Lydford Parish and Community Magazine
and Northmoor News
June 2012
‘The United Kingdom is just about the only country in the world which has as its national anthem a hymn addressed to God and asking his blessing on a particular person rather than a celebration of flag and fatherland or an invocation of of some abstract political principle’, writes Ian Bradley in his book on the subject*. He points out that ‘‘God save the Queen’ underlines two central themes in the British understanding of monarchy over the past 1500 years - that its ultimate sanction and reference is divine rather than human, and that it focuses loyalty on a person rather than an abstract idea.’
His point is easily illustrated. Compare French postage stamps (which bear the message Liberté, égalité, fraternité) with British ones (which carry a portrait of Her Majesty the Queen). Then look at a British coin and reflect on the significance of the letters D.G. REG. F.D. which appear after the Queen's name. They stand for the Latin phrase Dei Gratia Regina Fidei Defensor, which means 'By the Grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith'. Our understanding of the meaning and mission of our monarch relates very closely to our understanding of the meaning and mission of God. ‘The monarchy has its roots in man’s beliefs and sentiments about what he regards as sacred,’ wrote sociologists Shils and Young in 1953, reflecting on the social significance of Elizabeth II’s coronation, in which her consitutional role was established by the anointing of God’s Holy Spirit.
This is keenly appreciated by Queen Elizabeth II whose Diamond Jubilee we celebrate together this month. The Archbishop of Canterbury Rt Revd Rowan Williams recently commented that ‘Her Majesty The Queen has always been explicit in her public declarations – more than ever in recent years – that her personal commitment to her office as a call from God is at the heart of her understanding of her role, and she has not hesitated to be explicit about the Christian grounds of that commitment.’
In her Christmas broadcast in 2002, the year that had seen the death of her mother and sister and the celebrations of her Golden Jubilee, the Queen said, ‘'I know just how much I rely on my own faith to guide me through the good times and the bad. Each day is a new beginning. Like others of you who draw inspiration from your own faith, I draw strength from the message of hope in the Christian gospel.’ Her faith has clearly helped her to fulfill the spiritual dimension of her role as sovereign, and in this she has been keenly supported by other members of her family who have made their own serious contributions to religious life and thought: Prince Charles’ consistent calls for more emphasis to be given to the spiritual and holistic dimensions of life, in particular to inter-faith dialogue, Prince Philip’s theological speeches and publications, especially on the relationship between religion and the environment. Both men have established numerous charitable bodies actively outworking their commitment to these areas of concern.
Prince William and Catherine Middleton’s self-penned prayer at their 2011 wedding shows how the younger Windsors have also embraced a personal faith which informs their royal duties and lifestyle: ‘God our Father, we thank you for our families; for the love that we share and for the joy of our marriage. In the busyness of each day keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important in life and help us to be generous with our time and love and energy. Strengthened by our union help us to serve and comfort those who suffer. We ask this in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Amen.’
In my rebellious youth I would refuse to sing ‘God Save the Queen’, believing it to wrongly appropriate the deity to serve the interests of the privileged and powerful over against those of the ordinary person and the suffering poor, and to be too often an expression of aggressive nationalism, racial bigotry. I still hold to the principles behind those protests - firmly believing that the ethics of Jesus are rooted in a bias to the poor and an active concern for the well-being of the outsider. But my more mature view (and in the week of the Golden Jubilee I turn 50, keenly anticipating the arrival of my introductory letter from Saga Insurance) is to take ‘God Save the Queen’ literally - as a prayer which puts the deity and the monarch in their appropriate places, which regards the Queen as a mortal who, just like me, is liable to flaws and abuses of position, who is in constant need of God’s help and salvation.
These days I’ll heartily sing out ‘God Save the Queen’ knowing that Elizabeth II takes seriously the hymn’s prayerful perspective: aware that she often publicly describes these days the many ways in which God has saved and does save the Queen, in her daily life and the outworking of her duties.
In this, the Queen is countercultural. During her reign society has increasingly valued assertive independence and diminished deference to authority and institutions. In her faithful submission to God and her generous obedience to God’s laws of goodness and justice towards others, Elizabeth II gently but firmly shows her subjects that there is another way.
As society splinters, inequality widens, community crumbles, we sing ‘God save the Queen’ perhaps in the hope of restoring order, restoring faith, restoring wholeness to our land. Our Diamond Jubilee Thanksgiving Service at St Petroc’s will offer us the opportunity to re-commit ourselves to such values.
Some people will need quite a lot of persuading that submission to God and obedience to God’s laws is a viable and sustainable basis for a good life. If so they might take a close look at the spiritual heart of our monarchy, and reflect on its enduring value. They might watch the Queen on her Diamond Jubilee tour, ask whether she seems satisfied with life, whether she looks like she’s enjoying it. I think they’ll find she is. God save the Queen!
* Ian Bradley, God save the Queen, the Spiritual Heart of the Monarchy, Diamond Jubilee Edition, London: Continuum 2012.
Comments