Charity in the royal blood: Queen Elizabeth’s incredible charitable legacy

Along with the rest of the world, we at Bamboo were shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday, May 8.

We send our deepest condolences to her family.

In tribute, we’re reflecting on the incredible work she did for charitable causes during her 70 years on the throne, and the powerful legacy she’s left behind.

Throughout her reign as Britain's longest-serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II was a patron of more than 600 charitable organisations across the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. From Cancer Research UK and Girlguiding to The Bible Society and the RNIB, her support spanned a wide range of causes, and she helped to raise a staggering £1.43 billion during her reign.

Here’s an insight into the Queen’s association with just a few of her favoured causes.

British Red Cross

As a young princess, the Queen travelled overseas to visit Red Cross nurses working on the frontline. She then became a patron of the charity in 1949.

She made personal visits to many people facing bleak times, cheering them up in their darkest hours. One of her earliest visits was to a Red Cross hut caring for tuberculosis patients in 1951.

Since her coronation, she maintained a keen interest in the charity’s vital work supporting people in crisis in the UK and across the world.

From financial donations for those hit by disasters at home or travelling overseas to meet the victims of crises in the UK, the Queen spent nearly a lifetime supporting the charity.

Leonard Cheshire

When Leonard Cheshire died in 1992, the Queen singled him out for praise in her Christmas message. Recalling a visit to one of his Homes, she said “this shining example of what a human being can achieve in a lifetime of dedication can inspire in the rest of us a belief in our own capacity to help others,” she said.

She was a patron of his charity, Leonard Cheshire, from 1980 and held a reception at St James’s Palace in 2014 to celebrate the charity’s work, which supports disabled people in the UK and across the world.

YMCA

The royal family’s association with the YMCA dates back to 1894 when its founder Sir George Williams was knighted by Queen Victoria.

Over 120 years later, that association remained strong. The Queen was a patron of the iconic charity, which received an annual gift from the Privy Purse. For the YMCA’s 150th anniversary in 1982, the Queen attended a service at Westminster Abbey.

The Queen of Fundraising

According to data collected by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), the Queen was among the world’s largest supporters of charities, doing more than any other monarch in history.

John Low, chief executive of CAF sums up the Queen’s philanthropic legacy perfectly: "the Queen has set an amazing example when it comes to her charitable support making an enormous difference to millions of people up and down the country. We want to promote a culture where supporting charities by giving time or money is the norm. The Queen's work for charities of all types is an example to all of us."