Courtesy Buckingham Palace
Eighty years ago, then-Princess Elizabeth received a special honor from the Royal Life Saving Society. The organization, founded in 1891, works to prevent avoidable drowning deaths by promoting water safety and delivering lifesaving and lifeguarding education. The Queen was the first person to receive the Society's Junior Respiration Award, for providing an example to young people and helping to establish lifesaving and resuscitation qualifications across the Commonwealth.
Today, the Queen participated in a video call with the organization, and shared her memories about the award.
"I didn’t realize I was the first one—I just did it, and had to work very hard for it!" the Queen recalled, of receiving the honor in 1941. "It was a great achievement and I was very proud to wear the badge on the front of my swimming suit. It was very grand, I thought."