London, 7 August 2024 – At its Annual General Meeting on 24 September 2024, The Queen’s English Society will vote on a Resolution to change the Society’s name to The King’s English Society.

Four years ago, the Society began to consider the course it should take following the inevitable death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Sentiment at that time steered the members towards wanting to keep the name unchanged indefinitely. Since the Queen’s death in September 2022, the Society has noticed a marked downturn in applications for membership.

“It’s simple,” says Chairman Adrian Williams. “Most of our new members find us via the Society’s website. Before now, they have found the website by searching ‘Queen’s English’. Now they’re searching ‘King’s English’ – and not finding us. We need new members, to keep the Society active and growing in its mission to promote worldwide appreciation of the English language. Respect and affection for our late Queen are understandable; but now we have a King, and members of the public are becoming accustomed to a new era. The Society must change with the times – or we will fade away.” He added, “The outcome of the vote is by no means assured.”

Founded in 1972 to campaign for the improvement of standards in the use of the English language, The Queen’s English Society is a Registered Charity with some 250 members. The Objectives of the Society are: to promote the maintenance, knowledge, understanding, development and appreciation of the English language as used in both speech and writing; to educate the public in its correct and elegant usage; and to discourage anything detrimental to clarity or euphony. As a consequence of several generous bequests, the Society has actual and projected reserves amounting to about £130,000.

The Society’s website is at: https://queens-english-society.org

END

Notes to editors

Contact: Adrian Williams 07967 707 221

Chairman corvus3@tiscali.co.uk

Peter Tompkins 07711 445 401

Vice-Chairman PeterDGTompkins@aol.com

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