The Incorporated Institution of Gas Engineers, as it was known from 1902-1928, was granted a Royal Charter by the Privy Council of His Majesty King George V in 1929. This momentous occasion was recorded officially in the annual report of the Council for 1928-1929 in these words:
The Institution has been granted a Royal Charter and this marks an important step in the progress of the Institution, for it affords ample evidence of the recognition of the value to the state of the work of gas engineers. By the grant of the Charter, the Institution becomes possessed of direct state authorisation to carry on its beneficent work for the industry and community.
“The status of the Institution has thus been raised to the highest possible standard, carrying with it the obligation to see that the conditions of entry are more stringent. Members of the Institution become Chartered Gas Engineers, a title which carries with it the recognition of the possession of a through training and capacity and giving assurance of professional standards.
On Monday 27 May 1929, a representative of the Home Office called at the offices of the Institution and handed over the Royal Charter, dated 23 May.
A Royal Charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and still are, used to establish significant organisations.