'''"God Save the Queen"''' is the national anthem of the [[United Kingdom]], and the royal anthem of many [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] realms. Words and music are anonymous, though various theories as to authorship exist. The first known performance of the song was at a banquet in London in 1740. A fourth verse was added after the defeat of the Scottish rebellion of 1745, which spoke of crushing the Scots and such like, but was removed in Victorian times as not being particularly conducive to a harmonious union between England and Scotland. A different fourth verse, called the peace verse, was added at the end of the First World War, but this too was later removed. | '''"God Save the Queen"''' is the national anthem of the [[United Kingdom]], and the royal anthem of many [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] realms. Words and music are anonymous, though various theories as to authorship exist. The first known performance of the song was at a banquet in London in 1740. A fourth verse was added after the defeat of the Scottish rebellion of 1745, which spoke of crushing the Scots and such like, but was removed in Victorian times as not being particularly conducive to a harmonious union between England and Scotland. A different fourth verse, called the peace verse, was added at the end of the First World War, but this too was later removed. |