For King and Country

Have the freedoms we fought for been lost?

Historically, ‘For King and Country’ has been a patriotic battle cry expressing absolute loyalty, duty, and the willingness to lay down one’s life in service to the British monarchy and the nation.

The concepts of patriotism, duty and sacrifice were deeply understood by the generations who fought in the two great wars of the 20th century.  British people in the main believed that they had been blessed to live in a peaceful and relatively well governed society, built on Judeo-Christian foundations. They believed themselves to be part of a British society in which they would submit to legitimate authority as valued stakeholders who had a part in choosing how they would be governed through a democratic process. When their way of life was threatened, in both cases by a great European power, they believed that it was absolutely necessary and right to fight to preserve it. 

The Four Freedoms

The same was true in the United States.  One of the most iconic Second World War posters and one of the enduring images of 20th-century American art is Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms series – very probably his most famous artwork. Rockwell produced four oil paintings in 1943, each referring to one of the freedoms President Roosevelt had outlined in his 1941 State of the Union address: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear. Each presented an idealised vision of part of American life.

Representing an America worth fighting for, four million posters of these paintings were printed during World War II. The Four Freedoms are among the most reproduced artworks of all time and the U.S. government used these images to raise $132 million in war bonds at that time. 

The loss of these freedoms

It is astonishing to consider that some eighty years after that great conflict, those same freedoms are being lost. In the case of Britain, which stood alone against the might of Nazi Germany shortly after the outbreak of war, it could be argued that we are in a worse position now than if Hitler had defeated us in the epic Battle of Britain, even though we would have become a vassal state of the Third Reich. 

It is just two months since the passing of Alec William George Penstone (23 April 1925 – 28 May 2026) a British World War II veteran who served in the Royal Navy. He appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain in November last year and was asked by host Kate Garraway what Remembrance Sunday meant to him. He emotionally described how it felt as though winning the war was “not worth the sacrifice” because of how the country had turned out today.

Alec said: “My message is, I can see in my mind’s eye those rows and rows of white stones and all the hundreds of my friends who gave their lives, for what? The country of today?” To the astonishment of the presenters, he went on, almost in tears; “No, I’m sorry - but the sacrifice wasn’t worth the result of what it is now.” He continued: “What we fought for was our freedom, but now it’s a darn sight worse than when I fought for it.”

King Charles – Protector of the Space for Faith

So, what of our present King, our country, and the state of the Nation in the summer of 2026?

In a little-noticed change to his official accounts, King Charles III appears to have revised his pledge to “defend the faith.” It seems he surreptitiously slipped into the document a quite momentous change. In a few amended lines in the Sovereign Grant Annual Report, the duties of the monarchy have been covertly changed. The King’s title as “Defender of the Faith” has been replaced by “Protector of the Space for Faith within the Multi-faith Nation.” Our beloved late Queen Elizabeth must be turning in her grave. Her former Chaplain, Gavin Ashenden, certainly questions whether this goes against his oaths. 

A final encouragement

It is now forty years since ministry founder Dr Clifford Hill was part of a prophetic gathering at Mount Carmel in April 1986. The prophecy given by the late Lance Lambert is worth re-examining in the context of current world events. 

We are living in times of great turmoil, but the final paragraph of Lance’s prophecy should be an encouragement to us all:

“Do not fear for these days, for I have purposed that you should stand with Me and serve Me in them. Fear not, for I love you and I will protect you and equip you. I, the LORD, will anoint you with a new anointing and you will work My works and fulfil My counsel. You shall stand before Me, the LORD of the whole earth, and serve Me with understanding and with power, and you shall reign with Me during these days. Above all I call you to be intercessors.”