This article reflects some of the key contributions of our late and much-loved Queen Elizabeth II, as Patron of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP), as we look to the Coronation of King Charles III on 6th May 2023.
There are many references in physiotherapy publications to Her Majesty over the sixty-nine years of her patronage and this reflection centres on a few of the memorable occasions on which she graced the profession with her presence and support. The article touches on some of Her Majesty’s contributions as Patron picking up on some of the themes so wonderfully presented by Baroness Ilora Finlay of Llandaff in her moving tribute to the Queen in the House of Lords, UK Parliament, on 9th September 2022 which is reproduced at the conclusion of this article. As an active CSP Council member for many years I was privileged to attend or be involved in some of these occasions.
Royal Patrons
The CSP has only had two Royal patrons since 1916 when Queen Mary, (grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II, pictured) ‘graciously’ consented to become the first Patron of the Society.
The Journal of the Incorporated Society of Trained Masseuses (ISTM) – predecessor organisation of the CSP – of July 1916 stated:
“We shall need to insist more and more in the future on just those traditions of noble and devoted womanhood which the queen is so anxious…to preserve; perhaps that is why we should feel so grateful for the very tangible expression of her sympathy which we record today. The country is going through one of the greatest crises in history, but after the war we shall be faced with something still harder to meet – the tremendous problem of social reconstruction”.
Jane Wicksteed in 1948 in ‘The Growth of a Profession’, the first official history of the CSP and its predecessor organisations, recognised the importance of obtaining the status of, and need for, public recognition for the Chartered Society and its earlier predecessor organisation the ISTM: “Great efforts were made by the Council to gain for the Society some official standing”. However, Wicksteed’s account alludes only very briefly to Queen Mary’s consent to become Patron. “A definite step towards public recognition was achieved when, in June 1916, Her Majesty the Queen consented to become Patroness of the Society”.
There are also very few references to Royal Patronage in the Chartered Society’s official history marking the centenary of the CSP – Jean Barclay’s book ‘In Good Hands, the history of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy 1894-1994’. Barclay’s history makes only a handful of very short references to Queen Mary as Patron, (pages 91, 119, 158) the last of which states:
“With the death of Queen Mary, widow of George V, in March 1953 the Society lost its Patron of nearly 40 years but in June, Queen Elizabeth II agreed to become Patron”.
The CSP Journal of September 1953 welcomed the new Patron: “The accession to the throne of a young and attractive Queen, mother of two charming children, has already given a decisive new impulse to a Britain slowly and painfully recovering from two world wars and an unparalleled economic slump”.
Opening of North London School of Physiotherapy
On 6th June 1978 Her Majesty the Queen opened the North London School of Physiotherapy for blind and partially sighted students (pictured below, left).
The inside cover of the Official Programme (6th June 1978) read: “The staff and students of the North London School of Physiotherapy for the Visually Impaired offer to Your Majesty their Loyal Greetings and extend a most warm welcome on the occasion of your visit to open the new building.
The Royal National Institute for the Blind, School of Physiotherapy moved from its premises in Great Portland Street, London to a purpose built, state of the art, facility on the site of the Whittington Hospital in North London to become the North London School of Physiotherapy. Her Majesty formally opened the building and was given a tour by Professor David Teager, Principal of the School (pictured above, right). During her tour, the Queen observed students at work and took time to meet and speak with them.
The Diamond Jubilee of the Granting of the Royal Charter
On 3rd June 1980 the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of the granting of its Royal Charter by King George V in 1920.
Queen Elizabeth accepted an invitation from the CSP to attend the reception at the Fishmonger’s Hall in the City of London. Her Majesty (pictured) signed the Visitors Book and a portrait of herself which was hung in the CSP headquarters at 14 Bedford Row, London.
The Queen expressed a wish to meet as many members of the Society as possible. In looking forward to the event, the Journal of the CSP of May 1980 said:
“Once again Britain is suffering from an economic recession and the provision of health care is threatened by serious restrictions. It is to be hoped that Her Majesty’s visit and personal interest will reinforce the confidence which was inspired by her consent to become the Society’s Patron twenty-seven years ago”.
The CSP Council and Fellows were invited to attend the celebration and each Local Branch of the CSP throughout the UK was invited to nominate two branch members to attend. The nominations were arranged through each branch holding a draw. There were more than 400 physiotherapists present in all. Thirty-five physiotherapy students were included, one from each of the then physiotherapy schools.
The CSP Journal of July 1980 (Vol 66, no7, p228) recorded the event as follows:
“Happiness and pride were the key notes of the reception held by the CSP on the 3rd of June 1980 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the granting of the Royal Charter. On a warm summer evening in the magnificent surroundings of the Fishmongers’ Hall, London Bridge, the Guest of Honour was Her Majesty the Queen, Patron of the Chartered Society. Lady Masham (the then President of the Chartered Society) presented Miss Ida Bromley, Chairman of the CSP Council, Mrs. Joyce Williams, Vice-Chairman and Mr. Robert Bryant, Secretary to the Chartered Society”.
“Miss Patricia Beech, a second year physiotherapy student from Oswestry who had been chosen by ballot, presented the Queen with a posy. Thirty-five student physiotherapists, one from each school of physiotherapy, formed a guard of honour on the main staircase as the Queen walked up to the drawing room where members of Council and Vice-Presidents were assembled and twenty-two of them were presented to the Queen”.
