Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II – tributes and guidance
21 April 1926 to 8 September 2022
Scouts across the District have joined the nation in mourning the loss of our beloved monarch and Patron, HM The Queen.
Her outstanding example of service, encouragement and kindness was an inspiration to us all.
Lastest: World Organisation of the Scout Movement
You can read the tribute of the World Organisation of the Scout Movement, including messages from Scout Associations around the globe, here.
National minute silence
There will be a minute silence on Sunday 18th September at 8pm. Leaders may wish to cascade this information to their young people.
Tributes and key guidance – National, County and District
Chief Scout Bear Grylls OBE leads the mourning for our Patron which you can find here.
Our County Commissioner, Owen Purcell writes:
All of us … will be deeply saddened at the passing of our Patron, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. Our thoughts are with the Royal Family at this sad time.
I know many of you took great pride in being Queens Scouts and wearing your badge on your uniforms and this day will be particularly poignant for you. We all join together to commemorate her incredible life. HM The Queen was our Patron and a great supporter of Scouts. She believed in the fun, adventure and skills for life we provide young people.
As the country enters a period of mourning I want to share with you some of the things the county will be doing in the coming days.
- All the Districts will be opening books of condolences
- The County will also be writing to our new King, Charles III to express our condolences at this sad time and I would encourage all groups to consider doing the same.
- Clear guidance has been given that events and meetings should continue however careful consideration should be given to the types of events and activities being run particularly in public places during the period of public mourning.
- Please note, across the County, on the day of the funeral we ask that no scouting activities should take place other than those directly involved with the funeral.
However, there’re some things you should consider:
- If you’re running an activity or an event in a public place, you’ll need to check if any particularly loud or boisterous activities could be perceived as insensitive. These activities might be appropriate to run at camp or in your hall, but they may be less appropriate and respectful in a public setting during a period of public mourning.
- You may want to see if any upcoming planned activities, camps or events could be perceived as inappropriate or insensitive during a period of public mourning. Activities, such as fundraisers, may not feel appropriate at the present time, so should be delayed.
- Many Scout premises have flags on site and on display, these must be flown at half-mast following the announcement of HM The Queen’s passing. Flags should stay at half-mast during the period of mourning, and they can be returned to normal on the day after HM The Queen’s funeral. Half-mast means the flag is flown two-thirds of the way up the flagpole with at least the height of the flag between the top of the flag and the top of the flagpole. On flag poles that are more than 45 degrees from a vertical position, flags cannot be flown at half-mast. Therefore, the flag should be removed, and the pole should be left empty.
- Please note, one of the consequences of today is effective immediately our promise changes to “Do Our Duty to the King”
Our District Commissioner, Phil Hunt, writes:
We are all saddened across the District at the news of the passing of The Queen, the Patron of Scouting across the UK. We remember those occasions where Scouts from the District participated in royal events involving her Majesty such as Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph and forming a guard of honour in Richmond Park during the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012. Many Scouts have been honoured with the award of Queens Scout and will continue to proudly wear the award and display the certificate signed by Her Majesty. We look forward to the rein of King Charles III.
I would encourage Group Scout Leaders and Explorer Scout Leaders to consider opportunities for Scouts and Explorers to be involved in any suitable local initiatives during this period of national mourning, when details are released. If any Group or Unit wishes to organise trip to Buckingham Palace for laying of flowers or to visit Westminster for the Laying in State, please let me know.
I would particularly echo the guidance provided by UK Scouts and the County Commissioner:
- Scouting may continue, but decisions to cancel meetings out of respect are for Group or Unit Leaders to make;
- Activities which are in the public eye should be reviewed and reconsidered to ensure that they are appropriate at this time of national mourning;
- No meetings should take place on the day of the funeral – Monday 19th September;
- All Scouts should renew their Promise with the new wording at the next occasion when a renewal of Promise is appropriate (eg investiture, St. George’s Day etc.)
Guidance
Guidance has already been provided by UK Scouts as follows:
Remembering our Patron, including information on the links between The Queen and Scouting can be found here
Programme guidance can be found here.
Guidance for volunteers, including protocols, investing young people and supporting young people with grief and loss can be found here.
Guidance on the special Commemorative badge and the Diamond Jubilee badge can be found on the District arrangements page (see below).
District arrangements
Can be found here
Other relevant websites
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
__________________________________________________________________ This article: Published 9/9/22 Edited 9/9/22 Revised 10/9/22, 12/9/22, 13/9/22 and 14/9/22