King to promote UK armed forces charity by becoming patron of Royal British Legion

King Charles is to become the new patron of the Royal British Legion ahead of the 80th anniversary of the WWII D-Day Landings amidst a major reshuffle of royal charity patronages

The King is to become the figurehead of the UK’s leading armed forces charity amidst a major review of royal patronages.

Charles will be named the new patron of the Royal British Legion (RBL) following the Royal Household’s shuffle in light of Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September 2022. His taking on the new string to his bow comes as he steps back into pubic duties following his cancer treatment, and chimes with the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings next month.

The RBL is set to mark the occasion on June 6 and said it was both proud and appreciative of the King’s support. The role was previously held by Queen Elizabeth for 70 years.

It’s one of multiple new patronages the monarch is taking on as the review looks at the late-Queen’s involvement with different charities before her death, as well as those the current King and Queen had whilst Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall. The total number held by Charles has now increased from 441 to 669, while Camilla takes on an additional 15 – heading 115 organisations. The late-Queen had 492.

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.” As well as the RBL figurehead, the King also retains his patronage of the Samaritans, a role he has held more than 25 years.

Both the King and Queen will also now be joint patrons of the Jockey Club – another new role taken on following the late-Queen’s death – heading the organisation responsible for high profile racecourses across the UK. Camilla meanwhile will also take on the presidency of the Sandringham branch of the Women’s Institute (WI), previously held by Elizabeth who allowed media to accompany her each year to a meeting.

The review examined 441 charities and other bodies Charles represented as patron when Prince of Wales, and 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.

It is understood a number of charities and organisations which have not been retained were not viable following lockdown or ceased to exist after the pandemic. Sandy Dudgeon, senior steward at the Jockey Club, said about the King and Queen: “Their patronage of The Jockey Club is a recognition of horseracing not only as a sport which provides entertainment to millions of people, but one which is also part of the fabric of British life, contributing so much both financially and in broader terms to the local communities in which it operates.”

Keith Leslie, chairman of the Samaritans, praised the King for his long-standing involvement with the charity, which provides emotional support to those currently struggling, helping reduce the number of people who die by suicide. He said: “As Prince of Wales, His Majesty described Samaritans volunteers as ‘an amazing credit to this country’ and it means so much to have such strong royal support as we work toward our vision that fewer people die by suicide.”