HRH The Earl of Wessex attended the opening ceremony of the transformed RAF Museum London last week, as part of the centenary celebrations of the RAF. The museum opened to the public with a celebration of Armed Forces Day on Saturday 30 June.

The museum’s redevelopment includes new immersive galleries, a learning centre, landscaping drawing on the heritage of the London Aerodrome and RAF Hendon, and a new visitor centre. Three new innovative galleries explore the first 100 years of the RAF, its role today, and its future contribution.

Visitors can, among other activities, test their flying skills, explore RAF stories, and sit inside an iconic cockpit. Programmes have also been designed to deliver small object conservation skills and workshop spaces, additional apprenticeships, increased volunteering and STEM learning activities. 

A digital project, RAF Stories, has also been developed, for which people are encouraged to create and curate their own online scrapbooks using photographs, memories, film and audio recordings to share their experiences, or those of their loved ones, within the RAF and the broader RAF family.

The RAF Museum’s RAF centenary programme is supported by National Lottery Players through the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Sir Peter Luff, chair of Heritage Lottery Fund, said: "As a pioneer and leader of international aviation, and in its centenary year, the Royal Air Force deserves a world-class museum. Now, thanks to National Lottery players, visitors can explore the powerful, inspiring and often surprising stories of the world’s oldest independent air force in a dynamic new setting."

Find out more about the Royal Air Force Museum here. 

Image: left to right, RAF CAS ACM Sir Stephen John Hillier, RAF Museum Chairman Sir Glenn Torpy, HRH The Earl of Wessex, RAF Museum CEO Maggie Appleton