Prince Harry Surprises Rugby Fans and backs the “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” Song Ban

Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex,  has backed the move to ban Swing Low, Sweet Chariot from rugby games due to its association with slavery. 

He himself has sung the rugby anthem many times since childhood and he is a fan and patron of the Rugby Football Union (RFU).

The RFU, the governing body for rugby union in England, has pledged to educate supporters on the anthems “origins or sensitivities” allowing them to make an “informed decision” as to whether to sing it or not.

The Rugby Football Union has said the song is “sung by many who have no awareness of its origins or sensitivities”, and is reviewing its context amid the Black Lives Matter protests.

The anthem has very different connotations either side of the Atlantic Ocean, having originated in the United States as an African-American spiritual, commonly association with slavery and the continuous opression of the black race. The song was sung in the 1800s in an expression of the desire to be released from slavery, and was also frequently sung at funerals – which continues today.

In England though, the song has become well known as England’s rugby anthem, with fans happy to sing it at every Twickenham Test as well as at away games around the world.

Boris Johnson recently commented that Rugby fans should not be banned from singing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot – but they should “learn all of the words”.

The history of the song

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