The passing of Her Majesty the Queen

All RACV sites have today lowered their flags to half-mast as a sign of respect following the sad news of the passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.

Her Majesty was born in 1926 and at that point was third in the line of succession. The abdication of Edward VIII, Her Majesty’s uncle, led to Her Majesty’s father becoming King George VI.  Becoming Queen in 1952, Her Majesty went on to become the longest serving of any British Monarch and the second longest reigning Monarch of a sovereign state in world history.

The Queen’s reign of 70 years saw the World change in ways no child born in 1926 could have imagined. As Queen of England, Her Majesty had no political or executive role, but played an important part in the life of the nation. As Head of State, Her Majesty undertook constitutional and representational duties developed over one thousand years of history. The Queen played her role with great dignity and respect for everyone she met.

Maybe the Queen’s greatest achievements were her charitable works. Research from the Charities Aid Foundation reveals that the Queen is among the world's greatest supporters of charities and has the helped the many organisations of which she is patron raise over £1.4 billion.

The Queen is patron to 510 charities in Britain, including Cancer Research UK, the British Red Cross and Barnados. The wider Royal Family support a grand total of 2,415 charities in Britain, with this figure rising to almost 3,000 worldwide.

The Queen favoured charities that tackle community and civic issues. These organisations constituted 14% of her charitable portfolio, with education and training causes following a close second, also amounting to 14%.

RACV will make a donation today to The Royal Women’s Hospital Melbourne (of which the Queen is patron) in honour of the Queen’s work. 

The Royal Charter was bestowed upon the ACV (Automobile Club of Victoria) in 1916 by Queen Elizabeth’s grandfather, King George V, in recognition of its patriotic service to the Victorian community during WW1, just 10 years before Her Majesty’s birth in 1926. Two years prior, in 1924, RACV commenced emergency roadside assistance.

We send our deepest condolences to the Royal Family.

Geoff Cosgriff

President and Chairman, RACV