Prior to the formation of The Royal Society of St. George and before the American War of Independence, Societies of St. George had been founded in the then North American Colonies for the relief of British immigrants and to give them general assistance in the new country.
The earliest Branches of which there are any records are those of New York (1770), Philadelphia (1772) and Charlestown (1773). Subsequently Branches were formed in all the great cities of the North American continent and celebrations were always held on St. George's Day. At the time of the Civil War many Loyalists moved to Canada and founded similar Societies there.
The Royal Society of St. George was founded in 1894 with the noble object of promoting "Englishness" and the English way of life. The Society quickly attracted the support of many distinguished public figures in England and throughout the British Empire. Its first Royal Patron was Queen Victoria; and the society has enjoyed the Patronage of every reigning monarch from that day to this.
Our present sovereign, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, in 1963, bestowed a notable honour by granting the Society its own Royal Charter, a distinction of which its members are justifiably proud.
Among the Society's more famous Presidents have been the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of Windsor (when Prince of Wales), Field Marshal the Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, Rudyard Kipling and the Duke of Devonshire.
George Andrews, FCIB FCIS FCIArb, has been president since 1st January 1999.
Previous and current Vice Presidents have includes Sir Winston Churchill, The Duke of Wellington KG LVO OBE DL. His Grace The Duke of Westminster OBE TD DL, The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Aylesford JP, The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Nelson of Trafalgar and Merton, The Lord Forte of Ripley, Field Marshal The Lord Bramall KG GCB OBE MC JP, The Rt Hon. The Lord Kingsdown, Major General C. C. Taylor CB, Brigadier F. G. Stafford CMG, CBE, The Rt. Hon. The Lord Cope of Berkeley PC and The Rt. Hon. The Baroness Thatcher LG OM FRS, Mr B. M. Cronan, Mr. A. H. Hamilton Hopkins, Mr G. F. Sadler MBE, Mr. C. P. Fairweather and Mr. W. R. Firth.
Today, more than a century after its birth, the Society is still the standard bearer of traditional English values, both at home and abroad. Its role is primarily educational, promoting the common cultural heritage of people throughout the English-speaking world, including our former Dominions and Colonies. The Society now focuses its work on the younger generations of English and kindred people whose most valuable inheritance is our nation's history and culture.
The Royal Society of St. George, Hong Kong Branch dates its origins to at least 1868 when the Society competed against the St. Andrew’s Society for the “Shanghai” Golf Cup.
The origins of the Hong Kong Branch may also be traced in part to Shanghai.