After 70 years of reign of Elizabeth II, who died last Thursday (8) in Scotland, it is reasonable that the British population has the expression “God save the queen” on the tip of their tongue – or, in Portuguese, “Deus save the queen” the Queen”.
The phrase is also the name of the British anthem, although it was originally composed in the masculine form, “God Save the King”. It is not known for sure who wrote the song, but its first appearances date back to 1745, in the reign of George II, and it would later be adopted as the national anthem of the United Kingdom.
Today, after Charles III’s proclamation, when the moment calls for a change from “queen” to “king” in song and expression, many Brits and tourists are still confused.
As the queen’s body left Balmoral Castle for Edinburgh, beginning the ceremonies leading up to the funeral – which will take place in London, where the coffin arrives on Tuesday (13) -, thousands of people gathered again this Sunday. (11) in front of Buckingham Palace, in the English capital, to pay tribute to Elizabeth II.
THE Sheet promoted, then, a brief poll in the gardens of the place. The report asked the subjects and admirers to complete the expression “God save…”. The result, although unscientific, was 62.5% saying “… the queen” — although many corrected themselves in the sequence: “… the king!”.
Complete the sentence: “God save…”
“… the queen! No, no! The king!”, shouted the Londoner Heather Coke, between laughter, beside her husband.
“… the queen. Oops…”, Claire, who didn’t want to give her last name, was born in Leeds, put her hand to her mouth. “Okay, yes, that’s right. It’s going to take a while for us to get used to it.”
“…the king,” said David Taylor of Birmingham loud and clear. But he thought for a few seconds before answering. “Of course I had to think a little.”
“…the king,” spoke of Heather Favill, from Nottingham, the land of her and Robin Hood, the prince of thieves. “I didn’t get the answer wrong because that’s what it is now. We have a king.”
“…the queen”, said the Nigerian Colin Anyanwu, who traveled from his country two days ago precisely to pay tribute to Elizabeth II. Then he laughed and corrected himself. “We are very used to the ‘God save the queen’. Her death is very sad. I thank her for everything she has done in my country.”
“… the king”, did not hesitate Canadian Eric Chiung, who was already on vacation in London when everything happened. “The queen is also on our money bills in Canada, but it’s a different situation. A lot of people there don’t like what she stands for.”
“… the queen”, opted the American Margie Andrews. “I don’t care if Charles is the king now. It’s still ‘God save the queen’.”
“…the queen. And the king,” amended the poet Kim Eastman of Portsmouth, happily uniting the two in the same expression.
Perhaps that was the general feeling of the British on this sunny Sunday. God save the king, but the queen too.
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
