Celebrating the Life of Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s longest-serving monarch, has died at Balmoral aged 96, after reigning for 70 years.

It is with great sadness that on Thursday, 8th September we joined the nation in mourning the passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Elizabeth II was a truly remarkable and inspirational woman. She has been an inspirational figurehead throughout the years of her reign to our Country and Commonwealth, and we’d like to thank her for her outstanding support and contribution to British businesses and engineering.

Queen Elizabeth II is pictured during her time in the ATS.

The Queen’s Devotion and Support for Engineering

From enlisting in the Auxiliary Territorial Service as a Subaltern during World War II, to driving a tube train during the launch of the Victoria Line, and opening several bastions of modern engineering, such as the Severn Bridge, Channel Tunnel, and Diamond Light Source synchrotron facility, Her Majesty’s personal connection to engineering has always been evident.

As the UK’s longest-serving monarch, The Queen was a patron of many engineering institutions, including the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Institution of Engineering and Technology, the Royal Society, the Royal Aeronautical Society, the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology, and the Institution of Royal Engineers.

The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering

Almost 70 years and immeasurable technological and engineering advancements later, The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering was first awarded in 2013.

Supported by and affiliated with the Queen, the annual prize became the world’s most prestigious engineering accolade, with winners including the developers of GPS, LED lighting, and the Internet.

Lord Browne of Madingley FREng FRS, chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation commented on the sad news. “We are proud to maintain the legacy of Her Majesty’s support to engineering by continuing not only to celebrate the greatest achievements in modern engineering, but also to encourage and inspire young people from across the world to follow their curiosity and take up the world’s toughest challenges as the engineers of tomorrow.”

The 2015 QEPrize trophy was presented to Dr Robert Langer by Her Majesty The Queen at Buckingham Palace. Photo from www.qeprize.org.

“Through her steadfast public service, Queen Elizabeth has earned the respect and affection of generations of people in this country and all over the world. She has also helped to inspire new generations of future engineers by graciously allowing her name to be given to the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, which celebrates bold, ground-breaking engineering innovation of global benefit to humanity.”

The Royal Academy of Engineering
Professor Sir Jim McDonald FREng FRSE, President

The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise

The Queen has dedicated her life to supporting and championing British businesses. Since 1966, The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise have been awarded to businesses in the UK for outstanding achievement.

The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise is an awards programme for British businesses who excel at international trade, innovation, sustainable development or promoting opportunity.

They are the highest official UK awards for British businesses.

As recipients of two Queen’s Awards, we are grateful for the support, inspiration and positive influence The Queen has provided to us and to so many others over the years.

Welcoming King Charles III

As a country we now welcome a new King, King Charles III.

In 2019, we were honoured to be invited to attend a Queen’s Award winners reception at Buckingham Palace.

We had the incredible pleasure to meet with the then HRH Prince Charles. He congratulated us on our Award and spoke to us about digital transformation and the importance of innovation. It was an honour to meet His Majesty and to be at Buckingham Palace surrounded by other great UK companies. A moment our team will never forget.

Our Offices will be Closed on Monday, 19th September

Her Majesty witnessed and participated in a lifetime of change and showed a determination to make the world a better place.

It is only now that we recognize the breadth of the quiet influence she provided, serving with humility, a certain tenacity and with humour too.

The funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II will take place on Monday 19th September. This will be a public holiday in the UK.

As a mark of respect, and to allow our team time to reflect, our offices will be closed. We will reopen as normal on Tuesday 20th September.