The Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty, Elizabeth the Second,
by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Our other Realms & Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.
DEFENDER OF THE FAITH. A peculiar title belonging to the sovereign of England, as that of “Catholic” to the king of Spain, and that of “Most Christian” to the king of France. These titles were originally given by the popes of Rome; and that of Defensor Fidei was first conferred by Pope Leo X. on King Henry VIII., as a reward for writing against Martin Luther; and the bull for it bears date quinto Idus Octob., 1521. Enc. Lond,
Black’s Law Dictionary, 4th Edition, 1968, Page 508.
Henry VIII reigned from 22 April 1509 to 28 January 1547.
Henry himself, at least in the early part of his reign, was a devout and well-informed Catholic to the extent that his 1521 publication Assertio Septem Sacramentorum (“Defence of the Seven Sacraments”) earned him the title of Fidei Defensor (Defender of the Faith) from Pope Leo X.[61] The work represented a staunch defence of papal supremacy
Henry VIII was the first monarch to introduce a new state religion to the English. In 1532, he wanted to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon. When Pope Clement VII refused to consent to the divorce, Henry VIII decided to separate the entire country of England from the Roman Catholic Church.
The Church of England has ‘vanished’ and been replaced with the Anglican Church.
In conjunction with the Heads of the Anglican Church the Political Parties removed the Defender of the Faith by removing the Church of England.
This was all done by the States and the Anglican Church by 1980 ready for the States to enact –
Australia Acts (Request) Act 1985 and the
Australia Act 1986 Act No. 142 of 1985 which came before the
Australia (Request and Consent) Act 1985 Act No. 143 of 1985.
