The royal family practices Anglicanism, a form of Christianity that originated in England. The Church of England is the state church of England, and the monarch holds the title "Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England". These titles date back to King Henry VIIIs reign when he was given the title "Defender of the Faith" by Pope Leo X in 1521. However, when the pope refused to annul Henry VIIIs marriage to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, after she failed to produce a male heir to the throne, the king renounced the Papacys authority in 1534 and divorced her. After this historical break with Rome, Henry VIII established himself as the "the only supreme head of the Church of England called Anglicana Ecclesia". Since then, the royal family has practiced Anglicanism.

The Queen is a committed Christian and often refers to her faith in her annual Christmas Broadcasts. As Head of the Nation and Head of the Commonwealth, she recognizes and celebrates other faiths in the UK and the Commonwealth. She has hosted the leaders of numerous faiths and denominations and visited many different places of worship in the UK and across the Commonwealth. During her Golden Jubilee, The Queen celebrated with many British non-Christian communities, visiting the Highgate Hill Murugan (Hindu) Temple, the Manchester Jewish Museum, an Islamic Centre in Scunthorpe, and the Guru Nanak Gurdhwara in Leicester. To mark the Diamond Jubilee in 2012, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh attended a multi-faith reception at Lambeth Palace, which was hosted by the Archbishop of Canterbury and attended by the leaders of eight other faiths in the UK.