Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory will now be sung by a select group of vocalists during the Last Night of the Proms, the BBC has confirmed.
The broadcaster previously announced the songs would feature as instrumentals, following controversy over their perceived historical links with colonialism and slavery.
A spokesperson for the BBC Proms said: “The pandemic means a different Proms this year and one of the consequences, under Covid-19 restrictions, is we are not able to bring together massed voices.
“For that reason we took the artistic decision not to sing Rule, Britannia! and Land Of Hope And Glory in the Hall.
“We have been looking hard at what else might be possible and we have a solution.
“Both pieces will now include a select group of BBC singers. This means the words will be sung in the Hall, and as we have always made clear, audiences will be free to sing along at home. While it can’t be a full choir, and we are unable to have audiences in the Hall, we are doing everything possible to make it special and want a Last Night truly to remember.
“We hope everyone will welcome this solution. We think the night itself will be a very special moment for the country – and one that is much needed after a difficult period for everyone.
“It will not be a usual Last Night, but it will be a night not just to look forward to, but to remember.”
It comes after a lengthy row over the patriotic songs, which the BBC was reportedly originally considering dropping this year amid social distancing concerns and after the summer's anti-racist protests.
After a backlash following reports the songs had been cut – including threats made against this year's conductor Dalia Stasevska – the corporation said the songs would be included as an instrumental version – but not sung.
That came after Prime Minister Boris Johnson waded in to the row, with his spokesperson urging people to consider the "substance" not "symbols" of equality.
“This is a decision and a matter for the organisers of the Proms and the BBC,” the spokesman said.
“But the PM previously has set out his position on like issues and has been clear that, while he understands the strong emotions involved in these discussions, we need to tackle the substance of problems, not the symbols.”
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said that “confident, forward-looking nations don’t erase their history”.
He wrote on Twitter: “Rule Britannia! and Land of Hope and Glory are highlights of the Last Night of the Proms.
“[I]Share concerns of many about their potential removal and have raised this with (the) BBC.
“Confident forward-looking nations don’t erase their history, they add to it.”
After the news was announced on Wednesday, he tweeted: “Pleased to see common sense has prevailed on the BBC Proms.”
But a prominent academic earlier agreed with reported plans to drop the songs from the Last Night running order, calling them "racist propaganda".
Kehinde Andrews, a professor of Black Studies at Birmingham University, told Good Morning Britain that the songs, which date back to the days of the British Empire, do not represent the UK of the 21st century.
He said: "Some songs, particularly those two [are] racist propaganda which celebrates the British Empire which killed tens of millions of people... many people [in the UK] now like myself... are descendants of those victims of colonialism."
But freedom of speech campaigner Inaya Folarin hit back, arguing: "I think that's completely and fundamentally divorced from what most people believe to be Britain. We recognise it has a complex history full of horror and terror but also triumph and many uplifting things.
"We need to teach history holistically and not try and teach a narrative of cultural self-loathing which I think is very divisive."
The Last Night of the Proms will take place on September 12.