God Save the King

The United Kingdom’s royal anthem, traditionally performed to honor the monarch. Its familiar melody was publicly associated with the song in 1745.

Jacobite Rising of 1745: A rebellion led by Charles Edward Stuart to restore the Stuart dynasty to the British throne. The song’s first known public performance in 1745 took place amid this Stuart challenge to George II.
God Save the Queen: The version of the British royal anthem sung when the monarch is a queen. Changing the monarch’s title changes the anthem’s opening words and pronouns.
Trooping the Colour: An annual British military parade marking the official birthday of the sovereign. The royal anthem is performed as part of a ceremony centered on the monarch.
Rule, Britannia!: A patriotic British song from the 1740 masque Alfred, with music by Thomas Arne. Unlike the royal anthem, it celebrates national power and maritime identity rather than the monarch.
My Country, 'Tis of Thee: An American patriotic song written by Samuel Francis Smith and first performed in 1831 to the melody of “God Save the King.” The shared tune gave the melody a distinctly republican American text.
Thomas Arne: An English composer whose theatrical music included an early published arrangement of the anthem in 1745. Arne’s arrangement helped establish the melody associated with the song.
Royal anthem: A national or ceremonial song used to honor a sovereign or royal house. This is the anthem’s ceremonial role, distinct from ordinary patriotic songs.
State opening of Parliament: The annual ceremony in which the British monarch formally opens a session of Parliament. Its royal setting makes the anthem an appropriate ceremonial signal of the sovereign’s presence.
Jerusalem (hymn): A 1916 setting of William Blake’s poem, often used as an English patriotic song. It is a prominent alternative at English ceremonies but does not honor the sovereign.
National anthem of Liechtenstein: “Oben am jungen Rhein,” Liechtenstein’s national anthem, sung to the same melody as “God Save the King.” Its continued use shows how the melody became an anthem beyond Britain.

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