The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry

The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry was set up in September 2009 to enable Prince William and Prince Harry to take forward their charitable ambitions. Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, later joined as a patron of the foundation,^[1][2][3] after which, in July 2012, the foundation was renamed from The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry to its current name.^[4]

The Princes’ charitable work

The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry are Patron or President of a small number of charities and organisations which range across a wide spectrum of life in Britain and abroad. In 2006 they created The Princes’ Charities Forum in order to foster collaboration among the charities and organisations with which they are affiliated.

They followed the considerable ongoing success of this by staging Concert for Diana in July 2007, a memorial for their mother. This raised £1million for eight charities and was watched by around 15 million people across the UK and was broadcast to over 500 million homes in 140 countries.

In May 2008, The Princes inspired others to stage City Salute, raising £1million for Headley Court military hospital, and the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA), to support wounded soldiers and their families.

The Foundation is the culmination of The Princes’ charitable lives so far. Along with The Duchess of Cambridge they intend to use the Foundation as the main vehicle for their future charitable activities and through raising sustainable sources of funds, the Foundation will be able to make charitable grants and support projects of particular interest. The Foundation has collaborated with two organisations to date (Fields in Trust and ARK).

The Duke of Cambridge said: “We are incredibly excited about our new Foundation. We believe that it will provide a unique opportunity for us to use our privileged position to make a real difference in the future to many areas of charitable work.

“We feel passionately that, working closely together with those who contribute to our Foundation, we can help to make a long-lasting and tangible difference.”

Areas of focus

Although their Foundation is not limited to these three areas of focus, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry aim to make the following their early areas of focus:

1. Young People - particularly those of their own age and younger who are disadvantaged or in need of guidance and support at a crucial time in their lives;
2. Sustainable development - particularly to build on the growing awareness of the need to find better, more sustainable, models to balance development and the conservation of resources and the natural environment;
3. Armed Forces - for the welfare of those who serve their country in the Armed Forces. Particularly looking after those who return broken in body or mind - or not at all - and their families.

The Duke and Duchess and Prince Harry will also aim to use their Foundation to respond to other needs and opportunities although at this point the Foundation is unable to accept unsolicited requests for support.

The Foundation is also pleased to be able to assist in facilitating the Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton Charitable Gift Fund.

In March 2011, William and Catherine have set up a gift fund held by The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry to allow well-wishers who want to give them a wedding gift to donate money to charities they care about instead.^[5] The gift fund supported 26 charities of the couple’s choice, incorporating the armed forces, children, the elderly, art, sport and conservation. These causes are close to their hearts and reflect the experiences, passions and values of their lives so far.^{[6][7][8][9][10][11]}

On 8 January 2012, The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry announced partnership with The Forces in Mind Trust to support former UK military personnel and their families.^[12]

The Prince William & Miss Catherine Middleton Charitable Gift Fund

The Prince William & Miss Catherine Middleton Charitable Gift Fund including:

