Celebrating The Queen's Platinum Jubilee

The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
Speech by Bruce Carnegie-Brown
01 June 2022

Event: Platinum Jubilee bell-ringing ceremony, Underwriting Floor, Lloyd’s Building
Audience: Corporation & market employees
Objective: Celebrate 70 years of service and close relationship with Lloyd’s

"Good morning.

It’s fair to say, 70 years is a long time.

We often celebrate 70th birthdays; on rare occasions, 70th wedding anniversaries; but 70 years of active service is difficult to comprehend.

Looking at your faces, it appears the thought of seven decades in your job gives you more cause for despair than jubilation.

Today, we’re pleased to be celebrating 70 years of service by our Queen, Elizabeth II, to the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

To call it an impressive milestone would be an understatement, and we send our heartfelt congratulations to Her Majesty on this magnificent occasion.

As many of you will know, Lloyd’s has a rich history and relationship with the Royal Family.

The Queen herself has visited us three times over the span of her 70-year reign.

Today, I want to draw our attention to those three dates – offering a flavour of what was happening at Lloyd’s and around the world at the time – and by doing so, to help us appreciate just how long 70 years is… and how impressive The Queen’s milestone is in that context.


The first year is 1952.

While world leaders gathered in a fledgling United Nations, countries continued to ration food and supplies in the wake of World War Two – and Singing in the Rain premiered to enraptured audiences around the world.

Meanwhile in London, a rapidly growing insurance market was preparing to move into a new home.

Lloyd’s was delighted to welcome Her Majesty to the grand opening of our 1952 Building.

The young monarch already carried the dual crowns of Queen of England and Time’s Person of the Year. Aged just 26, she had been in post only five months – so it was a great tribute to Lloyd's that we were among her most important priorities in the early months of her reign.

Today, we’re pleased to be displaying three items from that visit here in the Underwriting Room, thanks to the work of our brand and archives team to conserve and catalogue our historical collection.

I’d encourage you to peruse the display at your leisure: it includes the ceremonial tools used to lay the Foundation Stone; the manuscript presented to Her Majesty; and a copy of the speech delivered to our market.

You’ll find it’s much more eloquent than the one you’re listening to now.


The second royal rendezvous was in 1986.

By this point, Gene Kelly had made way for Tom Cruise, who was winning hearts and minds as Maverick in the hit film, Top Gun.

The US Navy said it saw a 500% increase in applications after the film’s release.

And it seems the film had the same effect on our marine underwriting division, because Lloyd’s had once again outgrown its home.

This time, we were preparing to move into a dramatically more futuristic site; the Lloyd’s Building we’re in today, designed by visionary architect Richard Rogers.

Despite the very different aesthetic, One Lime Street received the same royal blessing and we were delighted to welcome The Queen for her second visit, in the same year that she became the first British monarch ever to visit the People’s Republic of China.


Which brings us to the third stop on our journey: 2014.

So forward thinking was One Lime Street’s design, that in 2014 it played host not just to royals, but to sci-fi films. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, released that year, used our building as a backdrop for a futuristic space civilisation.

Surprisingly, none of our underwriters were asked to feature in the film.

And speaking of stepping into the future – also in 2014, Her Majesty made history by sending her first ever tweet. #TheQueenTweets soon took Twitter by storm: proof that you don’t have to be a millennial to master the media of the modern age.

And in between tweets; The Queen generously agreed to visit Lloyd’s to celebrate our 325th birthday. Those present all agree that it was a day to remember.


Which brings us to today.

The world in 2022 is a very different place to 1952.

In those 70 years, Lloyd’s has seen two homes, 22 chairmen and a host of world-changing events. The world has seen 14 US Presidents – and now, two Top Gun movies.

But one monarch has endured throughout.

Her example is not just impressive; it is inspiring. The grace, humility and humour she has shown carrying out her duties, stir us to serve others better; and to be better versions of ourselves.

Because whatever your thoughts on our nation and our history – throughout our lives, we have been privileged to have a leader who has been dependable, dedicated and endlessly devoted to her people.

She has united us not through great displays of strength, but through quiet integrity and humble service.

Today, we thank her by ringing the Lutine Bell in her honour – as we did for the passing of her father and the birth of her great-grandson.

But more importantly, we thank her by choosing to live the values she has represented in her seventy years as Queen: courage, humility and service to others.

Long may she reign – and our own special relationship continue.

We will now ring the Lutine Bell twice to celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee.

Thank you."