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This month marks the official centenary of our Royal Charter

Published: Tue 24 Aug 2021

It has been 100 years since the IET, formerly the IEE, had its petition for a Royal Charter of Incorporation approved, and a Royal Charter granted.

Royal Charters, granted by the sovereign on the advice of the Privy Council, have a history dating back to the 13th century. Charters are normally reserved for bodies, such as professional institutions and charities that work in the public interest and which can demonstrate pre-eminence, stability and permanence in their particular field.

King George V became the Institution’s first patron and in an article by the Sheffield Daily Telegraph a hundred years ago on 24 August 1921 it was quoted that ‘The King has intimated his willingness to become patron of the institution.’

Thirty two years later, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II followed in the footsteps of King George V and became Patron to the IEE, the year after her accession to the throne in 1953.

When the IEE merged with the Institution of Incorporated Engineers to become the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), it was once again granted the Royal Charter in December 2005.

Her Majesty the Queen remains the IET’s patron today.