Britain's King Charles has significantly increased his charity patronages by nearly 300 this weekend to mark the first anniversary of his Coronation since May last year, taking over several that Buckingham Palace said were supported by his mother late Queen Elizabeth II.
The palace said a major review of more than 1,000 royal patronages and charity presidencies was undertaken following the 75-year-old monarch's accession to the throne in September 2022 after the death of his mother.
Other working members of the royal family, including wife Camilla and son and heir Prince William, will also take on the patronage of a number of organisations previously supported by the late Queen to add to their existing portfolios.
"The King and Queen [Camilla] will continue to serve as patron to many of the charities and institutions with which His Majesty was affiliated as Prince of Wales, and respectively Her Majesty as Duchess of Cornwall," a Buckingham Palace statement said on Saturday.
"In addition, Their Majesties are pleased to continue the patronage of a great variety of charities and organisations previously supported by Queen Elizabeth II...Royal patronage highlights the vital work of these organisations and allows their many achievements and valuable contributions to society to be more widely recognised and promoted," it said.
Among the charity patronages King Charles has inherited from his mother, there are a number of Commonwealth institutions including the Association of Commonwealth Universities, which champions the power of higher education to improve lives, and the Royal Commonwealth Society, which is committed to improving the lives and prospects of Commonwealth citizens globally.
"With his long record of support for the Commonwealth and as a champion of the environment, he embodies the values to which the Royal Commonwealth Society aspires, and which inspires our work to make a practical difference in the lives of the 2.6 billion people who make up the Commonwealth family," said Dr Linda Yueh, Executive Chair of the Royal Commonwealth Society.
The King retains patronages from his time as heir to the throne which highlight causes such as supporting communities, conservation and culture, including the Wildlife Trusts, a grassroots nature organisation; Youth United Foundation, which brings uniformed youth organisations together so they can learn from each other, share best practice and collectively support more young people; and the Heritage Crafts Association, a national charity preserving traditional heritage crafts.
Queen Elizabeth II was patron of 492 organisations at the time of her death, of which 376 are due to be retained by King Charles and other members of the royal family. Over 441 organisations were affiliated with Charles from his time as the Prince of Wales, of which 367 have been retained by members of the royal family.
The palace said that a further review will be carried out to consider the royal patronages held throughout 14 other Commonwealth Realms, where King Charles is Head of Stat
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