The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is amongst the many charity organisations that have paid tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away on the 8th of September at Balmoral Castle.
RNLI’s tribute read: “On behalf of everyone involved with the RNLI, we send our heartfelt condolences to The Royal Family on the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Her Majesty has dedicated 70 years as patron of the RNLI, engaging with and recognising the efforts of thousands of our people. We place on record our sincere thanks for Her Majesty’s unwavering Commitment to saving lives at sea. Our thoughts are with The Royal Family and Her Majesty’s loyal subjects across the United Kingdom and Commonwealth.”
The Queen was dedicated to saving lives at sea, becoming the RNLI’s longest-serving patron, which lasted the length and breadth of her 70-year reign. During this time, the charity’s lifeboat crews and lifeguards saved 65,979 lives.
Founded almost 200 years ago by Sir William Hillary on the 4th of March 1824, their first royal patron was King George IV. The reigning British monarch has held this position ever since.
Queen Elizabeth II became the eleventh monarch throughout the RNLI’s history. However, her dedicated involvement with the RNLI began during her father’s reign at the age of 21 when she donated £180 to the charity.
She made history by becoming the first reigning monarch to name an RNLI lifeboat during her reign. She attended many RNLI events and made numerous visits to lifeboat stations. Her Late Majesty recognised thousands of volunteers for their efforts and issued national honours awards and four Jubilee medals to the crew in 1977, 2002, 2012 and 2022.
The Queen’s final official engagement for the charity saw her unveil a plaque on the 17th of May 2013 at the St Ives Lifeboat Station.
