Hampshire RNLI lifeboat station recalls historic moment the Queen unveiled one of its sites

History was made on July 25, 2012, when for the first time in her long reign, the Queen opened an RNLI lifeboat station at Cowes.

Now prominently displayed at the entrance to the station is the ‘handsome’ board she unveiled that day.

The Cowes RNLI’s main crew room displays a whole collection of photographs from the event.

Although the Queen was a long-serving patron of the RNLI, this was the first time she’d unveiled one of their stations.

Operations manager, Mark Southwell, said: ‘The sad death of HM The Queen reminds us at Cowes Lifeboat how lucky we were to welcome her and Prince Philip on the last day of the 2012 Diamond Jubilee tour.

‘Everything sparkled and everyone was happy. The sun shone and the harbour looked magnificent.

‘Whilst with us she made us feel as though our station, lifeboat and volunteers were all that mattered to her and the Duke.

‘The 25 minutes seemed to be ages.

‘We remember her with great fondness, and her always being polite, friendly and professional. The epitome of service and dedication.

‘It was a royal moment in the sun for Cowes RNLI; a treasured memory for everyone there on the day.’

The RNLI is a charity that saves lives at sea. It provides a 24-hour lifeboat search and rescue service and a seasonal lifeguard service.

The charity has been operating for more than 200 years.