• Oily Cart: a charity providing interactive theatre for under-fives and young children with learning difficulties^[13][14]
• PeacePlayers International: a charity uses sport, particularly basketball, to unite and educate young people from diverse backgrounds ^[15][16]
• The Ocean Youth Trust: a charity based around teaching people to sail to enhance personal development^[17][18]
• Greenhouse Schools: a charity uses sport and dance programmes to reach out to London's disadvantaged children^[19][20]
• IntoUniversity: a charity provides local learning centres in disadvantaged areas to inspire the local youngsters to achieve^[21][22]
• Beatbullying: a charity works with children affected by bullying to provide them with support and confidence^[23][24]
• The Association for Children's Palliative Care (ACT): a charity aims to give children who are not expected to reach adulthood the best quality of life they can^[25][26]
• The Scottish Community Foundation: a charity helps fund good causes all across Scotland^[27][28]
• The Berkshire Community Foundation: a charity is an organisation that gives grants to local voluntary organisations^[29][30]
• Combat Stress: a charity providing care for veterans' mental health^[31][32]
• The Household Cavalry Benevolent fund: a charity provides support to soldiers' families, former soldiers and serving soldiers of the Household Cavalry Regiment^[33][34]
• The Irish Guards Appeal: a charity is an appeal to help all Irish Guards and their families who have been affected by serious injury or disability^[35][36]
• The Army Widows Association: a charity provides comfort and support to widows and widowers of service men and women^[37][38]
• The RAF Benevolent Fund: a charity provides practical and financial support to members of the RAF and their families^[39][40]
• The Zoological Society of London: a charity for the worldwide conservation of wildlife and their habitats^[41][42]
• Earthwatch: a charity to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment^[43][44]
• The Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary: a charity provides assistance to the National Defence and Coast Guard with search and rescue and safe boating programmes^[45][46]
• The Christchurch Earthquake appeal: a charity is raising money for the victims and victims' families of the earthquake that devastated Christchurch in February 2011^[47][48]
• The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia: a charity delivering health care and emergency service to those who live, travel and work throughout Australia^[49][50][51]
• Cruse Bereavement Care: a charity provides advice and support to anyone trying to cope with grief^[52][53]
• Dance United: a charity uses contemporary dance training to unlock the potential of young offenders and disadvantaged children^[54][55]
• Venture Trust: a charity uses wilderness expeditions to provide young people with personal development activities^[56][57]
• Keyfund: a charity is providing young people with the opportunity to practically develop skills, confidence and self-awareness to reach their potential^[58][59]
• A National Voice: a charity is an organisation run for and by young people who are or have been in care to create positive changes to the care system^[60][61]
• Youth Access: a charity provides advice and counselling to youngsters across the UK^[62][63]
• The Community Foundation in Wales: a charity manages funds to provide volunteer organisations in Wales with necessary grants^[64][65]

The future

In January 2010 the Duke of Cambridge said: "We are incredibly lucky, Harry and I. We know that. But both our father and our mother instilled in us, from the word go, that with these great privileges goes an absolute responsibility to give back", and Prince Harry said: "We are both massively excited at the prospect of being able to help in whatever way we can, where we can. As Prince William said, if we can use our position to do this, we are ready to."

Foundation details

The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry received charitable status from the Charity Commission on 8 October 2009.

The Duchess of Cambridge formally became a Patron of the Foundation alongside her husband and Prince Harry at the Board of Trustees meeting on 29 September 2011.

The Foundation has appointed an experienced group of Trustees, chaired by Lord Janvrin, who was previously Private Secretary to The Queen.

• Chairman: The Rt. Hon Lord Janvrin
• Chief Executive: Nick Booth
• Trustees: Sir David Manning, Edward Harley, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, Guy Monson, Baroness Shackleton of Belgravia, Tessa Green.^[66]

References

External links

• The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry
• Charity Commission (for England and Wales) Charity Number 1132048

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
Titles	Duke of Cambridge Earl of Strathearn Baron Carrickfergus
Family	Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (wife) Prince George of Cambridge (son) Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (daughter) Charles, Prince of Wales (father) Diana, Princess of Wales (mother) Prince Harry (brother)
Extended family	Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (paternal grandfather) Elizabeth II (paternal grandmother) John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer (maternal grandfather) Frances Shand Kydd (maternal grandmother) Anne, Princess Royal (paternal aunt) Prince Andrew, Duke of York (paternal uncle) Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (paternal uncle) Lady Sarah McCorquodale (maternal aunt) Jane Fellowes, Baroness Fellowes (maternal aunt) Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer (maternal uncle)
Events and charities	Concert for Diana Wedding guests Overseas visits 2011 Canadian Tour 2014 Australian and New Zealand Tour The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry
Miscellaneous	Royal William rose William & Kate: The Movie William & Catherine: A Royal Romance

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
Titles	Duchess of Cambridge Countess of Strathearn Lady Carrickfergus
Family	Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (husband) Prince George of Cambridge (son) Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (daughter) Michael Middleton (father) Carole Middleton (mother) Pippa Middleton (sister) James Middleton (brother) Luptons (paternal ancestors)
Events and charities	Wedding guests 2011 Canadian tour The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry 2014 Australian and New Zealand tour
Fashion	Bridal gown Engagement announcement dress Kate Middleton effect
Popular culture	William & Kate: The Movie William & Catherine: A Royal Romance Portrait of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge