‘God Save the King’ is actually the anthem’s original title
The lyrics to the national anthem will change following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday afternoon.
‘God Save the Queen,’ will change to ‘God Save the King,’ as the Queen’s oldest son, Prince Charles, takes the throne, Insider reports.
The lyrics will remain the same, but ‘queen’ will be replaced with ‘king’ and ‘she’ and ‘her’ will be replaced to ‘he’ and ‘him’.
The Queen died on Thursday afternoon at Balmoral. She was 96 and had been the world’s oldest reigning monarch, with a generation-spanning 70 years in power.
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”
In a separate statement, King Charles III — as he will now be known — called it “a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family.”
“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by the countless people around the world,” the statement read.
“During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held.”
‘God Save the King’ is actually the anthem’s original title, Insider noted. It was written in 1745 and became known as the UK’s national anthem at the beginning of the 19th Century, according to the official Royal Family website.
The Queen took the throne in 1952, when the lyrics were “God Save the King,” in honour of King George VI.
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