Mal Fletcher comments on the cultural and religious identity of the UK

Mal Fletcher

On Sunday morning, I did the media rounds in what I call the on-air version of Speed Dating, appearing in 15 radio interviews for the BBC in the space of two hours.

The question du jour was this: What part will religion - and specifically Christianity - play in the role of the monarchy when the newly born Prince George finally ascends the throne?

It does seem somewhat unkind to be talking about the lad's long term future when he's less that a week old, but there are important constitutional and cultural issues at stake.

The title Defender of the Faith was first bestowed upon King Henry VIII, by no less than the pope of the time. He then, for personal and political reasons, decided to abandon the Roman church and start his own, taking the title with him.

Since then, the British monarch has been the automatic head of the Church of England, albeit in more modern times in a largely ceremonial capacity.

A ComRes study for the BBC revealed that almost 75% of people in England think that future monarchs should keep the title of Supreme Governor of the Church of England and 'Defender of the Faith'.

Opinion was evenly divided on Prince Charles' suggestion that he might change the religious role of the monarchy, becoming 'Defender of Faith' in the light of multiculturalism.

Given The Times' report this week that Prince George might not become king until around 2068, it's difficult to predict anything about his reign this far out.

In my view, however, there is every possibility that he may retain the title of Defender of the Faith when he ascends the throne. It is certainly more likely than some experts seem to suggest.

I say this for several reasons.

Secularisation in Decline?

Some global demographic studies suggest that the process of secularisation we've seen in Europe over recent decades may actually be in decline worldwide.

Christianity and religion generally are already on the rise throughout much of the world. This may well become the norm for the next two or three decades at least, especially as South America and parts of Asia and Africa rise in economic clout.

The World Fact Handbook is published by the CIA, which of course has no particular religious axe to grind. It estimates that the proportion of people attached to the world's four major religions - Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism - rose from 67 percent in 1900 to 73 percent in 2005.