What is the Royal Anthem of Canada?

Discover Canada records this in one direct sentence. The guide writes: The Royal Anthem of Canada, "God Save the Queen (or King)," can be played or sung on any occasion when Canadians wish to honour the Sovereign. The Royal Anthem the test wants is therefore God Save the Queen (or King).

Canada has TWO anthems. Discover Canada commits Canada to a two-anthem system: a National Anthem (O Canada) and a Royal Anthem (God Save the Queen or King). The two anthems serve different purposes — O Canada honours the country itself; God Save the Queen (or King) honours the Sovereign. Both are official, and each has its own appropriate occasions.

The Royal Anthem honours the Sovereign. Discover Canada commits the Royal Anthem to one specific function: "can be played or sung on any occasion when Canadians wish to honour the Sovereign." So God Save the Queen (or King) is the musical expression of Canada's constitutional monarchy — sung at events involving the royal family, royal visits to Canada, and ceremonial occasions where the Sovereign is being acknowledged.

The Royal Anthem appears in both English and French. Discover Canada reproduces the anthem text in both official languages — God Save the Queen in English and Dieu protège la Reine in French — reflecting Canada's bilingual official-language status. The English version begins "God save our gracious Queen! Long live our noble Queen! God save the Queen! Send her victorious, Happy and glorious, Long to reign over us, God save the Queen!" The French version is the official translation: "Dieu protège la Reine! De sa main souveraine! Vive la Reine!" So the Royal Anthem is sung in both English and French in Canada — like the National Anthem (O Canada), which the guide notes was proclaimed in 1980 and first sung in Québec City in 1880. The two anthems together — one for country, one for Sovereign — capture Canada's identity as both a sovereign nation and a constitutional monarchy.

The question is testing whether new citizens know which anthem is the Royal Anthem of Canada. Discover Canada commits to one: God Save the Queen (or King). The right test answer matches that.

The wrong answer choices each substitute a different song. The first option is the National Anthem — proclaimed as such in 1980 — not the Royal Anthem. The third option is a patriotic song but not Canada's Royal Anthem (or National Anthem). The fourth option is a British patriotic song that is not officially Canadian. Only God Save the Queen (or King) — sung to honour the Sovereign — matches the source.