The sovereign is ‘Queen of England by the Grace of God’. In history, it was used to imply that the monarch has a God-given divine right to rule. ‘Dieu et Mon Droit’ is incorporated into the royal coat of arms and has been used as the motto of English monarchs since it was adopted by Henry V. The belief in medieval Europe was not that victory in battle automatically went to the side with the better army but, as with personal trial by combat, to the side that God viewed with favour. While of course this is no longer the case, the Queen is very much aware of the religious symbolism behind her role and takes her vows – as monarch and wife – with great seriousness.

For most of her reign, the Queen has appointed archbishops, bishops and deans of the Church of England, who then swear an oath of allegiance and pay homage to Her Majesty. In spiritual and practical matters, the Church of England is led by 108 bishops and managed by a General Synod, which is elected every five years. In 1970, the Queen became the first sovereign to inaugurate and address the General Synod in person at Church House in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. Since then, she has inaugurated and addressed the opening session of the General Synod every five years after diocesan elections.

In November 2015, in her address to the Synod, the Queen highlighted how she saw the role of the church when she said: ‘St Paul reminds us that all Christians, as ambassadors for Christ, are entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation. Spreading God’s word and the onerous but rewarding task of peace-making and conflict resolution are important parts of that ministry. So too is the Church of England’s vocation to work in partnership with those of other faiths and none, to serve the common good in this land. To this end, I was pleased that one of the first events that Prince Philip and I attended in 2012 to mark my Diamond Jubilee was a gathering of leaders of all faiths, at Lambeth Palace.’

The Queen enjoys the music in church and Christmas carols. As part of the Queen’s ninetieth birthday celebrations, the BBC broadcast a radio programme featuring her favourite music. Two Christian hymns made it into the list of her top ten tunes, namely ‘Praise My Soul the King of Heaven’ and ‘The Lord is My Shepherd’. They were featured alongside music from Oklahoma and Annie Get Your Gun.