The Parliament of Canada has the official title of King Charles III. (74) amended as Head of State. Henceforth he will no longer bear the title “Defender of the Faith”. This is reported, among other things, by the news portal “CBS”. According to this, the change in the Canadian law on the royal office title and its title was already mentioned last month, but not yet specified.
Now the exact wording has been announced. The official title is Charles the Third, by the Grace of God King of Canada and His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth. Translated into German: “Charles the Third, by the grace of God King of Canada and its other territories and territories, Head of the Commonwealth”. The law was previously amended in 1985, according to which the then monarch, Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022), added the addition “Defender of the Faith”. In addition, “Queen of the United Kingdom” was included in her Canadian name, which is also now omitted.
The communications director of the royal council of the responsible minister Bill Blair (69) said about the change in the law: “As we prepare for the coronation of the new monarch, the decision has been made to modernize the title.” The designation was “harmonized” with other Commonwealth countries such as Australia.
The term “defender of the faith” has been discussed repeatedly for several years. It was originally introduced in the 16th century when this title was officially bestowed on King Henry VIII (1491-1547) by the then Pope Leo X (1475-1521). In a statement to CBS, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said the decision on the monarch’s royal title was “a matter for the Canadian government.” The royal family was informed of the change in advance as a courtesy, an insider also reports.