21st April 1926 – 8th September 2022

For the duration of her reign, The Boys’ Brigade was proud to have Queen Elizabeth II as its Patron.

Following in the footsteps of her father (King George VI) and grandfather (King George V) the Queen took a keen interest in the social activities and service to the nation undertaken by members of the Brigade. The Queen will live long in the memories of many for her devoted service as our Patron.

Jonathan Eales, Chief Executive of
The Boys’ Brigade, commented:

“We are all deeply saddened by the death of our Patron, Her Majesty The Queen. The thoughts and prayers of the entire BB family continue to be with His Majesty The King and the rest of the Royal Family.”

Princess Elizabeth, her father, and the Brigade

During the reign of King George VI, the young Princess Elizabeth accompanied her father at several prestigious events which demonstrated his genuine interest in the young people of the nation. 

In 1937, Princess Elizabeth had one of her earliest interactions with members of The Boys’ Brigade when she joined the King for the Festival of Youth at Wembley Stadium, London.

The future Queen took a more active role when she met members of the Brigade in large numbers at a special event at Windsor Castle arranged to mark the Diamond Jubilee of the organisation in October 1943.

The Queen becomes our Patron

In 1952 it was announced that the new Queen had “graciously consented to become Patron of The Boys’ Brigade”. In doing so, Queen Elizabeth II became the fourth reigning monarch to become Patron, following King George VI, King Edward VIII, and her grandfather – King George V – who first became the Patron of The Boys’ Brigade as the Duke of York in 1897. 

In becoming the Patron, Her Majesty also consented to the renaming of the highest award in the Brigade from the “King’s Badge” to the “Queen’s Badge”. 

Throughout her reign, thousands of Seniors worked hard to earn this award, with a small handful having the privilege of being presented with it by the Queen in person.

There have been many special moments in the Brigade’s history but few were more impressive than when the Queen hosted visitors to the Brigade Council (AGM) meeting in Aberdeen to a reception at Balmoral Castle in 1958. The Queen received a contingent of 200 young people and 1,200 leaders as part of the celebrations for the organisation’s 75th anniversary. 

As the Brigade marked important milestones during the 1960s and 1970s messages and support from Her Majesty continued. 

The Queen visited Brigade House in 1973 as the Brigade celebrated its 90th anniversary. This marked the first time a reigning monarch had visited Brigade Headquarters. During the visit the Queen took time to meet and speak to young people and members of the staff, and made a great impression on those she spent time with.

The centenary of The Boys’ Brigade and beyond

In a year of centenary celebrations in 1983 the Queen undertook a Royal Review at Holyrood Park, with over 3,000 members present from all over the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. This was an historic occasion, long to be remembered by those privileged to be on parade. 

The Queen arrived in a horse-drawn carriage and inspected the parade along a route some three quarters of a mile long. In her address the Queen spoke of being delighted to review the Brigade in its centenary year and gave words of congratulations for the achievements of generations of members. 

“Your Founder builded better than he knew, for he started not only a great movement, but one from which our present wide-spread youth training was destined to spring.” – Her Majesty The Queen, from her address at the Royal Review in 1983

In the Spring of 1994 a planned farewell display for the outgoing Brigade President became a Royal Review. Under gloriously warm sunshine, and in the special setting of Windsor Castle, over 1,000 members combined to create another significant event in the history of the organisation, made possible thanks to the dedication of our Patron. In her address the Queen referred to rapid social change, and how the Brigade had responded to this. The review was the sixth by a reigning monarch and would be the last by the Queen as Patron during her long and prosperous reign.

The Brigade continued to share a special relationship with the Queen into the new millennium. In 2002, when Her Majesty celebrated her Golden Jubilee, she met members of the Brigade on several occasions, and in 2006 she received a card from Brigade members at a meeting of youth organisations at Windsor Castle on 21st April during the celebrations for her 80th birthday.

During 2022, Companies across the country joined in celebrations for Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee, thanking our Patron for a remarkable 70 years of service.

The legacy of the Queen

The Queen will best be remembered by members of The Boys’ Brigade for her high-profile engagements, however the relationship Her Majesty had with the organisation did not stop there. She will be remembered as a Patron who cared about our work and the stories told to her by members, and as a supporter of our Object and values. 

With thanks to The Boys’ Brigade Archive Trust for providing much of the information found in this obituary.

Accession of King Charles III

As well as commemorating the life and reign of HM The Queen, Brigade members also took part in activities and events to mark the accession of King Charles III.

King Charles III in Northern Ireland

Members of Northern Ireland District represented the Brigade at Hillsborough Castle and outside St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast during the visit of HM The King and HM The Queen Consort. Lisa Keys, Director of Northern Ireland District, and Jack Lamont, a Queen’s Badge recipient from 2nd Comber, attended the Service of Reflection at the Cathedral.

Proclamation Ceremony in Nottingham 

Members of Nottingham Battalion were invited to a Proclamation Ceremony at County Hall, where Micah (16th Nottingham) was one of the young people who presented a proclamation. Their band performed and young people from the Battalion were interviewed on radio and TV.