Here’s where the juicy drama lives. For centuries, the royal family has been stubbornly anti-Catholic, and it’s not because they hate good wine or fancy hats. The whole mess started when Henry VIII broke from Rome in the 1530s because the Pope wouldn’t annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Henry’s response? “Fine, I’ll start my own church! With blackjack and hookers!” (Okay, maybe not the hookers, but definitely the divorce).
This anti-Catholic stance was so serious that until 2015, any royal who married a Catholic was automatically kicked out of the line of succession. Imagine dating someone and your grandpa’s ghost says, “Sorry, you’re banished from the throne because your fiancé likes the Pope.” That’s the level of petty we’re talking about.
Thankfully, the law changed, so Prince Harry could marry Meghan Markle without her needing to convert from any religion. Though let’s be real, the real drama was the tabloids, not the Vatican.
The Queen’s Super Secret Second Title
The late Queen Elizabeth II had a job title that sounds like a Marvel supervillain: Defender of the Faith. This was originally given by a Pope (yes, a Catholic one) to Henry VIII for writing a pamphlet against Martin Luther. Awkwardly, Henry later used that title while literally defying that same Pope. You have to admire the audacity.
Today, the King is expected to uphold the Protestant faith, but he also promised to “defend the faiths of all people” during his coronation. That’s a diplomatic way of saying, “I’ll go to church, but please don’t ask me to visit your mosque in a tiara.”
Royal family attends first Easter service since Queen Elizabeth’s death
