In 1803, Beethoven composed two sets of variations on English songs. One of them is this set of Variations on "God Save the King" (the other is the Variations on "Rule Britannia," WoO 79, based on a masque by an English composer).

In 1803, Beethoven began corresponding with George Thomson of England. Thomson was a Scottish civil servant who also ran a music publishing business, collecting and publishing English folk songs. Beethoven was commissioned to arrange and provide accompaniments for these songs, resulting in a lesser-known but substantial body of folk song arrangements. Although the actual commissions began in 1806, these Variations on "God Save the King" and "Rule Britannia" from 1803 may also have been prompted by his interactions with Thomson.

The theme, "God Save the King," a hymn in praise of the monarch, is presented in a stable texture where the melody is supported by chords. The subsequent variations are rich in variety, featuring polyphonic textures or fragmented melodies, yet in all of them, the main theme remains relatively distinct. The coda of the final, seventh variation includes a six-bar return of the theme in F major in the middle, concluding brilliantly with rapid allegro passages.