BHF pays tribute to charity patron, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, our Chief Executive, said: “We’re deeply saddened by the death of our patron, Prince Philip HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, and offer our condolences to Her Majesty The Queen and the Royal Family.

“Prince Philip offered steadfast support to the BHF for nearly 60 years and was a remarkable advocate for the power of research to save and improve lives from heart and circulatory diseases.  

“Prince Philip’s role as our patron was one aspect of a life characterised by support for good causes and devotion to public service. His contribution will forever be remembered."

A valuable role

Prince Philip was an ardent supporter of the British Heart Foundation since our inception six decades ago and played a valued role in our growth and success.

The Duke of Edinburgh was invited to become our Patron in the early 1960s by Sir Horace Evans, who was Head of the Queen’s Medical Household. Prince Philip agreed and so began 60 years of royal support for the nation’s heart charity.

Prince Philip played a valuable role in helping us organise high profile fundraising events in support of our life saving research and, in May 1972, Her Majesty The Queen attended a gala variety performance that raised money for our vital work.

Centres of excellence 

The Duke of Edinburgh also supported the creation of nine BHF-funded centres of excellence in the 1970s, which saw Professional Chairs of Cardiology set up in cities across the UK. It helped establish us as the largest single funder of cardiovascular research in the UK and paved the way for many breakthroughs that have improved the lives of millions of heart patients.

More than a decade later, in 1984, Prince Philip attended an evening at the London Palladium held in memory of Eric Morecambe. It was promoted by ITV and raised over £150,000 for the BHF.

In 2010, Prince Philip opened a cutting-edge medical scanning centre at the University of Edinburgh. We invested £3m in the centre which gives researchers a vital window on heart disease.  

60 years of service 

Our patron, Prince Philip HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, speaking with our Chief Executive Dr Charmaine Griffiths at the 2015 Annual Reception

More recently Prince Philip attended our Annual Reception in 2015, thanking 250 of our supporters and volunteers for their tireless work. And in March 2017, the Prince hosted a dinner event at St James’ Palace to celebrate his 55 years as Patron.

The Duke of Edinburgh was regularly informed of the strides we are making to prevent, diagnose and treat heart disease and we know he was moved by the personal stories of people affected by the condition.

As recently as November last year, Prince Philip was in touch with our Chief Executive, Dr Charmaine Griffiths, to pass on his “warm wishes” to “all at the British Heart Foundation” as we faced the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.

As His Royal Highness wrote in his foreword to our 50th anniversary book ‘50 years at the Heart of Health’: "It is clear that much progress has been made in reducing the number of premature deaths, but heart and circulatory disease still remains the most frequent cause of death in this country. The need for the BHF is as great as ever.

"Researchers could not have achieved their major advances without the help of grants from the BHF, and these would not have been possible without generous donations from the public."

The Royal Family has asked members of the public to consider making a donation to a charity instead of leaving floral tributes in memory of The Duke of Edinburgh.

Prince Philip forged a deep and lasting connection with our charity, and we would gratefully receive any donations made in his honour. Your donation will help us fund more life saving research that could save and improve the lives of millions of people with heart and circulatory diseases

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