With the borough of Greenwich today celebrating the bestowing of Royal status, Greenwich.co.uk contacted leading figures in public life to get their congratulatory messages for Greenwich.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson told Greenwich.co.uk:

“Greenwich is a London borough of global significance; the home of time, a Unesco World Heritage Site, not to mention its close links to the Royal Family since the Middle Ages. This royal honour is surely the icing on the cake of a fantastic year for Greenwich as it prepares for a role at the heart of the London Games.”

The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles MP, said:

“I am delighted to send my congratulations to Greenwich on becoming a Royal Borough in this, Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee year. The Borough is rightly proud of its Royal connections, which go back over many centuries and continue to this day.

I am sure that the new status will strengthen the feeling of civic pride which is so important in binding people together, and will give a focus around which you can all unite in celebration during this eventful year. When the eyes of the world are on London for the Olympics, I am sure the new Royal Borough of Greenwich will do a great job in showing off the best that Britain has to offer.”

The Shadow Secretary of State for Local Government, Hilary Benn MP, said:

“Many congratulations to the Royal Borough of Greenwich on your new and richly-deserved status. I wish you all the best for the future.”

Seb Coe, Chair of the London Olympic Organising Committee (LOCOG) said:

“Congratulations to Greenwich on receiving its new royal status. This is well deserved given the borough’s unique history. Receiving this status in the Olympic year is very exciting and fitting. The borough has three fantastic Games venues in the borough – Greenwich Park, the Royal Artillery Barracks, and the North Greenwich Arena. The Olympic Torch will also pass through the borough as well as lots of other events taking place. The London Organising Committee is working very hard to deliver spectacular events which everyone in the borough can enjoy in the summer.”

Greenwich and Woolwich MP Nick Raynsford told Greenwich.co.uk:

“I am delighted that Her Majesty the Queen has bestowed on Greenwich the honour of being designated a Royal Borough. This is a recognition of the close links which have existed between the Monarch and our Borough over many centuries. The designation could not come at a better time as we are preparing to welcome visitors from all over the world to celebrate the 2012 Olympics and the Queen’s Jubilee”.

Former London Mayor and Labour’s mayoral candidate, Ken Livingstone, said:

“Congratulations to Greenwich on receiving this new royal status. Recognition of Greenwich, an iconic and world famous corner of our capital is richly deserved.”

London Liberal Democrat Mayoral candidate Brian Paddick said:

“Today is a great day for Greenwich, and I hope residents across the Borough enjoy the celebrations and festivities.

“It marks the beginning of an exciting year for Greenwich with the Olympics this summer, and I look forward to visiting the Royal Borough during the Mayoral campaign.”

Neighbouring boroughs were keen to add their messages of support, too. The Mayor of the London Borough of Bexley, Cllr Ray Sams, said he was honoured to pass on congratulations to the new Royal Borough. He commented:

“On behalf of the residents and businesses of the London Borough of Bexley, may I pass our best wishes and warmest congratulations to the new Royal Borough of Greenwich.

“Quite literally, the place where our time begins, your proud history and heritage has been at the centre of London’s life for hundreds of years. Our kings and queens have lived there, our navy was created and sailed from there and UNESCO considers you worthy of the title of ‘World Heritage Site’. May you enjoy the most wonderful Diamond Jubilee Year as the Royal Borough of Greenwich.”

Sir Steve Bullock, Mayor of Lewisham, said:

“Congratulations to Greenwich on its new status. This is a fitting tribute to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee that gives due recognition to Greenwich’s historical royal links. Receiving the new status this Olympic year must make it even more special”.

Royal Greenwich joins an exclusive group of three other boroughs with royal status: Royal Borough of Kingston, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the Royal Borough of Windsor. The Mayor of Kingston upon Thames, Councillor Patrick Codd said:

“I am delighted that the Queen has honoured the borough of Greenwich by bestowing it with royal status.

