DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH:
The British monarchy, religion and the
next coronation
By Catherine Pepinster
Hodder & Stoughton. 390 pages. £12.99
ISBN 976 1 399 800 075
The coronation on 6 May was quite the spectacle. Full of history, but also revealing something of our modern monarchy, the symbols we saw and words we heard reminded us that the sovereign is the servant of God.
But now the bunting and balloons are packed away, how have we understood the service itself, and why the faith at the heart of it matters to our new monarch?
To better understand our new king’s faith and how deeply our monarchy is entwined with Christianity, Catherine Pepinster’s updated book Defenders of the Faith takes the reader through a dialogue on kingship – majesty and monarchy, servanthood and sacrifice, duty and destiny. From starting with a thorough look at the sacred nature of kingship in the Bible, to how Pope Leo X gave Henry VII the title ‘Defender of the Faith’ in response to his written denouncement of Luther.
We are then given a tour through the monarchs and their faith until the present day. The author’s Roman Catholic faith is discernible but not detrimental, despite describing Henry VIII as exercising ‘the control and the terrorism’ as he arbitrated matters both spiritual and secular. She notes ‘Christian notions of kingship have shaped our monarchy but scarred it too’. We increasingly see both Roman Catholic and Orthodox influences woven into this exploration of our monarchy and its Protestantism.
Just over a third of the book looks specifically at the formation and faith of our late Queen and the influence of her husband. We are reminded of the focus on duty and sacrifice that she embodied, how she sought to serve Jesus, as well as some of the challenges presented to her as she did so – both from her family and from her country. The author’s natural focus on the ecumenical, as well as her interest in interfaith, shows us starkly just how much has changed in those areas over recent years.
Topics range from the discussion kick-started by the then Prince of Wales’ interview with Jonathan Dimbleby in 1994 around becoming ‘Defender of Faith’, to both Prince Philip and his eldest son’s interest in the Orthodox Church, as well as the increasingly positive rapport between the Pope and the royal family seen at the coronation (and the relic as part of the coronation procession).
If you want to take time to consider the power dynamics and perception of how our monarchy is entwined with Christianity, this book is an accessible, if ecumenical, start.
