29 April 2026
As Patron of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM), Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, has thanked all those in Emergency Medicine for their service.
During Her Royal Highness’s visit, The Princess made the remarks to the 1,200 delegates on site, and around 400 more watching online, at RCEM’s Annual Conference in Birmingham today (29 April 2026) – the largest event held in the College’s history.
The Princess Royal was greeted by RCEM’s President, Dr Ian Higginson, alongside Nigel Pinamang, RCEM’s Deputy Chief Executive, before engaging with conference speakers and heard from attending delegates.
Her Royal Highness viewed the winning submissions from the College’s poster competition, with topics ranging from computer aided detection for tuberculosis diagnosis in people with HIV, to a case study on a child who arrived at an ED after swallowing multiple magnets.
In front of a full auditorium, The Princess Royal listened to Professor Steve Goodacre from the University of Sheffield who presented the David Williams Award Lecture on understanding research in clinical settings.
Her Royal Highness then presented the Rod Little Prize to Dr Ryan McHenry – an annual award given by RCEM to a UK-based trainee for outstanding research.
Dr Ian Higginson, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine said: “It was an honour to welcome our royal patron, The Princess Royal, to our inaugural Annual Conference.
“We are sincerely grateful for her time and engagement at such a significant event for the College. This year’s conference marks the largest in our history, bringing together more than 1,200 delegates onsite at the venue in Birmingham, as well as around 400 who watched online.
“The Princess Royal’s presence made the occasion even more meaningful to our members, and their colleagues.
“She is a fantastic patron for our specialty, and we are extremely grateful for her ongoing dedication, support, interest in, and understanding of, our specialty, as well as the work of the College.”
The College was granted the title ‘Royal’ on 4 February 2015 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, acting on advice of her Ministers and so became The Royal College of Emergency Medicine.