Style of the British sovereign

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The precise style of the British sovereign has varied over the years. It is still chosen
and officially proclaimed by the sovereign.[1] The proclamation of Elizabeth II in 1953,
was made in English and in Latin.[2]

 in English:
Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the
Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith

 in Latin:
Elizabeth II, Dei Gratia Britanniarum Regnorumque Suorum Ceterorum Regina,
Consortionis Populorum Princeps, Fidei Defensor
In 2022, King Charles III was proclaimed by the Privy Council to have acceded to the
throne with the style:
Charles the Third, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories, King, Head of the
Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith[3]
It remains to be seen whether there will also be a Latin version. [4]

Style of the sovereign[edit]

The Anglo-Saxon kings of England used numerous different styles, including "King of
the Anglo-Saxons" and "King of the English".[5] Grander variations were adopted by
some monarchs; for example, Edred used "King of the Anglo-
Saxons, Northumbrians, pagans and Britons". These styles were sometimes
accompanied by extravagant epithets; for instance, Æthelstan was "King of the
English, raised by the right hand of the Almighty to the Throne of the whole Kingdom
of Britain".

Henry VIII's reign saw the use of five different royal styles.

In Scotland the preferred title of the monarch was "King/Queen of Scots" rather than
"of Scotland" (although the latter was by no means unknown).
William I, the first Norman monarch of England, used the simple "King of the
English". His successor, William II, was the first consistently to use "by the Grace of
God". Henry I added "Duke of the Normans" in 1121, though he had
seized Normandy from his brother Robert in 1106. In 1152 Henry II acquired many
further French possessions through his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine; soon
thereafter, he added "Duke of the Aquitanians" and "Count of the Angevins" to his
style.
"King of the English", "Duke of the Normans", "Duke of the Aquitanians" and "Count
of the Angevins" remained in use until King John ascended the throne in 1199, when
they changed to "King of England", "Duke of Normandy", "Duke of Aquitaine" and
"Count of Anjou", respectively. John, furthermore, was already the titular ruler of
Ireland; therefore, he added "Lord of Ireland" to his style.
In 1204 England lost both Normandy and Anjou. Nevertheless, they did not renounce
the associated titles until 1259. French territory once again became the subject of
dispute after the death of the French King Charles IV in 1328. Edward III claimed the
French throne, arguing that it was to pass to him through his mother Isabella,
Charles IV's sister. In France, however, it was asserted that the throne could not
pass to or through a woman. Edward III began to use the title "King of France"
(dropping "Duke of Aquitaine") after 1337. In 1340 he entered France, where he was
publicly proclaimed King. In 1360, however, he agreed to relinquish his title to the
French claimant. Though he stopped using the title in legal documents, he did not
formally exchange letters confirming the renunciation with the French King. In 1369
Edward III resumed the title, claiming that the French had breached their treaty.
Henry V invaded France, but agreed to the Treaty of Troyes, whereby he was
recognised as the Heir and Regent of France, in 1420. He died in 1422, to be
succeeded by his infant son, who became Henry VI. Shortly after his accession,
Henry VI also inherited the French throne. By the 1450s, however, England had lost
all its territories in France, with the exception of Calais. The claim to the title of "King
of France" was nonetheless not relinquished until the creation of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801, by which time the French monarchy had been
overthrown by the French Revolution.
After 1422, the royal style remained unchanged for almost a century. Numerous
amendments, however, were effected during Henry VIII's reign. After Henry wrote a
book against the Protestant Martin Luther, Pope Leo X rewarded him by granting the
title "Defender of the Faith". After disagreements with the Papacy over his marriage
to Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII broke away from the Roman Catholic Church,
establishing the Church of England in 1533. Pope Paul III rescinded the grant of the
title "Defender of the Faith", but Henry continued to use it. In 1535 Henry added "of
the Church of England in Earth, under Jesus Christ, Supreme Head" to his style in
1535; a reference to the Church of Ireland was added in 1536. Meanwhile, advised
that many Irish people regarded the pope as the true temporal authority in their
nation, with the king of England acting as a mere representative, Henry VIII changed
"Lord of Ireland" to "King of Ireland" in 1542. [6] All changes made by Henry VIII were
confirmed by an English Act of Parliament passed in 1544. [7]

Queen Victoria was the first British monarch to use the style

"Empress of India".

