The flags will be out over Britain this month as the nation celebrates the Queen’s 90th birthday. But more than a great leader, Elizabeth II has been a prominent advocate of Christianity. James Hastings looks at the moments where her faith has come to the fore

 

Her official title is Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and North-ern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.

Former SNP leader Alex Salmond once referred to her as, Elizabeth, Queen of Scots, while on the Channel Islands, she is formally addressed as the Duke of Normandy.

In her role, the Queen is often photographed at grand services in St Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey, or attending prayers at civic events.

But away from the pomp and circumstance, the Queen is known to have a strong, personal faith in Jesus which has been central to her 63-year reign – the longest of any British monarch in history.

As she celebrates her 90th birthday this month, many people, politicians and probably other monarchs are asking, “How has she lasted so long in an ever-changing world?”

Writing about the royal celebrations, Charles Moore, the respected Daily Telegraph columnist, observed: “How has she done it? By statecraft, which is subtle, but also by her faith, which is simple. She is what the Bible calls ‘pure in heart’.

“Those who have worked with her observe how she is content, each day, if she has done her best and said her prayers.”

In the June 2016 issue of iBelieve Magazine, we take a detailed look at…

• The Queen’s unwavering faith in God during her remarkable reign
• How the monarch has reached out to people of all faiths
• Seven public broadcasts from her fist in 1952 to December 2015 in which she has spoke of God

Buy your copy of the June 2016 issue of iBelieve Magazine  for this inspiring insight into the Queen’s faith

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