There has been some disapproval – indeed some anger – at Jeremy Corbyn’s decision to stay silent through the national anthem at the Battle of Britain memorial service at St Paul’s Cathedral on Tuesday.
As dignitaries all around him warbled their hearts out, the new Labour leader, who is well known for his republican views, was seen standing with his hands clasped and clutching his order of service, and his lips resolutely static.
Worse still, “he was dressed in non-matching jacket and trousers and had failed to properly button his shirt,” the MailOnline thundered, as it branded him a “disgrace” in an unattributed quote.
But Corbyn’s snub to the monarch/principled stance against privilege (delete as appropriate) is perhaps minor compared to the anthem “outrages” of recent years. In this totally unexhaustive list, we bring you some of the most controversial manglings and refusals.
John Redwood – 1993
The Conservative former secretary of state for Wales would have probably have been better off adopting a similar dignified silence as the Labour leader when, in 1993, he found himself standing for the Welsh national anthem at that country’s Tory conference.
Confused and unprepared, a horrified looking Redwood – who is from Dover and still represents Wokingham, Berkshire, in the Commons – decided to fake it with an excruciating attempt to mime along, even though he clearly didn’t know the words. It has since gone down in history as one of the worst political gaffes ever.
Daley Thompson – 1984
Fresh from taking gold in the decathlon at the Los Angeles Olympics, Britain’s star athlete of the era, and hero of the nation, sparked outrage when he stood on the winners’ podium and, instead of staring dewy-eyed at the flag and singing his heart out, he jauntily whistled along to God Save the Queen.
At a following press conference, he provided more fodder for critics when he responded to a question about a trackside conversation with Princess Anne by saying: “She said I was a damn good-looking guy.”
Alesha Dixon – 2015
The Britain’s Got Talent star angered fans at the British Grand Prix this summer when she changed the words to God Save the Queen and, what’s more, sang it in what sounded suspiciously like an American accent.
Self-appointed upholders of the Queen’s honour quickly took to Twitter to point out that Dixon’s refrain of “God Save Our Queen” was, by substituting a single word, an unacceptable mangling of the solemn patriotic paean.
Dixon hit back at critics with a tweeted riposte, in which she claimed her apparent US twang was just “soul” and that she had chosen to “sing a particular version”. “#don’tpissonmyparade,” she added.
There's a difference between getting the words wrong and choosing 2 sing a particular version! Boring story, very sad! #don'tpissonmyparade
— Alesha Dixon (@AleshaOfficial) July 5, 2015
Eoin Morgan – 2015
Questions were asked about the loyalty of Ireland-born Eoin Morgan, the captain of the England cricket team for short forms of the game, when he failed to sing God Save the Queen at the World Cup in February.
The plot thickened when Morgan, born an raised in Rush, Co Dublin, told a subsequent press conference that his refusal to sing was “a personal thing” and “a long story”, prompting suspicion that his decision was political.
However, a former teacher of Morgan’s at Dublin’s Catholic University School later came forward to say the real reason was probably that Morgan just doesn’t like singing very much.
James McClean – 2015
Irish midfielder James McClean was rebuked by his manager after turning his back on the British national anthem before a friendly match in the US in July.
Before West Bromwich Albion’s game against Charleston Battery in South Carolina, both teams turned towards the national flags during the anthems, but McClean turned away and stood with his head down. He had previously caused a stir in 2012 when playing for Sunderland by refusing to wear a poppy on his shirt before Remembrance Sunday.
But of course in the UK we wear our patriotism lightly, and despite criticism of Corbyn we tolerate dissenters and dolts when it comes to the national anthem.
But in the US they take patriotism to a whole different level, and any perceived slights to the Star Spangled Banner can earn a rebuke from the highest echelons of government...
Roseanne Barr – 1990
None other than George HW Bush, then the US president, spoke out from Air Force One to slam Roseanne Barr as “disgraceful” for her performance of the Star Spangled Banner in front of 50,000 baseball fans.
Quite how Barr, then one of America’s most famous comedians (but not known then – or now – as a singer), ended up at the in the centre of Jack Murphy stadium in San Diego is still a mystery, but her screeching and wailing through her nation’s sacred song is the stuff of legend.
But it was her parting shot that cut patriots most deeply. Imitating baseball players for their unwholesome habits, she grabbed her crotch, spat to her right, then strode off the field with her arms raised. She later conceded that her comedic touch was mistimed.
Christina Aguilera – 2011
While fewer found fault Christina Aguilera’s singing ability when she took on the job of opening the 2011 Superbowl in Dallas, Texas, and she certainly didn’t lower the tone with any inappropriate gesticulation, keen-eared patriots were nonetheless incensed when she spontaneously rewrote a line.
The Genie in a Bottle singer was trashed by fans after “o’er the ramparts we watched” somehow became “what so proudly we watched”. The momentary lapse came despite Aguilera’s claim to have been performing the anthem since she was seven.
