Almost 200 Royal Patronages will not be retained following review
Melanie May | 7 May 2024 | News
Almost 200 Royal Patronages and Presidencies will not be retained following a review undertaken following King Charles III’s accession to the throne.
Announced on 4 May, the conclusions of the review, which examined 1,000 Royal Patronages and Presidencies, will be shared with the organisations this week.
The late Queen was Patron of 492 organisations at the time of her death, with 376 to be retained by the King or Queen, or by other Royals.
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441 organisations affiliated with the King, as Prince of Wales, were included in the review. 367 of these have been retained by him or passed to other members of the Royal Family.
100 organisations affiliated with The Queen, as Duchess of Cornwall, were included in the review, with 91 retained or passed to others.
800 Patronages retained
Among the news: King Charles will continue his involvement with the Royal British Legion by becoming Patron, which is a role Queen Elizabeth II held throughout her reign from her Accession in 1952.
Of the charities held as Prince of Wales, King Charles will retain patronages that highlight causes including supporting communities, conservation and culture. They include the Wildlife Trusts; Youth United Foundation; and the Heritage Crafts Association.
The King will also continue his patronage of the Commonwealth Forestry Association, and become Patron of the Royal Commonwealth Society. In addition, King Charles takes on the patronage of the Association of Commonwealth Universities.
Among Queen Elizabeth II’s charities which have been retained, The Queen will take on the patronage of the Royal Literary Fund and become Patron of the Royal Academy of Dance, having previously been Vice-Patron. Her Majesty will also become Patron of the Royal Voluntary Service, having previously served as their President, and take on the Presidency of the Sandringham branch of the Women’s Institute.
Other organisations representing a range of charitable interests from across the UK include:
- Army Benevolent Fund (The Queen)
- Braemar Royal Highland Society (The King)
- Camerata Ireland – The All Ireland Chamber Orchestra (The King)
- Dogs Trust (The King)
- The Jockey Club (Their Majesties jointly)
- Samaritans (The King)
- WaterAid (The King)
- Welsh National Opera (The King)
A further review will be carried out of the patronages held throughout the fourteen other Commonwealth Realms, where the King is Head of State.
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.