The royals and the Red Cross: celebrating over 150 years of royal support

Exploring over 70 years of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's work with the British Red Cross, and a history of longstanding support from the Royal Family.

A long history with the Royals

When our organisation was founded in 1870, Queen Victoria became the charity’s first patron. Over time, various members of the family have been involved with Red Cross fundraising appeals and events, and raised awareness of our life-saving work.

Support from the Royal family remains strong today. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II championed our work for over 70 years, first as patron of the Junior Red Cross and later as patron of the British Red Cross when she ascended to the throne in 1952.

Throughout her life, she showed her enduring support for the work of the Red Cross and gave recognition to the contributions of our inspirational volunteers.

Visiting times:

Free exhibition, open from 6 June 2022

British Red Cross Museum, 44 Moorfields, London, EC2Y 9AL

To book a visit, email: museum@redcross.org.uk


Credits

Curator: Mehzebin Adam-Suter

Object photography: Jon Kempner

All images © British Red Cross Museum and Archives unless otherwise stated.


VIEW OUR ONLINE EXHIBITION

Exhibition highlights

The exhibition includes rarely seen photographs of the late Queen Elizabeth II and members of the Royal Family, medals awarded to volunteers, and objects connected to key events in our history. Scroll down to see some of the highlights from the exhibition or view the full online exhibition.