Tannuka Juneja
Queen Elizabeth II’s devoted a great deal of time and effort to charity throughout her life, supporting some organizations for as many as 75 years.
Her Royal Highness served as the Royal Patron or President of over 600 charities, military organisations, professional bodies and public service organizations in the UK and Commonwealth, including The Soldiers Charity, Mothers Union, the British Diabetic Association, and Cruse Bereavement Care.
In 2012, as the Queen completed 60 years on the throne, the Charity Aid Foundation estimated that her work alone helped raise $2.3 billion for the charity.
How much she went on to generate in the past 10 years has not been publicly shared.
At Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June, Charity Aid Foundation chief executive Neil Heslop OBE spoke of the Queen’s philanthropic work.
“During her 70 years of remarkable service, many organisations have benefited hugely from the support of The Queen and her passion for charity,” he said.
“The Royal Family have made raising the awareness of the work of charities an integral part of their public duties and we are incredibly grateful for the attention they bring to organisations of all shapes and sizes carrying out vital work in the UK and around the world.”
In a speech on her 21st birthday, the Queen promised to dedicate her life to service.
“I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service,” she said.
She has supported organizations in every field from youth opportunities to wildlife and environmental protection.
Notably, the Queen was a strong supporter of the British Red Cross and its oldest patron, supporting the charity for over 70 years.
As a young princess, she traveled abroad to meet frontline Red Cross nurses before becoming a patron of the charity in 1949.
The Queen spent more than 75 years as a Royal Patron of Devon mental health charity Step One, beginning when she was a princess.
“Her passion for bettering the lives of people in this country will continue to guide as we support people in Devon to live more independently,” the organisation has posted online since her passing.
The Queen has spent more than 70 years supporting UK’s Royal National Institute of Blind People.
RNIB’s chief executive Matt Stringer has said since her passing: “We are immensely grateful for Her Majesty’s longstanding support which has made such a difference to the lives of people with sight loss across the UK.
“Her Majesty became RNIB’s Patron upon her accession to the throne in 1952 and during this time made a tremendous contribution to our work,” he said in a statement.
“Her Majesty was a passionate advocate for the rights of blind and partially sighted people and generously hosted many receptions on behalf of our organisation.”
In Australia, the Queen was the Patron of the Returned & Services League of Australia for more than 70 years.
RSL Australia President Greg Melick said the passing of Her Majesty would be felt by all veterans, who particularly valued her association and patronage of the League.
“Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth has been an outstanding servant and leader of the Commonwealth for the duration of her reign and the RSL was honoured to have her as our Patron,” Melick said.
“We recently marked Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee, with RSL Branches and sub-branches throughout Australia illuminated in purple to mark her extraordinary 70 years on the throne. Such was the esteem in which she was held by our organisation and its members.
