Name her Elizabeth the Dutiful: Pop star vicar Richard Coles leads calls for late Queen to be given epithet
- Reverend Richard Coles achieved three top 10 hits in band the Communards
- He said the Queen served the nation and should be given epithet ‘the Dutiful’
- Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson referred to the monarch as ‘the Great’
- Other options include Elizabeth ‘the Long-Lived’ and ‘the Far-Travelled’
Pop star vicar Richard Coles has led calls for the late Queen to be given an epithet, suggesting ‘Elizabeth the Dutiful’.
The former Church of England priest praised the monarch for ‘keeping her promise’ to the nation to serve for her ‘whole life’, ‘whether it be long or short’.
In an opinion piece in today’s Sunday Times, Reverend Coles said his time as a vicar meant he had familiarised himself with all the Kings and Queens of England who have epithets – including Ethelred the Unready, Alfred the Great, Ferdinand the Fickle and – his favourite – Erik the Priest Hater.
But, the former vicar of Finedon in Northamptonshire added, ‘What of Elizabeth II?’
Coles first came to prominence as part of the 1980s band the Communards, achieving three top ten hits, including ‘Don’t Leave Me This Way’.
Pop star vicar Richard Coles has led calls for the late Queen to be given an epithet, suggesting ‘Elizabeth the Dutiful’
The vicar, who is also a writer and radio presenter, said: ‘She understood her role was to unite a nation in a time of adversity.
‘The job of our leaders is to hold us together. What did they think they were doing? The Queen understood without having to be told.’
First, he said, he considered Elizabeth the Long-Lived due to her 96 years of age and longest reign in English history, overseeing 15 Prime Ministers and celebrating her Platinum Jubilee in June.
Another option was Elizabeth the Far-Travelled, as modern transport allowed the Queen to go further than any other monarch before – going around the world by car, plane and ship.
Boris Johnson referred to the Queen as Elizabeth the Great in a touching personal tribute in his first speech from the backbenches.
The former Church of England priest praised the monarch (pictured in her official portrait in June 1987) for ‘keeping her promise’ to the nation to serve for her ‘whole life’, ‘whether it be long or short’
Mr Johnson had met the Queen for the last time at Balmoral on Tuesday, 48 hours before she died, to end his time as Prime Minister.
Liz Truss then met with the Queen, where she was officially appointed into the role, in Her Majesty’s last face-to-face political action before her 70-year reign came to an end.
But Reverend Coles said ‘the Great’ could refer to the length of the reign rather than the achievements of the Queen herself.
He concluded: ‘In a world that finds it impossible to commit to lunch, she kept the promise she made when she became heir to the throne, that her whole life, whether it be long or short, would be devoted to our service.
‘I would choose Elizabeth the Dutiful.’
