Tens of thousands raised in memory of Queen Elizabeth II 

21 Sep 2022 News

Queen Elizabeth II

Buckingham Palace

Thousands of pounds have been raised in memory of Britain’s longest reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II, whose state funeral was on Monday. 

Following the Queen's death on 8 September, the government published guidance for the national mourning period, which included a suggestion that members of the public may wish to donate to one of the many charities with which she was involved.

Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity, of which the Queen was a patron, has raised just over £15,000 via its in-memory page.

British Red Cross, another of the charities the late monarch was a patron of, has raised £9,504 from 162 donations through its memorial fund. The average gift was £59 including Gift Aid. 

A spokesperson for the charity said: “In her seventy years as patron, Her Majesty donated to countless Red Cross appeals for disasters and tragedies in the UK and around the world. The Queen also met Red Cross staff and volunteers on numerous occasions over the years, including as they supported the victims of major crises at Aberfan and Grenfell Tower.

“Following the sad news of the Queen’s passing, we opened a memorial fund for anyone who wished to make a donation in her memory. We did not actively promote this fund, but we felt it was important to give people the opportunity to make a donation if they felt moved to.”

Royal Voluntary Service, which the Queen became a patron of on her ascension to the throne, has raised £723 so far in a fundraising tribute to the Queen.

Similarly, Erskine Veterans Charity has raised £741 through a Facebook fundraiser in memory of the late monarch.  

Fundraisers over flowers

The fundraiser Let Them Eat Sarnies has raised £9,254 in donations for Food Bank Aid Network. 

While marmalade sandwiches were being left around Buckingham Palace in memory of the Queen, the campaign asked donors to give the cost of one instead. Each marmalade sandwich costs £3. 

The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, which the monarch was a patron of and was set up in her honour, has received a flurry of in-memory donations since the Queen's death.  At the time of writing, £2,443.56 has been donated to its JustGiving page in memory of the Queen. 

One anonymous donor wrote: “I wanted to lay flowers at Sandringham in memory of Queen Elizabeth II but I thought this would be a more fitting tribute.”

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