10 Best Songs About Royalty

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Royalty has long given rock and roll songwriters plenty to work with. Some artists have approached kings and queens with reverence, others with satire, rebellion, humor, or pure theatrical imagination. This list brings together ten songs that use royalty in very different ways, from real monarchs and historical figures to fictional characters and symbolic kings and queens.

# 10 – Candle In The Wind (Princess Diana Version) – Elton John

Elton John and Bernie Taupin rewrote “Candle in the Wind” in 1997 as a tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales. Elton performed the new version at Diana’s funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 6, 1997, and George Martin produced the studio recording. The single became the biggest-selling physical single of all time, with Elton John’s official site reporting worldwide sales of more than 33 million copies.

# 9 – Kings And Queens – Aerosmith

“Kings and Queens” appeared on Aerosmith’s 1977 album Draw the Line. Steven Tyler, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer, and producer Jack Douglas share the writing credit, and the song takes the band into a darker, more theatrical world of rulers, greed, battle, and betrayal. It remains one of the most unusual songs in Aerosmith’s 1970s catalog.

# 8 – Her Majesty – The Beatles

“Her Majesty” is the brief hidden track that closes The Beatles’ 1969 album Abbey Road. Written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon-McCartney, the 23-second song appears after “The End” and was not listed on the original album sleeve. Its playful treatment of the British monarch makes it one of the strangest and shortest royalty songs in rock history.

# 7 – Kings – Steely Dan

“Kings” appeared on Steely Dan’s 1972 debut album, Can’t Buy a Thrill. Written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, the track features Fagen on lead vocals and Elliott Randall on lead guitar. Like so much early Steely Dan, the song uses historical and royal imagery in a way that feels deliberately slippery, leaving plenty of room for interpretation.

# 6 – A Farewell To Kings – Rush

Rush opened their 1977 album A Farewell to Kings with its title track. The music was written by Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart, while Peart wrote the lyrics. Recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales, the song attacks corrupt leadership and rulers who abandon wisdom and integrity, making its royal imagery central to the entire message.

# 5 – Victoria – The Kinks

“Victoria” opened The Kinks’ 1969 concept album Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire). Written and produced by Ray Davies, the song was recorded at Pye Studios in London and balances celebration with sharp irony as it looks back at Queen Victoria and the British Empire. That tension between nostalgia and satire is exactly what makes the song so effective.

# 4 – Lady Jane – The Rolling Stones

“Lady Jane” appeared on The Rolling Stones’ 1966 album Aftermath. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the song steps away from the band’s blues-rock attack for a courtly, almost Elizabethan atmosphere. Brian Jones’ dulcimer is the defining instrumental color, giving the track an elegant sound that fits its title perfectly.

# 3 – I’m Henry The VIII, I Am – Herman’s Hermits

Herman’s Hermits brought the old British music-hall song “I’m Henry the VIII, I Am” into the rock era in 1965. Written by Fred Murray and R.P. Weston decades earlier, the Herman’s Hermits version became a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. Peter Noone’s playful delivery helped turn a song about Henry VIII into one of the band’s signature American hits.

Read More: Top 10 Herman’s Hermits Songs

# 2 – God Save The Queen – The Sex Pistols

The Sex Pistols released “God Save the Queen” on May 27, 1977, during the year of Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee. Their own official site notes that Sid Vicious had replaced Glen Matlock by then but did not play on the final recording. The single reached number two on the Official UK Singles Chart and became one of punk rock’s defining anti-establishment records.

Read More: Top 10 Sex Pistols Songs

# 1 – Killer Queen – Queen

“Killer Queen” appeared on Queen’s 1974 album Sheer Heart Attack and became the band’s first UK Top 5 single, reaching number two. Written by Freddie Mercury, the song combined piano, layered vocals, Brian May’s guitar work, and the precision that would soon become a Queen trademark. It was the breakthrough hit that showed just how sophisticated, theatrical, and commercially powerful the band could be.