Buckingham Palace has revised its official description of King Charles III’s constitutional role, replacing last year’s emphasis on the monarch as “Defender of the Faith” with language about protecting “faith within the multi-faith nation.”
The change appears in the Sovereign Grant Report 2025/26, which now describes the King as “Supreme Governor of the Church of England” who “protects the space for Faith within the multi-faith nation.”
The wording reflects Charles’s longstanding commitment to interfaith dialogue but has reignited debate over the monarchy’s historic Protestant identity. Before his coronation, there was speculation that he might abandon the traditional title “Defender of the Faith” in favour of “Defender of Faith,” although he ultimately retained the historic wording.
Among the critics is Ceirion H. Dewar, a bishop in the self-proclaimed Confessing Anglican Church, outside the Anglican Communion, who argues the revised language sits uneasily with the King’s coronation oath to uphold the Protestant settlement.
While the Sovereign Grant report does not alter the monarch’s constitutional duties or titles, it signals a shift in emphasis. Charles III remains Supreme Governor of the Church of England and, at his coronation, pledged to preserve the “Protestant Reformed Religion established by law.” Presenting the Crown primarily as the protector of a multi-faith society risks diluting the monarchy’s historic Christian identity.
