The Royal Society of St George - England's premier patriotic society - has responded to the recent negative comments by BBC presenter Katie Derham about the popular patriotic song ‘Rule, Britannia!’
Ms Derham yesterday described ‘Rule, Britannia!’ as "incredibly problematic", but, as the Society points out, this comment was at variance with her previous enthusiasm for the work, for instance her positive remarks about the song at the 2023 Last Night of the Proms.
Nick Dutt, Chairman of the Royal Society of St George (RSSG), said: "The fact is that the overwhelming majority of people have a great fondness for ‘Rule, Britannia!’ and its place in the BBC Proms season finale. Indeed, Ms Derham has previously reflected this strength of feeling for the song, and it is surprising and disappointing that she appears suddenly to have reversed her previous position."
Mr Dutt explained: "The playing of ‘Rule, Britannia!’ goes back to the days of Sir Henry Wood, the founding conductor of the Proms, who concluded his 1905 Trafalgar Centenary, Fantasia on British Sea-Songs with this stirring tune. The song comes from the 18th-century English composer Thomas Arne’s opera, Alfred, a saga of our country’s resistance to Danish invasion during the time of King Alfred the Great.
"It's a song about the Royal Navy and about our island nation's relationship with the sea. As a clarion call for Britons to defy tyranny and defend freedom, ‘Rule, Britannia!’ has been sung at the Proms on nearly every Last Night, especially passionately following VE Day in 1945 and after victory in the Falklands in 1982. ‘Rule, Britannia!’ has the capacity to unite our country, rather than divide it as Ms Derham seems to suggest.
"It was famously sung by Jamaican bass-baritone Sir Willard White at the 1999 Last Night, and has been performed by numerous guest singers from abroad. The worldwide appeal of the Last Night of the Proms, broadcast across the globe, is a testament to the patriotic good intent of this stirring piece of music."