The song hit #1 on one Brit chart though only hit #2 on the “official” one but may have been intentionally demoted. It was banned by the BBC.
John Lydon (Rotten) said he wasn’t saying he hated her, only the institution.
Song is a savage bit of rock n roll.
Lydon:”You don’t write ‘God Save the Queen’ because you hate the English race. You write a song like that because you love them, and you’re fed up with them being mistreated.” He intended to evoke sympathy for the English working class and a general resentment towards the monarchy.—Wikipedia