Kate and William slashed royal patronages – but is it sustainable?

2023-05-24

The Prince and Princess of Wales have become leading names in several key charitable areas, thanks to the creation of key foundations which have been developed and backed by years of research.

Whether it is Prince William's Earthshot Prize or Catherine's Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood – including projects such as the Big 5 Survey and Shaping Us – the couple have chosen to have a smaller number of patronages and focus entirely on how they can make a difference in those areas.

This is a different approach from other members of the Royal Family who are patrons to hundreds of charities across a wide range of different topics.

While the couple are each also supporters for other areas such as mental health, the emergency services, homelessness and addiction, one royal expert has questioned how long they will be able to adopt this modern approach of each having a handful of patronages.

Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond exclusively told OK!, "I think Catherine and William have taken this view which they may not be able to stick to which is to have far fewer patronages and make a difference in the ones that they do support.

"For Catherine we're talking about mental health, early learning, bullying and addiction, so I don't know if she'll be able to carry that forward because there is such a demand for royal patronages and as future queen, she is going to be in huge demand."

One of Prince William's leading charitable interests is the environment and he launched The Earthshot Prize in October 2020. It is an annual awards ceremony centred around five environmental goals – known as ‘Earthshots’- which, if achieved by 2030, will improve life for everyone.

The first ceremony was held in London, the second was held in Boston, USA and the third will take place later this year in Singapore.

Jason Knauf, former CEO of The Royal Foundation, said of Prince William's goal: “The challenge The [Prince] set himself was ‘what is the maximum positive personal contribution I can make in the next ten years in the fight against climate change?'

“'What am I going to do in the next decade that means I can look my children in the eye and say that I did my bit? Every aspect of the Prize bears the stamp of his contribution.'"

While she also has a keen interest in helping those with addiction and supporting mental health charities, The Princess of Wales has made a name for herself for her impressive work in the field of Early Years Development.

Catherine launched The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in June last year and set up the successful 'Big 5' survey which helped us to learn about the first five years of a child's life.

This year she pushed her work even further and set up 'Shaping Us', an awareness campaign dedicated to spotlighting the importance of early childhood.

As well as this, the Princess has also spent the last 10 years examining how social challenges such as addiction, mental health and homelessness shape someone as they grow up.

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