England rugby captain announced as new ambassador for King’s charity

England and Saracens rugby captain Maro Itoje has been announced as the new ambassador at the King’s charity.

The 30-year-old co-founded an artists’ residency – for African, Caribbean, Southwest Asian, North African and diaspora creators – that runs at The King’s Foundation’s headquarters in Scotland.

So far, seven Akoje Residency artists have stayed at the Dumfries House site in Ayrshire.

The King aims to improve sustainability, traditional crafts and the arts through his charity that was founded in 1990 when he was Prince of Wales.

Itoje joins the ranks of fellow ambassadors including footballer David Beckham, actress Sienna Miller and gardener Alan Titchmarsh.

His ambassadorship was announced on Friday, and he said in a statement: “Seeing African art find a home in rural Scotland through the Akoje Residency has been inspiring.”

The London-born rugby star added: “It has been incredibly rewarding to work with The King’s Foundation during my artist residency over the past year, and I’m thrilled to build on that relationship by becoming an ambassador for the charity.

“Discovering my passion for art — and the importance of preserving the traditional skills behind it — has been life-changing for me.

“It’s been a privilege to witness how the artists have been welcomed and have become part of the local community.”

He co-founded the Akoje Gallery with gallery director Khalil Akar in 2023, and it exhibits at different sites across world – but is also accessible online.

Its residency programme was set up in 2024, allowing emerging and established artists to stay on-site in Ayrshire and produce work inspired by the surrounding landscape.

Kristina Murrin, chief executive of The King’s Foundation, said: “We have been delighted to work with Maro on the Akoje Residency at Dumfries House over the past year, so it’s fantastic to formally cement his role as an ambassador for the Foundation.

She added: “I have personally enjoyed meeting the artists taking part in the residencies and seeing how they have enjoyed living and working on site at the Dumfries house estate.

“We look forward to building on this existing partnership and working with Maro to raise awareness of the importance of traditional heritage skills for artists and ensuring they are given a platform to create.”

Itoje, who also captains the British and Irish Lions squad and plays as a lock, has represented England 93 times since his first call-up in 2016.

He is the first English captain of the British and Irish Lions since Martin Johnson in 2001.

The player was named captain of the England team in May ahead of the 2025 Six Nations.