Saturday, April 09, 2011

Question from Ann B - Defending of the Faith title

Isn't it odd that the title "Defender of the faith" is passed down from Henry VIII, who recieved in from the pope, to his children. Is it still a proper title of Queen Elizabeth II, just wondering. Thanks!

4 comments:

MortimerCat said...

It is still a title of the reigning monarch. British coins include FID DEF, or F.D. on the lettering.

Susan said...

On a related note, I have heard that Charles will take the title of 'Defender of Faith,' rathern than 'Defender of the Faith.'

shtove said...

"In 1994, The Prince said of his future role as Head of the Church of England, which he would assume when he becomes King: “I personally would rather see it as Defender of Faith, not ‘The Faith’”."

http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/faqs/what_religion_do_the_prince_and_the_duchess_practice__1739581824.html

The latin is fidei defensor, which doesn't have the definite article of the english translation.

Lara said...

I just realized that I wrote "Defending" instead of "Defender" in the title! Sorry about that...