BBC Proms U-turn on ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ and ‘Rule Britannia’
‘Land of Hope and Glory’, has been a staple piece at the Last Night of the BBC Proms since the year it was composed within Edward Elgar’s 1901 ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ March No. 1, with lyrics later added in 1902 by A.C. Benson, featuring alongside ‘Rule Britannia’. ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ was later considered as a ‘second national anthem’, with calls for it to become England’s national anthem, aside to Britain’s.
So, in the announcement of BBC’s removal of both ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ and ‘Rule Britannia’, for artistic reasons due to COVID-19 restrictions, the BBC began to see mixed reactions through multiple media lenses.
Coronavirus guidelines have limited not only singer-participation, but also audience involvement, leading producers to support the decision in how the son...









