English rose (epithet)

The description has a cultural reference to the national flower of England, the rose,[1] and to its long tradition within English symbolism.

The term "English rose" is found in Merrie England (1902), a comic opera written by Basil Hood.

He describes a garden where "women are the flowers" and in which "the sweetest blossom" or "fairest queen" is "the perfect English rose".

[2] The words are performed by a tenor in the role of Sir Walter Raleigh (1554–1618), in the presence of a May Queen, but regarding his secret love (purely within the opera), a member of the household of Elizabeth I.

[3] At the Funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997, Elton John performed a new version of his 1974 hit, "Candle in the Wind", which began with the adapted lyrics, "Goodbye England's rose...".