Girlguiding announces Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh as patron

3 October 2024

3 October 2024: Girlguiding is honoured to announce that Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh will continue the Royal patronage of the UK’s largest youth organisation dedicated completely to girls. The Duchess’s patronage will continue the tradition of Royal support, following on from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II who was Patron from 1953.

The Duchess, who has been President of Girlguiding since 2003, is passionate about supporting the charity in its mission of empowering girls to find their voice, inspiring them to discover the best in themselves and to make a positive difference in their community. Girlguiding empowers girls and boosts their confidence, with girls in guiding up to 23% more confident than the national average.

In her first official engagement as Patron, The Duchess will join over 100 Girlguiding members made up of Brownies, Guides and Rangers at a planned contact with the International Space Station and wider STEM event taking place on Saturday 5 October at Brooklands Museum, Weybridge.  

The Duchess will be presented with a special Patron badge at the event, and a celebration badge to mark the occasion will be available to Girlguiding's young members and volunteers.

Like The late Queen, who was a Guide and Sea Ranger when Princess Elizabeth, The Duchess of Edinburgh has a long-standing association with the organisation starting early on in her life as a member of Brownies and she took over the role of President of the charity from Princess Margaret in 2003.

Tracy Foster, chief guide, Girlguiding said: “We are delighted and honoured to announce Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh as our new patron.

“For over 100 years Girlguiding has given girls space to be themselves, have fun and be heard. Empowering all girls to know they can do anything is as important now as it was then.

“Our vision is for an equal world where all girls can make a positive difference, be happy, safe and fulfil their potential. As a champion for gender equality and a passionate advocate for girls and women, The Duchess’s support is invaluable in helping us to make this a reality.”

Girlguiding advocate, Alwen, 14, said: "On behalf of girls in Girlguiding, we're really happy to hear that Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh has been announced as our new patron.

"We know from her time as President that she values the voice of girls and young women, and as a former Brownie, knows all too well the powerful impact Girlguiding has on us from an early age. The Duchess is a strong advocate of gender equality, which is hugely important for many Girlguiding members. We look forward to her continued support in this prestigious new role." 

During her time as President, The Duchess has participated in charity events and visited girls in Rainbow, Brownie, Guide and Ranger units across the UK.

In 2020, during the pandemic The Duchess took part in Girlguiding and BBC Children in Need’s ‘Act Your Age’ challenge, baking 55 cheese and bacon scones to encourage fundraising efforts for the charities.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh’s daughter, Lady Louise Windsor also joined Girlguiding as a Brownie and later became a Guide. As a Guide, Lady Louise accompanied The Duchess to open Girlguiding’s headquarters on Buckingham Palace Road in 2016.

As a mark of respect and as a legacy to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen’s Guide award, continues to be the highest award available in guiding, with thousands of girls and young women working to achieve the award every year since its introduction in 1946.

With over 300,000 Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers, Girlguiding provides a safe and welcoming space for all girls aged 4-18 across the UK and virtually to come together to laugh, learn, explore and have adventures.