Duchess of Edinburgh attends service for Florence Nightingale

Tuesday, 12th May 2026

A Service to Commemorate the Life of Florence Nightingale was held at Westminster Abbey at 6:30pm on Tuesday 12th May 2026.

The service is held annually to celebrate nursing and midwifery and all staff, both qualified and unqualified, and the importance of supporting one another through challenging times.

This years' service was led by the Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, and attended by HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh.

In his Bidding, the Dean said:

"Today, before God, we gather to offer our praise and thanksgiving, and to recall the life and witness of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. Celebrating the work of the Florence Nightingale Foundation and in the good company of working nursing and midwifery professionals we acknowledge the legacy of commitment, compassion, and excellence we inherit.

We pray that Florence Nightingale's determination to improve the quality of care, and to secure better training may shape the gift we leave to those who follow us. We praise God for all those nurses and midwives who, like her, have carried the lamp of healing into the dark places of our world".

Address and Readings

The Reverend Joyce Fletcher, National Executive Director of Women and Family for the Church of God of Prophecy, former Chief Nurse in the NHS, gave the Address.

HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh read Luke 10:25-37 and Wes Streeting read Matthew 25:31-40.

Rolls of Honour

The service included the Procession of the British Commonwealth Nurses' Roll of Honour, which was borne through the Abbey by Leading Navy Nurse Tilly Hazell. The Roll includes the names of nurses who lost their lives during the Second World War and is kept in the Florence Nightingale Chapel at the Abbey.

The First World War 1914-1918 Roll of Honour was introduced this year to remember the 162 nursing assistants and probationers who lost their lives. The Bearer of the Roll Sub-Lieutenant Kitty Balchin.

The COVID-19 Pandemic Roll of Honour was also borne through the church. The Roll remembers the nurses, midwives, nursing associates and healthcare support workers who lost their lives during the pandemic. It was carried by Katy Rennick, Deputy Chief Nursing Officer, Northern Ireland.

A lamp, symbolic of Florence Nightingale, was also carried through the Abbey by Richard Desir, Nursing Officer, Welsh Government.

Prayers and music

Prayers were led by the Abbey's Succentor, Tessa Bosworth, and said by:

Jan Stevens cbe, Chief Nursing Officer, The Wellington Hospital, London

Bonnie Barnes, co-founder, DAISY Foundation

Jeni Cagouia, Senior Clinical Manager Midlands, NHS England

Robert Waterson, Vice Provost (Health) and Executive Dean, School of Health, Sport, and Bioscience, University of East London, FNF Alumnus

The service was sung by the Westminster Abbey Special Service Choir, conducted by Andrew Nethisnga, Organist and Master of the Choristers. The organ was played by Matthew Jorysz, Sub-Organist.