King Charles III continues Queen Elizabeth’s legacy by giving His Majesty’s name to prestigious awards

Date published: 26 February 2023


The Queen’s Award for Enterprise and The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service have been renamed following the Accession of King Charles III.

The Awards will become The King’s Award for Enterprise and The King’s Award for Voluntary Service.

Throughout Her Late Majesty’s 70-year reign, Queen Elizabeth II was committed to recognising outstanding work and acts of service by individuals and groups.

By attaching His Majesty’s name to these awards, The King has emphasised his desire to continue Queen Elizabeth’s legacy of recognising outstanding businesses and recognising the significant contribution of volunteers each year across the United Kingdom.

As Prince of Wales, His Majesty The King has been closely involved with the Awards for a number of years.

His Majesty hosted the annual Royal Reception for both Awards on behalf of Queen Elizabeth since 2018, as well as recording a personal video message to refocus the Sustainable Development award category in 2019.

The newly-renamed King’s Award for Enterprise celebrates outstanding achievement by UK businesses and is internationally recognised.

The 2023 Awardees will be announced on Friday, April 21 this year, marking Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday, and on May 6 from 2024, the anniversary of The King’s coronation.

Previous winners of The Queen’s Award for Enterprise include companies operating on an international scale such as Kelvatek, who provide innovative fault management for electricity distribution networks; to family-run businesses like The Quiet Site, a sustainable holiday park in the Lake District..

Minister for Enterprise Kevin Hollinrake said: “It is wonderful that His Majesty The King will give his name to these prestigious awards.

"Her Late Majesty left an enduring legacy of support for outstanding entrepreneurs and volunteers and the continuation of these awards will make sure they recognise hardworking individuals up and down the country long into the future.”

Established 20 years ago during The Queen’s Golden Jubilee, The King’s Award for Voluntary Service is the highest given to local volunteer groups and recognises around 250 outstanding local volunteer groups each year.

From 2023 onwards, awardees will be announced on November 14 each year, The King’s birthday.

Previous winners of The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service include The Wylye Valley Art Trail, Peterborough Asylum and Refugee Community Association, Hartlepool Carers and The Edinburgh Care Van Volunteers.

Details of all 2022 recipients can be found on this interactive map.

Minister for Civil Society Stuart Andrew said: “These prestigious awards celebrate people’s dedication, commitment and hard work in contributing to society and I’m delighted The King will continue the legacy of Her Late Majesty.

“I look forward to seeing the outstanding achievements the awards mark in the coming year, both by businesses and voluntary organisations.”

Both The King’s Award for Enterprise and The King’s Award for Voluntary Service will continue to celebrate the very best and shine a light on the inspiring work that supports our economy and our communities.


Do you have a story for us? Want to tell us about something going on in and around Oldham? Let us know by emailing news@oldham-chronicle.co.uk , calling our Oldham-based newsroom on 0161 633 2121 , tweeting us @oldhamchronicle or messaging us through our Facebook page. All contact will be treated in confidence.