King Charles has officially redefined his role as monarch to include protecting faith “within the multi-faith nation,” in a significant shift in the palace’s official description of the Crown’s purpose that reflects the King’s longstanding commitment to interfaith dialogue.
The new wording, published in the Sovereign Grant report 2025-26 — the annual review of the Royal Family’s finances — marks a departure from last year’s description of the King as “Head of the Church of England and Defender of the Faith.” This year’s report states: “His Majesty is Supreme Governor of the Church of England and protects the space for Faith within the multi-faith nation.”
The change is notable given that before his coronation there was considerable debate over whether Charles would choose to be crowned “Defender of Faith” in the plural — a formulation that would explicitly embrace all religions — rather than the traditional “Defender of the Faith,” which his predecessors had used to denote the Christian faith specifically. He ultimately chose the traditional wording at the coronation, but the new job description suggests the palace is now articulating a broader vision of the monarch’s religious role through official channels.
Interfaith dialogue has been a defining feature of Charles’s public life, both as Prince of Wales and as King. He regularly speaks of the Abrahamic faiths and undertakes engagements with Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Orthodox and other religious communities across Britain and around the world.
By contrast, the late Queen Elizabeth II’s official job description in the Sovereign Grant reports of her era was straightforward: “Supreme Governor of the Church of England” and “Head of the Armed Forces.” The King’s revised description replaces the military element with a softer formulation, saying he “provides pastoral support to our Armed Forces.”
The report also sets out the King’s key causes in detail, describing him as a “catalyst for charitable action” who recognises the “degradation of nature” and works toward “fostering a sense of pride, continuity and stability, whilst strengthening the UK’s social fabric and cohesion, particularly at key moments in national life and in times of both celebration and tragedy.” It adds: “His Majesty also has a special role in bringing communities and faiths together, engaging with them across the regions and nations of the UK.”
The same report revealed that the King paid £12.9 million in tax in 2024-25, placing him among the top 100 taxpayers in the country for that year, according to the Daily Telegraph. It also confirmed that the King and Queen will not move into Buckingham Palace when a £369 million refurbishment of the building is complete — a decision supported by 66 per cent of the British public in a snap YouGov poll published on Friday.
