Queen Elizabeth II has made a substantial donation to help victims of the South Asian earthquake, a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman has said.

Without quantifying the amount, Buckingham Palace said on Friday night that the monarch hoped her donation to charities involved in the earthquake relief effort would encourage the British public to continue their support for victims of the disaster.

Despite fears of 'compassion fatigue', more than � 5 million has already been pledged to an appeal set up by the Disasters Emergency committee, an umbrella organisation of agencies which respond to major disasters.

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: "The Queen is making a donation for the earthquake appeal. The Queen hopes it will encourage others to give and be generous."

Her donation to the massive earthquake relief effort follows a similar pledge made by the Queen in the wake of the catastrophic Asian tsunami last year. In July the Queen made another substantial donation to a fund set up by the Red Cross and London [Images] Mayor Ken Livingstone to aid victims of the terrorist bombings in London.

The Duke of Edinburgh met students manning telephones at a charity, which is co-ordinating relief efforts following the earthquake. He visited the Helping Hands for the Needy charity in Stratford, east London.