Evangelical Alliances releases Royal archive for Queen's 90th birthday

Reuters

The Evangelical Alliance has released a collection of Royal artefacts to celebrate the Queen's 90th birthday.

Founded in August 1846, the EA said it had a "long history with the Royal family" and has released a selection of material from its archive. The four-minute video offers insights into prayer services, coronation programmes and letter from the Royal family that date back to the early 20th century.

The clip begins with photographs from 1911 of a pamphlet for a "day of intercession and conference" at Langham Place for King George V's coronation. The images offer an insight into the hope that the coronation will be an opportunity for "renewed and importunate intercession by all praying people on behalf of the King and Queen".

An introductory message in the pamphlets reads: "There is sore need of a revival of true religion in our midst, and of a deepening of that fear of God and enthusiasm for righteousness which are foundations of individual and national prosperity."

The archive offers an insight into more than one hundred years of Royal history and engagement with the EA. It includes orders of service for other days of prayer at the 1937 coronation of George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the present Queen's mother and for her coronation in 1953.

Prayers said by the royals are also included in the archives as well as a letter to the EA from the Queen Mother in support of an exhibition run by the Alliance at the Festival of Britain in 1951.

"I can truly say that the King and I long to see the Bible back where it ought to be, as a guide and comfort in the homes and lives of our people," she wrote. "From our own experience, we know what the Bible can mean for personal life.

An image from the archive depicts HRH Duke of Edinburgh at an event at the Alliance ClubEvangelical Alliance

"I hope this Exhibition will help our Nation to be Christian in fact as well as in name, and so to play its full part in leading the world towards righteousness and peace."

Kim Walker, the Evangelical Alliance's information officer, said: "The Alliance has a long history of supporting and praying for our monarchs.

"It has been fascinating to look through our archives to find out about the events the Alliance organised to celebrate the coronations of Kings Edward VII, George V, George VI, as well as our current Queen."