Presentation of Privileged Status Award to the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal’s Volunteer Corps) by the Rt Hon The Lord Mayor of the City of London, in the presence of HRH The Princess Royal, the Corps’s Commandant-in-Chief.

The First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (PRVC) were honoured to be awarded Privileged Status of the City of London, an honour given to only 13 other distinguished military units. After a Church service at St Lawrence Jewry, held by Canon Flora Winfield, DL, the FANY Chaplain, members of the Corps took part in a parade during which commemorative coins were awarded for their work in the COVID-19 pandemic.

The First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal’s Volunteer Corps) is an essential part of London’s emergency response capability, staffed entirely by female volunteers.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Corps’ 130 volunteers provided over 1,000 days of support to nine organisations. In recognition of the Corps’ unique contribution to UK, it was awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in June 2021.

The parade started and concluded with a Royal Salute from the Band of the Irish Guards, and was followed by a reception in the Guildhall, where the Rt Hon The Lord Mayor of London formally presented a plaque to the Commanding Officer, Commandant Philippa Lorimer, MBE.

Privileged Status was awarded to the FANY for their work over the past 45 years supporting the City of London community in the immediate aftermath of incidents and civil emergencies, from the 1975 Moorgate tube crash to the 2017 and 2019 London Bridge terrorist attacks. The Status is public recognition of the extraordinary role that the Corps does, and it allows the Corps to march through the City with ‘drums beating and bayonets fixed’.