After the accession of King Charles III. (75), work continues on restructuring within the Royal Family. On Saturday (May 4), Buckingham Palace announced that after September 2022, “a comprehensive review of more than 1,000 royal patronages and charitable presidencies has been carried out. The results will be shared with relevant organizations next week to mark the first anniversary of their Majesties’ Coronation communicated.”
Accordingly, the King and his wife Queen Camilla (76) will “continue to be patrons of many of the charities and institutions with which His Majesty as Prince of Wales and Her Majesty as Duchess of Cornwall were associated”. The couple also looks forward to continuing their patronage of a variety of charities and organizations previously supported by Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022). “Other members of the Royal Family will also assume patronage of a number of organizations previously supported by the late Queen, to complement their existing portfolios,” the statement said.
Exact numbers are also given. Around 800 organizations will continue to receive support from Their Majesties and members of the Royal Family. According to the Daily Mail, the reduction is due to there being fewer active members of the royal family. “At the time of Her Late Majesty’s death, the Queen was patron of 492 organizations. 376 are continued by Their Majesties or other members of the Royal Family,” the palace further explains. The number of patronages held by the King as Prince of Wales amounted to 441. “367 were retained by His Majesty or passed on to other members of the Royal Family. 100 organizations associated with The Queen, The Duchess of Cornwall , were included in the review. 91 were retained or passed on to other members of the royal family.” As “Sky News” reports, the total number of patronages of the King has increased from 441 to 669, while the Queen has taken on a further 15 patronages and now supports 115 organizations.
Buckingham Palace and the organizations themselves also report in more detail about some new patronages. “The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) welcomes His Majesty King Charles III as its new Patron,” the ACU website says. “As Head of the Commonwealth, His Majesty is intimately familiar with the issues of importance to Commonwealth universities and their ten million students, including access to study, employment and inclusion. His patronage will be instrumental in shaping the solutions that the “Commonwealth universities are addressing the world’s major challenges – from climate change to biodiversity loss to rapid urbanization – to gain global exposure.”
In its statement, the ACU pays tribute to the late Queen, “who was appointed the ACU’s first patron in 1986 and was passionate about the causes that were close to her heart. […] We look forward to continuing this important work His Majesty the King.” According to the Daily Mail, Duchess Meghan (42) also held the patronage before she withdrew from her royal duties. In March 2020, Prince Harry’s wife (39) met with ACU representatives at her penultimate royal appointment.
