King Charles is set to become the patron of a major charity nearly two years after the Queen’s death.
The King, 75, will become patron of the Royal British Legion (RBL) after a major review of more than 1,000 royal patronages after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
King Charles will become the figurehead of the country’s leading armed forces charity as it prepares to mark the 80th anniversary of the World War Two D-Day landings in the UK and Normandy, on June 6.
The review by the Royal Household featured the close involvement of members of the Royal Family and focused on organisations the late Queen supported as patron and those Charles and Camilla represented as patron or president before they became King and Queen.
King Charles has become the patron of several organisations
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Mark Atkinson, the RBL’s director general, said: “The Royal British Legion is extremely proud that his majesty the King is our new patron.
“As the nation’s largest military charity, this patronage honours the special relationship that exists between the monarch and the armed forces.
“His Majesty’s commitment to remembrance and lifelong support to the RBL’s welfare work is greatly appreciated by our entire community.”
The King, who this week returned to public-facing duties as he continues to be treated for cancer, has taken on the RBL role the late Queen held for more than 70 years.
Queen Elizabeth II held several patronages for over 70 years
PA
Charles and Camilla will now be joint patrons of the Jockey Club, succeeding the late Queen, who was patron of the organisation responsible for a string of high-profile racecourses across the UK.
The King retains his patronage of the Samaritans, a role he has held for more than 25 years, and Camilla will succeed Queen Elizabeth II and take on the presidency of the Sandringham branch of the Women’s Institute (WI).
The late Queen was a keen member of her local WI branch and every year allowed the press to accompany her to a meeting.
She held 492 patronages when she died and 376 will be retained by the King, Queen and other members of the Royal Family.
The review examined 441 charities and other bodies Charles represented as patron when he was the Prince of Wales.
367 will still have the King, or another Royal Family member, as figurehead.
For Camilla, 100 of her organisations were examined and 91 have been retained by her or other members of the family.
