A message of encouragement and hope for the future achievements of the engineering profession, from Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, our Royal Fellow.
Text version
BUCKINGHAM PALACE
“It must be apparent to all who have the welfare and prosperity of the people of this nation at heart that engineering is by far the most important wealth creating activity in the country. It touches every individual’s life from the cradle to the grave.”
These were the words of my father at the first meeting of the Fellowship of Engineering, which was founded with his support. As the Founding Senior Fellow, His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh was deeply involved in the preparations to create the new Fellowship, which took nearly ten years of discussion and debate.
Some 130 of the UK’s leading engineers met at Buckingham Palace on 11 June 1976 and were charged with promoting multidisciplinary collaboration across the profession. Since then, the Fellowship has grown to 1,700, representing the best engineers from the United Kingdom and around the world.
Prince Philip believed passionately in the power of engineering to solve the world’s greatest challenges. I am pleased to see that his legacy remains at the very heart of the Academy’s work today.
The aims of the early Fellowship were to support British engineering innovation and skills and they were acutely aware of the importance of sustainable use of resources. They set out their intention to work with the government and to promote the benefits of new technologies. Fifty years later, the Academy’s goals reflect similar themes, but with bigger and broader ambitions – in the United Kingdom and worldwide.
Prestige must be earned and the Fellows and awardees of the Academy deserve great respect for their achievements to date, from shaping how the next generation of engineers are educated to building vital links with international counterparts.
The next 50 years will bring global challenges that are bigger, more complex and more urgent than ever, from access to clean water and health inequalities to national security threats. As a profession, you have an obligation to build on these achievements, and turn your collective creativity, expertise, and ambition into a future that works for everyone. No profession is better placed to shape the world of tomorrow.
I congratulate the Academy on its first half-century and wish you well in your mission to engineer better lives.
Anne