For the first time since the 1950s edition, God Save The King was sung instead of God Save The Queen in a match between England and Iran during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the ascension of King Charles III to the throne on 8 September.
In detail, the England team performed the national anthem, but it was not the same as we heard last year at the European Championships, nor in previous years during the World Cup.
This is because the Queen’s sad death in September changed the lyrics to the anthem after King Charles took the throne, and the line “God save the Queen” was changed to “God save the King”.
Also, all feminine pronouns or references in the song have been changed to masculine pronouns.
God Save The King was a patriotic song that was first performed in London in 1745 and became known as the national anthem in the early nineteenth century.
In September 1745, Prince Charles Edward Stuart defeated King George II’s army at Prestonpans, near Edinburgh.
