Charles keeps his major charities close with King name rebranding
The King’s long-standing charities have been rebranded in recognition of his accession to the throne, Buckingham Palace has announced.
As the Prince of Wales, Charles set up the youth charity the Prince’s Trust; the Prince’s Foundation, which promotes the built environment, heritage, culture and education projects; and the grant-giving Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund (PWCF).
Charles once spoke of his hope his two sons William and Harry, now the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex, would take over the Prince’s Trust, which he set up with his Navy severance pay in 1976.
But William is paving his own way as the new heir to the throne, focusing on homelessness and mental health.
Earlier this week, William said he wanted to “go a step further” than his family and bring real change to the causes he supports.
Speaking to journalists on the last day of his visit to Singapore for the Earthshot Prize awards, William praised the royal family’s work “spotlighting” causes, but said he wanted to do more than just be a patron.
The switch in name to The King’s Trust means the monarch will be keeping this charity and the two other organisations firmly under his wing, despite the demands of his role as King.
He launched the trust to help disadvantaged young people overcome challenging circumstances, get into employment or launch their own businesses and it has become one of the UK’s leading youth organisations.
It has helped 1.2 million young people to date and its celebrity ambassadors include singer Cheryl, former Spice Girl Geri Horner and presenters Ant and Dec.
A spokesperson for the trust said: “We are pleased to announce that we will become The King’s Trust.
“The evolution of our name enables us to retain proximity to our founder, His Majesty The King, reflecting his continued dedication to our work since 1976.
The changes also give something of a fresh start to the former Prince’s Foundation in the wake of the cash-for-honours allegations.
The Metropolitan Police launched an investigation in February 2022 following a series of newspaper articles accusing Michael Fawcett, formerly the foundation’s chief executive and a close confidant of the King, of promising to help a Saudi billionaire donor achieve British citizenship and a knighthood.
Detectives investigating the claims announced in August that they were taking no further action.
Its recent initiatives have included a Winter Warmers drive with free hot drinks and soup and craft activities at Charles’s country estate Highgrove to help combat loneliness and the cost-of-living crisis.
It also collaborated on a luxury fashion line with Yoox Net-A-Porter – as part of its Modern Artisan project, which gives students from the UK and Italy the chance to design and make the sustainable line of outfits as part of a textiles skills training initiative.
The King Charles III Charitable Fund, funded in 1979, awards grants to non-profit organisations under the core themes of heritage and conservation, education, health and wellbeing, social inclusion, environment and countryside.
It has awarded funding of more than £70 million over nearly five decades, and receives most of its income from the Waitrose Duchy Organic brand, established by Charles in 1992.