The Queen's Jubilee: London Zoo looks back at Her Majesty's visits
Treasuring memories and honouring The Queen as patron of the zoo
Last updated 5th Jun 2022
Celebrations have begun for Her Majesty’s platinum jubilee, and London Zoo are joining in with marking the occasion.
Staff and supporters of the zoo are commemorating her reign and honouring the years she has spent as their patron.
The Queen has had a close relationship with the zoo since she was just a child, that’s carried through her 70 years of reign.
Her Majesty The Queen: Patron of London Zoo
The Queen became Patron of international conservation charity ZSL (Zoological society of London) upon her coronation in 1953, owners of London and Whipsnade Zoo.
The occasion was marked with a reception at London Zoo as the coronation coincided with ZSL’s 125th Anniversary, the events were celebrated together with guests enjoying strawberry tartlets and music from a local orchestra.
James Wren told us, “I’m very lucky to have met The Queen a number of times over the last 25 years, it’s been a great example of her engagement with the charity sector in particular.”
The Queen’s memorable visits to the zoo
- 1938: Teenage Princess Elizabeth met the penguins on her visit to London Zoo with her sister Princess Margaret and her father George VI.
- 1953: The Queen became Patron of ZSL upon her coronation.
- 1967: Her Majesty visited London Zoo’s Snowdon Avery in with Princess Margaret, alongside opening the mammal house.
- 1976: The Queen open the Lion Terraces at London Zoo.
- 1990: Her Majesty returned, inaugurating an important elephant tracking project in central Kenya while she opened ZSL’s life watch centre.
- 1999: The Queen opened London Zoo’s millennium conservation centre.
- 2016: The Queen attended the launch of London Zoo’s ‘Land of the Lions’
- 2017: Her Majesty visits Whipsnade Zoo with husband Prince Philip to open the elephant care centre.
Her Majesty visits London Zoo as a child
When The Queen’s father George VI was a patron of ZSL, the then Princess Elizabeth visited London Zoo often as a child alongside her sister Princess Margaret.
“We have some lovely photographs of a teenage Princess Elizabeth meeting the humbled penguins right back in 1938”, James says.
“That wasn’t Her Majesty’s first visit to the zoo, but it was a memorable one.”
The Queen opens The Land of the Lions
London Zoo treasure several memories of Her Majesty’s visits, one of which was in 2016 when she attended for the launch of ‘The Land of the Lions’.
ZSL’s Fundraising Director James Wren met The Queen on her arrival, “She was just genuinely fascinated and interested in everyone’s role that they play”, he told us.
“I recall introducing her to many of our supporters, generous donors, staff, volunteers and zookeepers”, he says.
“You could see her eyes light up as they were telling her stories about the animals or the work they do in the wild, she definitely has that passion for wildlife, a genuine interest was certainly there.”
The launch continued a tradition at the zoo, in 1976 she opened the Lion terraces.
James told us, “This is the country’s national animal depicted on the Royal Arms of England so there’s a lovely connection that runs through.”
He added, “What was nice was that she recognised some of the people in the crowd from that period.
“We presented her with a photo from 40 years before to commemorate that connection over such a long period of time.”
Queen Elizabeth II meets the elephants
In 2017 The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh visited Whipsnade Zoo when they opened the centre for elephant care.
James told us, “This was a wonderful moment, there’s an amazing photograph of them feeding a banana to Donna the elephant.
“It must have made their year because it featured as the image that The Queen used on her Christmas card that year.
“She also got to meet another elephant calf called Elizabeth, who was named after her because that elephant calf was born a day before her 90th birthday celebrations.”
History of The Royal Family and the ZSL
The connection between ZSL and the British Royal Family dates back to 1829 when ZSL was first granted a Royal Charta by King George IV.
Two years later when King William was on the throne, he said it was an “intimation of his Majesty’s pleasure to become a patron of the society’”.
With each reign and monarch having been a patron ever since, James Wren tells us, “We’re very proud to have that strong link.”
There’s a strong connection with both her and her late husband The Duke of Edinburgh who was president of ZSL for an impressive 17 years, “This really shows the sort of leadership they had as a couple”, James says.
London Zoo’s Snowdon Avery
This year London Zoo are opening a new area called ‘Monkey Valley’, it has a strong connection to Her Majesty.
It follows the renovation of a historic structure formerly known as a Snowdon Avery, designed in the 1960’s by Lord Snowdon who was then the husband of Princess Margaret.
“He even designed the main walkway of the building, it was shaped in the shape of the letter M in tribute to The Queen’s sister, a really beautiful connection”, James says.
The Queen’s love for animals and support for ZSL
Her Majesty The Queen has opened many homes for animals at London and Whipsnade Zoo, meeting countless zookeepers and vets over the years.
James tells us, “She has been incredibly supportive of the work of our two zoos and is always so interested to learn what goes on behind the scenes to care for the animals.”
“From big to small, she’s always had that lovely interest in what we do”, he says.
When asked what animal he believes to be her favourite, James said, “Whenever she comes we introduce her to a new animal and that must become her favourite.”
He added, “She’s an animal lover, everyone knows about her love for her dogs and for horses as well as wildlife more generally, she’s definitely one of the greatest animal lovers that we have.
“We’re so incredibly honoured to have had the support from The Queen over such a long time as our patron, it’s just been a wonderful experience for all of us.”
The Queen's visits to London and Whipsnade Zoo
The Queen visits London Zoo: 1939
1939: Princess Elizabeth meets the penguins at London Zoo.
The Queen's visits London Zoo: 1967
1967: Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and Princess Margaret visit London Zoo.
The Queen visits London Zoo: 1990
1990: Queen Elizabeth opens the Lifewatch Centre at London Zoo. Meets with Derek Woods, the centre's Bird Keeper.
The Queen visits London Zoo: 2016
2016: HM The Queen visits to open the Land of the Lions at London Zoo.
The Queen visits London Zoo: 2016
2016: The Queen visits London Zoo to open the Land of the Lions.
The Queen visits London Zoo: 2016
2016: Queen Elizabeth II with Asiatic lions on her visit to London Zoo.
The Queen's visits Whipsnade Zoo: 2017
2017: Her Majesty The Queen opens Whipsnade Zoo's Elephant Care Centre, 2017