As we get ready to celebrate 70 years of her Majesty the Queen on the throne, we reflect on how immensely proud we are to have the Queen as our Patron of the National Council of YMCAs. Running parallel to her Platinum Jubilee, this year also marks the 70th anniversary of her Majesty as our YMCA Patron. To commemorate the Platinum Jubilee we wanted to share with you the history of YMCA and the Royal Family.
YMCA and the Royal Family
- 1894: YMCA’s Founder Sir George Williams is knighted by Queen Victoria in her Birthday Honours, YMCA’s silver jubilee year, as well as receiving the Freedom of the City of London
- 1905: following his death, Sir George Williams is commemorated by a stained-glass window in the nave of Westminster Abbey
- 1910: King George V grants Royal Patronage to YMCA
- 1936: King Edward VIII succeeds the throne and inherits Royal Patronage
- 1936: after King Edward VIII’s abdication, King George VI succeeds the throne and inherits Royal Patronage
- 1952: Queen Elizabeth II succeeds the throne and inherits Royal Patronage
- 1968: The Queen Mother opens Stockton YMCA
- 1969: The Queen Mother opens YMCA South Devon
- 1978: Prince Phillip opens Redditch YMCA
- 1982: Queen Elizabeth II attends a service at Westminster Abbey to celebrate YMCA’s 150th anniversary
YMCA has received an annual gift from the Privy Purse for almost 40 years
YMCA and Queen Elizabeth II
All photos are courtesy of YMCA Archive, Cadbury Research Library and University of Birmingham.
We leave you with a quote from her Majesty:
“It is far from easy to be cheerful and constructive when things around us suggest the opposite,” she said. “But to give up the effort would mean, as it were, to switch off hope for a better tomorrow. Even if the problems seem overwhelming, there is always room for optimism.”
Her Majesty the Queen
