- Buckingham Palace has announced the review of nearly 1,000 patronages and presidencies following the death of Queen Elizabeth and the accession of King Charles
- Queen Elizabeth was the patron of over 400 groups when she died in September 2022
- In addition to King Charles and Queen Camilla, other royal family members will also take on new royal roles
The fate of some of Queen Elizabeth’s many charitable causes has been revealed following her death in September 2022.
On May 3, Buckingham Palace shared a major update about the royal patronage review of the organizations that Queen Elizabeth formally supported. It’s understood that the Queen was a patron of 492 groups at the time of her death and 376 will be retained by King Charles, Queen Camilla or other members of the royal family.
“Following His Majesty The King’s Accession in September 2022, a major review of more than 1,000 Royal Patronages and charity Presidencies has been undertaken. To mark the first anniversary of Their Majesties’ Coronation, the conclusions will be shared with relevant organizations in the coming week ,” the palace said in a statement, referring to the upcoming anniversary of the crowning ceremony on May 6.
In addition to retaining many of the patronages that they held before the change of reign, King Charles and Queen Camilla “are pleased to continue the patronage of a great variety of charities and organizations previously supported by Queen Elizabeth II.”
“Other members of the royal family will also take on the patronage of a number of organizations previously supported by the late Queen, to add to their existing portfolios,” they added.
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The extensive review of over 1,000 patronages included organizations that King Charles, 75, and Queen Camilla, 76, were connected to as patrons or presidents when they were the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall. It’s understood that a few of the late Prince Philip’s patronages were involved in the process as well.
Looking ahead, 367 of the 441 groups affiliated with King Charles before his accession will be retained by the King or other members of the royal family. Ninety-one of the 100 groups linked to Queen Camilla when she was the Duchess of Cornwall will follow the same protocol.
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King Charles will continue to support the Royal British Legion, the largest Armed Forces charity of the UK, by notably stepping into the role of patron, which his late mother held from her accession in 1952 until her death. The monarch will also become patron of two Commonwealth-related organizations, the Royal Commonwealth Society and the Association of Commonwealth Universities.
The King will retain previous patronages highlighting causes dedicated to conservation, culture and community support, while his wife takes on several new groups from her later mother-in-law. In the shift, Queen Camilla will take on the patronage of the Royal Literary Fund, Royal Academy of Dance (stepping up from her vice-patron post) and the Royal Voluntary Service, taking on the new post after serving as president.
The Queen will also become the President of the Sandringham branch of the Women’s Institute, calling for a look into the different definitions of patron and president. Patrons are formal supporters whose link acknowledges the organization’s achievements and helps increase public awareness of their work, while presidents may take on more direct engagement.
It’s standard for the monarch to be patron rather than president, and members of the royal family are not involved with the governance or daily operations of the organizations they support.
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The royal patronage review began following the death of Queen Elizabeth and accession of King Charles in September 2022 but isn’t finished quite yet. It’s understood that another round of review will take place for the patronages held across the 14 Commonwealth Realms where King Charles is similarly head of state.
While the full list of rearranged patronages remains isn’t yet accessible, the announcement of one of the King’s new affiliations coincided with an emotional commitment this week.
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On April 30, the King resumed public-facing royal duties for the first time since Buckingham Palace announced he was receiving cancer treatment, where it was revealed that he is the new patron of Cancer Research UK, taking over a post previously held by Queen Elizabeth .
During the stop, King Charles spoke with several patients and shared that he was going for treatment later that day.
“I think he was really thrilled to be out,” Queen Camilla was quoted as saying the following day about her husband’s enthusiastic return to public work, according to the DailyMail.
“I’ve been trying to hold him back,” she added.
