The practice of members of the Royal Family lending their names to organisations through formal patronages is thought to have existed since the 18th century.

The first recorded patronage was George II’s involvement with the Society of Antiquaries, an organisation concerned with architectural and art history, conservation and heraldry. The society still exists today and retains its Royal patronage through The Duke of Gloucester’s involvement.

Other organisations have enjoyed a long history of Royal association.

View a trailer for the Playing Fields Association featuring an appearance by its Patron, The Duke of Edinburgh:

The Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies has benefited from Royal involvement since the reign of William IV. Today, The Queen is Patron of the charity and The Duke of Kent is its President.

The Queen is also Patron of the Mothers’ Union, a role which was first held by Queen Victoria in 1898.

Members of the Royal Family are invited to become patrons by a wide range of charities and organisations.

Between them, members of The Royal Family hold approximately 3,000 patronages of charitable organisations.

The Queen’s patronages alone number around 600, a large number of which were inherited from her father, George VI, on her Accession.

Patronages generally reflect the interests of the member of the Royal Family involved.

The Duchess of Cornwall is President of the National Osteoporosis Society. Both her mother and grandmother died as a result of the brittle bone disease.

Princess Alexandra, who undertook a nursing course at Great Ormond Street Hospital after leaving school, is Patron of both the Princess Mary’s Royal Air Force Nursing Service and Queen Alexandra’s Royal Naval Nursing Service.

Many of The Prince of Wales’s patronages stem from his passions for the environment and the arts, whilst Prince William’s involvement with the Centrepoint charity reflects his long-standing interest in homelessness and the people affected by it.

The titles of various members of the Royal Family also dictate certain themes in their patronages.

The Countess of Wessex is Patron of the regional charity, Wessex Hearbeat. The Duke of Kent is similarly involved with various Kent-based organisations, including the Kent County Agricultural Society.

Occasionally, a member of the Royal Family will hear about a cause whilst on a visit, or via one of their other charities, and will decide to support it. The Prince of Wales became a member of the Society to save the Melmerby and Fellside Village Shop following a visit to the village in 2004.