“After speaking individually to them, the Queen was escorted to the Banqueting Hall where about 400 representative members of the CSP were assembled in regional groups. Her Majesty moved from group to group, speaking to members in each and displaying an impressive knowledge of current developments in physiotherapy, such as the transfer of some schools to the auspices of polytechnics”.
Annual Royal Garden Parties at Buckingham Palace
Every summer an invitation was sent to the CSP by Buckingham Palace for four members of the Society to attend one of the Queen’s annual garden parties. This honour was greatly appreciated and enjoyed by all those who attended. Several members of the Royal family always accompanied the Queen at the garden parties and would circulate around the assembled guests before a buffet tea was served.
World Confederation for Physical Therapy Congress
The 11th International Congress of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy took place in London on 28th July to 2nd August 1991 at the Barbican Centre in London. The opening of the Congress was heralded by a fanfare of trumpets. Physiotherapists from 56 countries were welcomed to the Congress for a week packed with high level professional and memorable social events. There was a very extensive scientific programme and a full and varied social programme at a range of venues including a banquet at the Guildhall in the City of London, a Gala concert at the Barbican Centre Concert Hall and a Government Reception at Lancaster House. A message from the Queen was read out to the Congress by the Chairman of the Congress Organising Committee, Mr. David Teager. In reply to greetings from the participants, Her Majesty sent her best wishes to the Committee and delegates.
The highlight of the social programme was a reception at the Science Museum attended by Her Majesty the Queen accompanied by His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. As well as being Patron of the CSP, the Queen was also Patron of the Congress itself. Delegates, many in national costume, were able to meet and talk to the Queen and Sasha Mayes, a student physiotherapist from Guy’s Hospital, presented a posy to the Queen.
Annual General Meeting of the CSP
At every Annual General Meeting of the CSP the Chair and Council sent a letter of loyal greetings to Her Majesty, also informing her of the location and date of the meeting. Her Majesty always acknowledged the message in a letter wishing the Society a successful meeting, a great source of pride and pleasure for the Society. The letter sent by the Queen (pictured) on the occasion of the 1998 AGM and Annual Congress which took place at the Royal Society of Arts, London was an occasion on which the author was CSP chair.
In Her Majesty’s message to the CSP in 2020 (pictured) the Queen noted the “vital contribution of physiotherapy staff in response to the Covid pandemic”
A Tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Baroness Ilora Finlay of Llandaff, President of the CSP.
Baroness Finlay’s moving tribute to Her Majesty the Queen, Patron of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy in the House of Lords (UK Parliament) is set out below and provides a summary of some recollections, both National and personal, of Her Majesty as our Patron from 1953 to 2022.
“Today, as we pay tribute, having been led so sensitively and eloquently by our Front Benches, we must remember that, Her Majesty was Patron of over six hundred charities and each felt that they were unique to her. Hospices and hospitals benefited greatly from her support, and she lifted the morale of everyone, even the sickest patient. We saw that she herself lived fully and with her uniquely great dignity until death took her.
The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy had the honour of having Her Majesty as our Patron since 1953 – its Charter having been granted by her grandfather, King George, V, in June 1920. Every year of those 69 years, she sent her official royal greetings to our members to mark our annual general meetings. In 2020, the centenary of our Charter, she particularly noted the vital contribution of physiotherapy staff in response to the COVID pandemic. Every year as President, I read out the message and the uplift in the room was palpable; it was affirmation by her while physiotherapists focused on their service to the health of the nation – her subjects – and all felt, and indeed knew, that she deeply appreciated their role. Every event that Her Majesty attended created treasured memories for all who were there. Every year, many enjoyed the honour of a lifetime, an invitation to one of the Queen’s Annual Garden parties, and some received honours in recognition of the impact of their work.
Her commitment to her citizens across the Commonwealth of Nations, as we have heard so eloquently, was evident throughout her long service.Her unwavering dedication to all her subjects provided stability during many turbulent times. At the recent launch of the Commonwealth Tribute to Life – a memorandum of understanding across the Commonwealth – the friendship and support that she inspired were palpable among the professionals in the room.
I saw Her Majesty’s concern for each person when I attended Sunday service at the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor Great Park.Suddenly, one of the choirboys was taken ill.After attending to him – he did seem rather ill – I stood outside, rather than disrupt the last minutes of the service.At the end of the service, Her Majesty came towards me and inquired, with great concern, in her kind blue eyes, about the welfare of the child and whether he would be alright.Her sensitive concern overrode all other duties in those moments.
Her corgis were also an important adjunct to her quiet sensibility. David Nott, the trauma surgeon, described how half a dog biscuit, discretely handed to him to give a corgi under the lunch table, helped him to recover his composure as the post-traumatic stress of Aleppo overwhelmed him.
Our deepest sympathy and sincere condolences are offered to all the Royal Family, as the whole Nation shares in profound grief and treasures those moments, some longer than others, when their lives were touched and enriched by our amazing Queen. My very first memory is of watching her Coronation on our neighbour’s first TV. We all have our lifetime of memories of Her Majesty to treasure, as if she were our own much-loved mother or grandmother. Now, in deepest sympathy with all who love her deeply, particularly her family, we pledge our commitment and allegiance to His Majesty King Charles III.”
Baroness Finlay’s speech was broadcast on the BBC “Today in Parliament” programme; BBC Radio 4, UK. The speech was also widely reported in the UK Press and appears in Hansard for 9th September 2022.
