Westminster Abbey marks the 200th anniversary of the RNLI ...

The Duke, the charity’s President, was joined in the Abbey by an 1,800-strong congregation including representatives from RNLI lifesaving communities around the UK and Ireland. The service took place at the same time the RNLI founding papers were created 200 years ago.

Since being founded in 1824 the charity’s lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives. In Monday’s service the charity commemorated its history, reflected on the lifesaving service it provides today, and looked ahead to inspire future generations of lifesavers and supporters.

To celebrate the anniversary, three RNLI lifeboats were brought to the Abbey. They included the historic William Riley, an oar-powered boat built in 1909, which remained in active service until 1931; a modern Shannon class boat, the RNLI's most agile and manoeuvrable all-weather lifeboat; and a D class lifeboat - first introduced into the RNLI fleet in 1963, the design of the inflatable D class lifeboat has continued to evolve