A profoundly Christian monarch with a deeply personal relationship with God, extremely popular with her subjects after seventy years on the throne. Elizabeth II will celebrate her Platinum Jubilee in grand style, with a four-day national holiday from June 2 to 5. SIR asked Catherine Pepinster, former editor of the Catholic weekly the ‘Tablet’ and author of ‘Defenders of the faith’, on the relationship between British sovereigns and religion, soon to be published by Hodder Faith, for an assessment of her majesty’s life and achievements. “Queen Elizabeth has a strong personal faith that she has frequently mentioned during her reign, a strong relationship with God that gives special meaning to the two official positions held by every English sovereign since the Reformation. That of Supreme Governor, at the head of the ‘Church of England’, and that of ‘Defender of the Faith’, ‘Fidei defensor’, the title that Pope Clement VII conferred on King Henry VIII shortly before the latter’s break from Rome.”
Is it unusual for such an important public figure in a deeply secularised United Kingdom to publicly proclaim her faith?
It is. The Queen has said on many occasions that Jesus is her model of life. She prays every day and attends Sunday Mass wherever she is. Whenever she visited countries where Christianity is not the predominant religion she has often made a point of visiting a Christian church there. On Friday, June 3, Elizabeth II will also be attending a Thanksgiving service to God in St Paul’s Cathedral to mark her seventy years of reign. This will be her fourth jubilee, after those marking 25, 50 and 60 years on the throne. On each occasion she expressed her thankfulness to God, to whom she was consecrated during her coronation on June 2, 1953. Since then, devoid of all jewels, dressed in white only, Elisabeth has been devoting herself to God and to the nation. This is a commitment she has assumed with great seriousness.
Is Prince Charles also a believer?
The heir to the throne has consistently drawn attention to the tragedy of persecuted Christians. He has helped them with donations and has been cooperating with the charity ‘Aid to the Church in Need’ for a long time. That commitment testifies to his faith in the Gospel. However, his interreligious sensitivity is greater compared to that of the Queen. Charles also maintains close relations with the Greek Orthodox Church – specifically with the Mount Athos monastery – for family reasons. His paternal grandparents were Orthodox Christians and so was his father, Prince Philip, until he married the Queen. Prince Charles also holds a great interest in Islam. A statement he released years ago, in which he claimed that he wished to be a ”defender” of all faiths rather than of Christianity alone, stirred some controversy. At the time, his relations with the Anglican clergy were not very good. In fact, the Church of England disfavoured his relationship with Camilla. Nowadays, Charles has a smooth relationship with the ‘Church of England’, of which, like his mother, he is to become ‘Supreme Governor.’
What is the Queen’s political role?
British monarchs do not vote because they have to remain strictly neutral, but the Queen has what we call ‘soft power’, i.e. she exerts a strong influence. She meets with former prime ministers every week. Some of them, such as David Cameron and Tony Blair, claimed that they received valuable advice from her and that they have benefited from her great experience on many occasions. Elizabeth II is continuously informed about the life of the country and its citizens. Reportedly, when Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister in the late 1970s and the number of poor and unemployed spiralled, the Queen expressed her concerns to the PM and it is reported that relations between the two women were not good.
Is Elizabeth II pro or against Brexit?
It remains undetermined. Elizabeth feels it is her mission to unite the United Kingdom and she is concerned by the fact that Scotland has been signalling its desire for independence for some time. Based on statements from David Cameron, it is our understanding that, in 2014, when the former PM revealed to the Queen that the region’s independence referendum had failed, he said that ‘the monarch was purring on the phone’.
Would it be correct at this time to refer to a monarchy in transition?
I suppose it would. In fact, while the Queen reads all official documents and meets the premiers for her weekly audiences, almost all official duties are now handled by both her son Charles and grandson William.
What kind of king will Charles III be?
First of all, an elderly king. Unlike his mother, he freely expresses his opinions on various topics. However, once he is king, he will have to cease this practice if he wishes to prevent any controversy. Nevertheless, there are signs that already testify to a streamlining of the monarchy. Prince William, for example, is frequently seen not wearing a tie – unimaginable until a few years ago. Furthermore, we know that he and his wife Kate intend to scale down royal titles and simplify the protocols.
