CONGRATULATIONS, MA'AM!
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Golden Jubilee this weekend and she's been patron of Battersea Dogs Home for 50 years, too.
Royal patronage
Ever since the days of Queen Victoria, Battersea has enjoyed royal patronage. Some of our lucky dogs and cats have even ended up as residents in the royal household.
Princess Alice adopted her Jack Russell, Skippy, from the Home in 1886 (see our history timeline for a picture) and even today Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent owns a grand total of three Battersea cats!
Preparations for the Golden Jubilee are underway at the Home for the long Bank Holiday weekend, and Union Jack bunting is everywhere! Weather permitting, staff will be enjoying a "street party style" breakfast, and those waiting for an interview will be able to take a trip down memory lane in our royal picture gallery, put together especially in honour of the occasion.
As the Home's first ever Patron, Queen Victoria did much to promote Battersea at a time when it had a lot of negative publicity. In Victorian times, public opinion did not welcome the idea of rescuing starving dogs when there were people suffering on the streets of London.
However, thanks to the patronage of Queen Victoria and the support of Charles Dickens, people began to see Battersea's work in a different light.
Today, we enjoy the patronage of Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II, although things here at the Dogs Home have changed considerably!
We have been lucky enough to welcome the Queen to the Home on several occasions over the years, and we hope that this weekend's visitors will join us in wishing her a very happy Golden Jubilee and a long and prosperous reign.
Find out more about Battersea's 142 year history
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