Mary I, Henry VIII's Catholic daughter, omitted "of the Church of England and also of
Ireland in Earth Supreme Head" in 1553, replacing it with "etc.", but the phrase
remained part of the official style until an Act of Parliament to the contrary was
passed in 1555. In the meantime Mary had married the Spanish prince Philip. The
monarchs adopted a joint style, "King and Queen of England and
France, Naples, Jerusalem and Ireland, Defenders of the Faith, Princes
of Spain and Sicily, Archdukes of Austria, Dukes of Milan, Burgundy and Brabant,
Count and Countess of Habsburg, Flanders and Tyrol", acknowledging both Mary's
and Philip's titles. Further changes were made after Philip became King of Spain and
Sicily upon his father's abdication.
 Cannon of Charles II, with Latin text BRITANNIÆ, HIBERNIÆ ET
GALLIÆ REX ("King of Britain, Ireland and Gaul")

When the Protestant Elizabeth I ascended the throne, she used the simpler "Queen
of England, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, etc.". The "etc." was added in
anticipation of a restoration of the supremacy phrase, which never actually occurred.
After James VI of Scotland, ascended the English throne, the official style changed
to "King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, etc."; his
mother Mary, Queen of Scots, had already laid claim to these titles (in a different
order, jointly with Francis II of France, then with the King's father, Lord Darnley), but
she was beheaded by her Protestant opponent, Elizabeth I. In 1604 James VI made
a proclamation permitting the use of "King of Great Britain" instead of "King of
England and Scotland". This new style, though commonly used to refer to the King,
was never statutory; therefore, it did not appear on legal instruments. It did, however,
appear on the inscriptions on coins.
The kingdoms of England and Scotland were formally united into a single Kingdom
of Great Britain in 1707 by the Act of Union. Queen Anne consequently assumed the
style "Queen of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, etc.". It
remained in use until 1801, when Great Britain and Ireland combined to become the
United Kingdom. George III used the opportunity to drop both the reference to
France and "etc." from the style. It was suggested to him that he assume the title
"Emperor", but he rejected the proposal. Instead, the style became "King of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Defender of the Faith".
 Coin of King George V, marked in Latin GEORGIVS V DEI
GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF: IND: IMP: (Georgius V, Dei gratiâ Britanniarum omnium
rex, fidei defensor, Indiae imperator; "George V, by the grace of God king of all the Britains
[or 'of all the British lands'], defender of the faith, Emperor of India"

The style used by Victoria in her proclamation to "the Princes, Chiefs and People of
India" in 1858 was: "Victoria, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, and of the Colonies and Dependencies thereof in Europe, Asia,
Africa, America, and Australasia, Queen, Defender of the Faith". [8]
In 1876 "Empress of India" was added to Queen Victoria's titles by the Royal Titles
Act 1876, so that the Queen of the United Kingdom, the ruler of a vast empire, would
not be outranked by her own daughter who had married the heir to the German
Empire (an empire by the necessity of establishing a federal monarchy in which
several kings wished to retain their royal titles despite their subjugation to a different
monarchy). Her successor, Edward VII, changed the style in 1901, by the Royal
Titles Act, to reflect the United Kingdom's other colonial possessions, adding "and of
the British Dominions beyond the Seas" after "Ireland". In general usage the
monarch came to be called the King-Emperor, especially in the Crown's overseas
possessions and in British India and the princely states.
In 1922 the Irish Free State gained independence. In 1927 the Royal and
Parliamentary Titles Act 1927 changed the description "of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas" to "of Great
Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas". The 1927 Act was also
significant for opening the door to dominions (later Commonwealth realms) having
the right to determine their own style and title for the sovereign, a right which was
first exercised in 1953.