In recognition of this very special honour, the three other Royal Boroughs are delighted to be hosting a special celebration for the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Greenwich in March.”

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Greenwich and Lewisham London Assembly Member, and former leader of Greenwich Council, Len Duvall said:

“The rare honour of being bestowed ‘Royal’ status to mark the Jubilee is yet another milestone in the rich and varied history and heritage of our Borough. 2012 is a very important year for Greenwich and I, for one, am extremely excited about what this means for us all.”

Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Cllr Julie Mills, said:

“Kensington and Chelsea has had close links with the Monarchy for many centuries, but it was just over 100 years ago that we became a Royal Borough. The title was granted by Edward VII in recognition of the fact that his mother, Queen Victoria, had been born at Kensington Palace and lived there until becoming Queen. We are today every bit as conscious of the honour that the title bestows. We were the third Royal Borough to be created and in this Diamond Jubilee year it is fitting that the links between the Crown and Greenwich should be marked by their becoming the fourth.

Warmest congratulations and our very best wishes to the Royal Borough of Greenwich!”

TODAY sees the birth of a borough as Royal designation is conferred upon Greenwich.

The new royal status, first announced two years ago, will be attained when Leader of the Council, Chris Roberts, and the Mayor of Greenwich, Jim Gillman, travel to Westminster to collect the Royal Charter.

The councillors – expected to attend in morning dress – will receive the Letters Patent in a ceremony with the Head of the Crown Office in the Queen’s Robing Room in the Palace of Westminster.

The council leader, who said this was “undoubtedly” the proudest moment of his career to date, will return to the borough with the charter where it will go on display in Woolwich, Eltham and Greenwich town centres alongside a packed schedule of celebratory events this weekend.

In readiness for the new status, the council has started to replace street signs and has put up banners in Greenwich, Woolwich and Eltham town centres.

“In the course of the last week to ten days, I don’t think we’ve seen anything quite it like in terms of the way in which the public have been embracing what is about to happen. It will be one of the most historic days in our history,” said Chris Roberts at a press conference yesterday.

“The meaning is what you choose to make of it: there’s a tremendous sense of civic pride, ” he added. “Never did I think that a council-arranged procession through Greenwich would have to be capped in terms of numbers by the police because so many people want to engage and join with it.”

He also claimed there would be an economic uplift from the honour, citing as an example the demand that “Royal Greenwich” would create at the soon-to-be built Enderby Wharf cruise terminal. That will be “major driver” in generating knock-on employment and tourism benefits, he said.

The cost of the status

When asked, the council were not able to provide a cost for the adoption of new branding but Chief Executive, Mary Ney, said they would changing over on a “replacement basis”:

“We’re not going out and changing all the street signs and uniforms. We’re doing it on a replacement basis, so as things need to be replaced we will do it with the royal signage. We have done some new signage around the town centres and around the tourism areas as that seemed important. We have allowed the entrance signs into the borough to go into dereliction – they were damaged and old and referred to the Millennium year – and so we are refreshing all of those with the crest.”

Chris Roberts told this website that there won’t be sponsorship of the borough entrance signs, as now can be found on many of Bexley’s signs, but he signalled he wouldn’t rule out such a move in the future.

There’s no timescale for when the whole of the borough can expect new signs and no plans available for what will happen to old signs that are being taken down.

Icing on the cake

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, told Greenwich.co.uk: “Greenwich is a London borough of global significance; the home of time, a Unesco World Heritage Site, not to mention its close links to the Royal Family since the Middle Ages. This royal honour is surely the icing on the cake of a fantastic year for Greenwich as it prepares for a role at the heart of the London Games.”

Weekend of events

Celebrations to mark the event, including music and fireworks, will be taking place later today in Woolwich, tomorrow in Eltham and finally in Greenwich town centre on Sunday.

The celebrations also coincide with the arrival of the King’s Troop in Woolwich on Friday night. The newly-arrived troop will be performing a procession through Woolwich on Tuesday morning.