- Religion is very important for the British royals
- The monarch is even the head of the Church of England
- But which religion is it that the royals practice?
Before King Charles III ascended the throne, Queen Elizabeth II was the supreme governor and defender of the faith of the Church of England, which severed its relationship with the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century.
According to the family website, it all began during the reign of King Henry VIII, who was given the title of "Defender of the Faith" by Pope Leo X in 1521.
However, when the Pope refused to dissolve the King's marriage to his first wife, after she had failed to produce a male heir, the King renounced the Pope's authority in 1534 and got divorced.
The monarchy broke away from Catholicism centuries ago
After this historic break with Rome, the King established himself as the "sole supreme head of the Church of England," called Ecclesia Anglicana, according to the BBC.
While Mary I tried to restore Roman Catholicism in England, her sister Elizabeth I declared herself "supreme governor," as her father had. Since then, the Royal Family has practiced Anglicanism, a form of Christianity.
Following in the footsteps of his predecessors, King Charles III has now been recognized as the supreme governor of the Church of England.
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However, the Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior clergyman of the church. During the Queen's coronation in 1953, the Archbishop had the role of anointing her.
She made a promise to "maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the Church of England, and the doctrine worship, discipline, and government thereof, as by law established in England."
As the Church of England spread throughout the world, it took on different names. These separate churches are known as the Anglican communion, but the mother church remains the one in England...
See more in the video above.
