The handing over of royal patronages appears to be a ‘totally opaque’ process, a sector analyst told Third Sector, as charities that had the late Queen Elizabeth II as their patron await news on whether they will continue to have royal support.
Following the death of the Queen – who was the patron of more than 100 registered UK charities – in September last year and the coronation of King Charles in May, a number of charities lost their royal patron.
With Prince Andrew having been, in effect, removed from public life and Prince Harry having stepped away from his royal responsibilities, Sky news reported last week that hundreds of royal patronages had been left vacant.
Caroline Fiennes, director of the charity consultancy Giving Evidence, told Third Sector that while researching royal patronages in 2020, the process of royals handing over patronages appeared to be “totally opaque”.
“We couldn’t discern any formal process, and when we asked the palace, they didn’t provide us with any information about any formal process,” Fiennes said.
“It seems partly a function of historical accident – for example, many patronages are in or near where the royal has their home or title – or chance: for example, a royal goes for a visit and likes them. There’s no application process or anything. It all seems quite haphazard.”
Fiennes said that when a patronage is handed from one royal to another, it is also unclear whether the charity has any say in the matter.
She said: “When two of Prince Philip’s [patronages] were handed over to William, were the charities even asked? Could they have declined?”
One charity waiting for news on its patronage is Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff, which had the patronage of the Queen as well as her father, George VI.
Linda Quinn, chair of the Friends of Llandaff Cathedral, told Third Sector: “The Friends would regularly correspond with Her Majesty, sending annual reports, winter newsletters and details of any projects, such as the plan to encourage members to plant trees for the Platinum Jubilee.
“A royal patron makes us feel valued and gives, I feel, a credibility to our work.”
The charity hopes that King Charles will take over as its patron but told Third Sector it has not heard any updates so far.
Commenting on Giving Evidence’s 2020 research ‘Royal Patronages of UK Charities’, Fiennes told Third Sector: “We could find no effect of royal patronages on charities, ie no benefits. So perhaps charities that are ‘in limbo’ are not missing out.”