The Monarchy Today > Queen and public > Charities and special associations

The Queen visits the British Red Cross after the Asian tsunami of Christmas 2004
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About 3,000 organisations list a member of the Royal Family as patron or president. The Queen has over 600 patronages and The Duke of Edinburgh over 700.

An important part of the work of The Queen and the Royal Family is to support and encourage public and voluntary service.

One of the ways in which they do this is through involvement with charities and other organisations.

About 3,000 organisations list a member of the Royal Family as patron or president. The Queen has over 600 patronages and The Duke of Edinburgh over 700.

These cover every area of the charity and voluntary sector, from opportunities for young people, to preservation of wildlife and the environment.

Members of the Royal Family support the work of these organisations through visits to meet and encourage organisers and volunteers; involvement in particular campaigns; helping to support fund-raising; and promoting the organisations to sponsors.

Some members of The Royal Family have established their own charities with which they are closely associated.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award was personally developed by Prince Philip. Launched in 1956, the scheme is aimed at young people between 15 and 25, able-bodied or disabled, and aims to give them experiences and skills which they might not otherwise have.

The Duke of Edinburgh still remains heavily involved in the organisation, along with his son The Earl of Wessex.

The Prince of Wales has founded a number of organisations across a broad range of areas, forming The Prince’s Charities, a group of not-for-profit organisations of which The Prince of Wales is President. 18 of the 20 charities were founded personally by The Prince.

The organisations are active across a broad range of areas including opportunity and enterprise, the built environment, responsible business, education and health.

One of his most well-known organisations is The Prince’s Trust, which exists to help young people overcome barriers and get their lives working. Since 1976 it has provided practical support to help 14-30 year olds realise their potential and transform their lives.

The Princess Royal works very closely with The Princess Royal Trust for carers, which provides support for carers throughout the UK by means of a network of carers’ centres and services.

In addition to charitable organisations, members of the Royal Family also work with many professional organisations, covering fields such as science, the environment, medicine, architecture and the creative industries.

Involvement with these organisations helps to recognise their achievements, and helps to recognise the contributions of many different sectors of public life.