RNID shares the nation’s profound sadness and sense of loss at the passing of Her Majesty the Queen.
RNID Chief Executive, Mark Atkinson, said:
“Her Majesty was a tireless champion of the charity sector over the 70 years of her reign; a true example of service and duty, and an inspiration to millions in our communities and wider.
“Our thoughts are with the Royal family at this deeply personal time of grief and reflection.”
For so many of us, The Queen has been a figure of constancy, dignity and reassurance in a world that has changed beyond recognition since her accession to the throne in 1952.
We are proud of our longstanding Royal association, which began when HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, whose mother was deaf from birth, became our Royal Patron in 1958. He remained a committed champion of our cause for almost 60 years.
But it was the Queen herself who approved the addition of ‘Royal’ to our name for our golden jubilee year in 1961 – and we became the Royal National Institute for Deaf people. We are still RNID – and it is a name that we are proud of to this day.
As so many have said but which holds so true for us all: We thank you, Ma’am – for everything.