Kongesangen.” A version of the melody is also utilized in the United States for the patriotic song “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” ( commonly referred to as “America”).

There was total silence outside Buckingham Palace as the news broke, and then the crowds broke into song: God Save the King. pic.twitter.com/6kCUNSLw68

— Anna Stewart (@annastewartcnn) September 8, 2022

The monarch’s death was confirmed in a tweet from the Royal Family today that stated, “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.” BBC One anchor Huw Edwards broke the news of the Queen’s death during a live broadcast. After showing an image of the flag at half-mast at Buckingham Palace, he stated, “A few moments ago Buckingham Palace announced the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.”