The Trustee Board, Fellows and staff of the Royal Academy of Engineering are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Professor Sir Jim McDonald FREng FRSE, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said:
“As the longest-lived British Sovereign in history, The Queen has seen enormous changes in engineering, science and technology during her lifetime, and has always shown an active interest in new developments. Indeed she has inaugurated many of the UK’s most important engineering projects, from the Channel Tunnel to the Diamond Light Source, and she was the first Monarch to send an email.
“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.
“Her Majesty’s late husband, HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was Senior Fellow of our Academy and worked tirelessly to support its work right from its inception in 1976 as the Fellowship of Engineering. We are honoured that HRH The Princess Royal and HRH The Duke of Kent continue this work as our Royal Fellows.”
The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering was created in 2011 to champion bold, groundbreaking engineering innovation which is of global benefit to humanity. The world’s leading award for engineers and engineering, the prize promotes excellence in engineering and celebrates engineering’s visionaries. Generously supported by some of the world’s biggest engineering companies, the QEPrize inspires young minds to consider engineering as a career choice, and it encourages engineers to push the boundaries of what is possible.
Robert Kahn, Vinton Cerf, Louis Pouzin, Marc Andreessen and Sir Tim Berners-Lee won the first QEPrize in 2013 for the Internet and World Wide Web. Her Majesty The Queen presented the prize at Buckingham Palace and also presented the second QEPrize in 2015 to Dr Robert Langer for controlled release large molecule drug delivery. More recent awards were made by HRH The Prince of Wales.
Founded in 1976 as the Fellowship of Engineering, the Royal Academy of Engineering acquired its Royal Charter in 1992 and enjoyed strong support from HRH the Duke of Edinburgh from its inception. He had always been a keen advocate of the role and importance of engineering in society, following his close connections with engineering in his early career in the Royal Navy. The Academy remembers his generous support through its London home, 3 Carlton House Terrace, named “Prince Philip House” in his honour, and through the Prince Philip Medal, which is awarded periodically to an engineer of any nationality who has made an exceptional contribution to engineering as a whole through practice, management or education.
Notes for Editors
The Royal Academy of Engineering is harnessing the power of engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone.
In collaboration with our Fellows and partners, we’re growing talent and developing skills for the future, driving innovation and building global partnerships, and influencing policy and engaging the public.
Together we’re working to tackle the greatest challenges of our age.
For more information please contact: Jane Sutton at the Royal Academy of Engineering Tel. +44 207 766 0636; email: [email protected]
Remembering The Queen
Following the passing of The Queen, the Academy would like to invite Fellows to join us in paying tribute to her support for engineering and her interest in our profession.