The National Churches Trust has long enjoyed the Patronage of Her Majesty the Queen, and both The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh have been great supporters of our work.
We join with the Nation's churches and places of worship in sending our condolences to The Queen and the whole Royal Family at this sad time.
Luke March, Chairman of the National Churches Trust said: "Our thoughts are with Queen Elizabeth and the rest of her family. We are grateful for the support given by The Duke of Edinburgh to the National Churches Trust."
The Duke of Edinburgh was the President of the Historic Churches Preservation Trust (HCPT), the National Churches Trust's predecessor charity, from 1953 to 1965. His support for the Trust included attending, in July 2003, with Queen Elizabeth, a service of thanksgiving at St Bartholomew the Great in Smithfield in central London to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the HCPT (pictured above).
In the 1950s The Duke of Edinburgh's support included starting a special 1955 relay race from the grounds of Buckingham Palace in aid of the Historic Churches Preservation Trust in which famous athletes of the day took part including Roger Bannister, Chris Chataway and Chris Brasher.
