King takes on 300 new charity affiliations in major review of royal patronages

The King, despite his age and ill health, has absorbed the vast majority of outstanding patronages, taking his total number to 669 – Chris Jackson

The King has taken on around 300 new charity affiliations following a major review of royal patronages.

However, he was unable to prevent around 200 organisations losing their royal association amid a shortage of working royals.

A review of more than 1,000 patronages and presidencies held by the King and the Queen and those previously held by Queen Elizabeth II will result in one in five organisations receiving a letter in the coming days informing them that they have lost their royal links.

Buckingham Palace sources insisted that they had retained as many affiliations as possible.

The King, despite his age and ill health, has absorbed the vast majority of outstanding patronages, taking his total number to 669.

Of the 441 he held as the Prince of Wales, 367 have been retained either by him or another member of the Royal family, with 74 organisations losing out.

The Queen, 76, has retained 91 of her 100 former associations and taken on 14 new ones.

Elizabeth II was patron of 492 organisations when she died in September 2022. Of those, the vast majority, 376, have been redistributed.

It is not yet known how many patronages the Prince and Princess of Wales have taken on to ease the burden.

However, they have previously made clear that they would take a different approach to their roles, preferring to focus on a smaller number of key organisations and themes in order to create change.

A royal aide was previously quoted as saying that the Princess, who like the King is currently undergoing treatment for cancer, might take on “one or two” new charities.

Before the review, the Prince of Wales had 22 and his wife had 21. The couple also share the patronage of NHS Together and The Royal Foundation.

A royal source insisted that the process of “pruning” had been “very careful and very controlled” to ensure that no more patronages were lost than was absolutely necessary.

The source added: “There had been a lot of speculation that with a smaller number of working members of the Royal family there would be a more wholesale relocation of patronages but rather than minimisation this is maximisation.

“We are retaining far more than had been expected.”

Palace aides are understood to have been surprised by the number of organisations that expressed an interest in maintaining a royal link, which influenced the decision-making process.

Hundreds of charities have been in limbo since the King’s accession, with all affiliations held by the Elizabeth II, the King and the Queen put on hold pending the outcome of the review.

The extensive evaluation included those formerly held by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, which reverted to the late Queen in 2020, and the Duke of York, which were returned to his mother in 2022, as well as a small number held by Prince Philip.

The King has chosen to retain patronages that highlight causes including supporting communities, conservation and culture. They include the Wildlife Trusts, a grassroots nature organisation, The Samaritans and the Heritage Crafts Association.

He has taken on the patronage of the Royal British Legion (RBL), held by his late mother since her accession, as it prepares to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in the UK and Normandy, on June 6.

Mark Atkinson, the director general, said the organisation was “extremely proud”.

“As the nation’s largest military charity, this patronage honours the special relationship that exists between the monarch and the Armed Forces,” he said.

“His Majesty’s commitment to remembrance and lifelong support to the RBL’s welfare work is greatly appreciated by our entire community.”

In a reflection of her own interests, the Queen has taken on the patronage of the Royal Literary Fund, the Royal Academy of Dance and the Royal Voluntary Service.

She has also inherited the presidency of the Sandringham branch of the Women’s Institute from her late mother-in-law, who would attend the group’s winter meeting and was said to have “grown up” with many of its members.

The King and Queen will share the patronage of The Jockey Club, an organisation loyally served by the late Queen for 68 years.

Sandy Dudgeon, the senior steward, said the couple had shown “great enthusiasm and support” for equestrian sports over many years.

He added: “Their patronage of The Jockey Club is a recognition of horse racing not only as a sport which provides entertainment to millions of people, but one which is also part of the fabric of British life, contributing so much both financially and in broader terms to the local communities in which it operates.”

A palace source said that of the charities and organisations that have lost their royal patron, a number had ceased to exist after the pandemic, while others had changed in scale or scope since first accepting a royal figurehead.

When the Duke of York stepped down from his charity affiliations in January 2022, many used it as an opportunity to appoint a figurehead more suited to their particular focus.

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