Royal Voluntary Service
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Our Patron & President

In honour of Their Majesties’ service to the country, Royal Voluntary Service launched the Coronation Champions Awards for volunteers, an official Coronation project.

Together with Her Majesty The Queen, the awards celebrated extraordinary volunteers across the country who have been contributing to their communities.

500 Coronation Champions received a specially designed official Coronation Champions pin and a signed certificate from His Majesty King Charles III and Her Majesty The Queen and were invited to attend one of the official Coronation celebrations, such as the Windsor Castle Coronation Concert or a Coronation Garden Party.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

The late Queen Elizabeth II became Patron of WVS on 22 July 1952 and in 1966, in recognition of the organisation’s work for the people of Great Britain, Her Majesty granted WVS the honour of adding Royal to its title, from then on being known as WRVS until 2013 when the organisation changed it's name once again to Royal Voluntary Service.

Her grandmother Queen Mary was the first Patron, granting her Patronage to WVS only three days after the organisation had been formed by Lady Reading on 20 May 1938 and her mother Queen Elizabeth was President of WVS from December that same year.

As Princess Elizabeth, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited WVS headquarters in London on several occasions during and after the war and we have always been willing to assist our Patron in whatever way we can. We packed and dispatched food parcels from presents sent as wedding gifts to Her Majesty and HRH Prince Phillip in 1947, helped sort and reply to the Silver Jubilee mail.

Image: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II meeting WRVS volunteers at the opening of Queen Elizabeth Close, Norwich, in April 1975. The Close was a housing development for older people built by the WRVS Housing Association.

Her Majesty Queen Camilla

Her Majesty The Queen, formerly Duchess of Cornwall, became the President of Royal Voluntary Service in December 2012.

Her Majesty The Queen, together with King Charles III, was Patron of our search for the UK’s Diamond Champions - older people who give their time to improve the lives of those around them – which demonstrates her commitment to recognising the vital role volunteers play in society.

In honour of Royal Voluntary Service Patron, Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II and the example she has set in her record-breaking 70 years of service, the charity launched the Platinum Champions Awards for volunteers during her Platinum Jubilee year during 2022.

The Presidency came at a pivotal time in Royal Voluntary Service’s history as we celebrated our 75th anniversary in May 2013 and showcased the vital role our charity has played in the lives of many from its launch as the Women’s Voluntary Services in 1938 to the role it plays helping address the needs of the day in local communities and supporting the NHS.

In March 2021, Royal Voluntary Service’s Patron, Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II and President, Her Majesty The Queen, joined a video call to thank four volunteers for their invaluable support throughout the pandemic.

Their Majesties spoke to and thanked two Royal Voluntary Service volunteers and two Volunteer Responders who have been supporting members of their community who are vulnerable to COVID-19.

Image: Her Majesty The Queen, meeting Platinum Champions at the Big Lunch at The Oval in London 2023 celebrating the Platinum Jubilee.