The Duchess of Edinburgh visits Thames Valley Air Ambulance 

Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh has visited our Stokenchurch headquarters, off the back of our busiest year yet in 2025. 

The Duchess, who is the Royal Patron of the local lifesaving charity, toured the expanded education and operations areas. The Duchess was shown how crews harness state-of-the-art technology to make operations more efficient, including 3D printing and digital tracking systems.  

In the Pre-hospital Education Centre, The Duchess watched critical care paramedics and doctors undertake a training scenario and got hands-on with some vital equipment, even practicing a lifesaving intervention herself. The Duchess then unveiled a plaque to officially commemorate the visit.  

The Royal visit was a welcome morale boost after critical care paramedic and doctor crews were called out 3,302 times in 2025, making it a record-breaking year. Cardiac arrests made up the bulk of those missions, with 1,230 throughout the year. That’s more than three a day. 

Amanda McLean, Chief Executive of Thames Valley Air Ambulance, said: 

“It was an honour to welcome Her Royal Highness back to Thames Valley Air Ambulance headquarters. A former patient as well as our Royal Patron, The Duchess has always been passionate about our mission to give everyone in the region the best possible chance of survival and recovery. It was fantastic to be able to show The Duchess our expanded facilities and give Her Royal Highness an insight into the training our crews undertake.  

“The visit follows a very busy year for our crews. We never forget that every single mission we attend is funded by the generosity of our supporters. So, as we release our 2025 statistics, I’d like to say a big thank you to the public for keeping us on the frontline of saving lives for another year.”  

Crews responded to 1,162 call outs in Buckinghamshire, 958 in Oxfordshire, and 1,090 in Berkshire across 2025. May was the busiest month of the year, with 301 call outs in that month alone. Crews attended 223 seriously ill or injured children last year, including 82 children under the age of five.