“This prestigious patronage will support us to highlight the excellent work [of our staff] to ensure our patients receive the best care possible.”
Moorfields Eye Hospital, the oldest eye hospital in the world, has been informed by Buckingham Palace that His Majesty King Charles III will be continuing a royal tradition by becoming its new patron after the passing of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Moorfields was once known as the Royal London Ophthalmic Hospital, named in 1837 after its then royal patron, Queen Victoria I. Its current site at City Road had its first foundation stone placed in 1897 by Edward, Prince of Wales, later King Edward VI.
Following Queen Elizabeth’s death in September 2022 and King Charles’ coronation, a review of over 1,000 royal patronages has been underway.
“I’m delighted to share that we have received news from Buckingham Palace to confirm His Majesty King Charles III will now be patron of Moorfields Eye Hospital,” said Martin Kuper, chief executive.
“This prestigious patronage will support us to highlight the excellent work of our staff to ensure our patients receive the best care possible.
“King Charles is known for his passion for sustainability and our purpose of ‘working together to discover, develop and deliver excellent eye care, sustainably and at scale’ aligns well with this ethos.”
Her Late Majesty visited Moorfields Eye Hospital on several occasions; in 1955 to mark the hospital’s 150th anniversary, in 1988 with the late Duke of Edinburgh for the hospital’s official inauguration after refurbishment, in 1999 to celebrate the anniversary of the hospital’s move at City Road and to unveil the now-iconic “eye clock”, and again in 2007, to open the hospital’s brand-new Richard Desmond Children’s Eye Centre.
21 May 2024