King Charles III becomes Patron of Cancer Research UK
Melanie May | 1 May 2024 | News
King Charles III has become Patron of Cancer Research UK, it was announced yesterday, taking on the Patronage previously held by his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, from 2002 until her death in 2022.
Following King Charles’s accession to the throne, the Royal Household is conducting a review of Royal Patronage, covering the organisations Queen Elizabeth II was Patron of and those the The King and The Queen Consort were connected through Patronage or Presidency when they were Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.
Coinciding with the announcement, King Charles and Queen Camilla visited University College Hospital to raise awareness of the importance of early diagnosis and highlight some of the research, supported by Cancer Research UK, taking place at the hospital. The visit was King Charles’s first as Patron of the charity.
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Whilst there, the King met with Cancer Research UK’s Chief Clinician Professor Charlie Swanton, who leads a project called TRACERx. A collaboration with 250 researchers and clinicians based at 19 centres across the UK, it is the single biggest investment in lung cancer research by Cancer Research UK and aims to investigate how lung cancer evolves over time and why treatments sometimes stop working.
Their Majesties also learnt about other innovative cancer technologies on offer at University College Hospital, including CT scanners which are being used to help with the early detection of cancer.
King Charles was himself diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, and is currently undergoing treatment.
Lord Simon Stevens, Chair of Cancer Research UK said:
“We are delighted that His Majesty King Charles III has agreed to become our Patron. As the largest independent funder of cancer science, Cancer Research UK works at the leading edge of progress in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment. While cancer survival in the UK has doubled in recent decades, nearly 1 in 2 people will now get cancer in their lifetime1 so the King’s support for our vital mission is hugely welcome.”
Back in February, Cancer Research UK announced that it was reaching out to high value donors and philanthropists in what it described as the ‘largest ever philanthropic campaign by a UK charity’, with the aim of raising £400mn to accelerate cancer research. The More Research, Less Cancer campaign calls for major donors’ support to accelerate a new ‘golden age’ of cancer research that changes the outlook for people now and in the future.
Last month, the charity announced a £58.7mn clinician scientist training fund help universities across Scotland and England train more doctors as clinician scientists so they can undertake cancer research.
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.