Camilla's charities: the patronages of the Queen Consort
Patronages typically align with the interests of the Royal Family member. For instance, Camilla became the President of the Royal Osteoporosis Society due to the disease affecting her mother and grandmother.
For almost thirty years, the Queen Consort has been Patron of the Royal Osteoporosis Society and has been the President for over twenty.
“Osteoporosis is a difficult cause because it’s surrounded by stereotypes and defeatism... People think breaking bones is an inevitable part of getting older. Camilla knows it isn’t.” Chief executive Craig Jones told The guardian.
The Queen Consort supports over 90 charities as Patron or President. These range from literacy to theatre; domestic violence and animals. The Queen has an interest in all of them and somehow has time to write, visit and be a part of their growth.
She serves as Vice-Patron of the Royal Academy of Dance and Patron of the Elmhurst Ballet School, National Theatre, and Theatre Royal Bath.
She is the Patron of SafeLives, a UK charity. The aim is to put a stop to domestic violence, support victims in leaving their abusers, and assist in rebuilding their lives.
Queen Camilla supports Barnardo’s, an organisation that tackles child exploitation. Always keeping this terrible abuse in mind, she attends meetings on domestic abuse and sexual violence and visits support groups for survivors as she travels the world.
“She knows about children’s hospices, She understands what they’re about, and time after time families who are daunted by meeting her come away saying they can’t believe how normal she seems." This praise was given by Clare Periton, CEO of the Helen and Douglas House children’s hospice in Oxford.
So it may come as no surprise, Camilla is also patron of this charity. She impressed the teams with her personable character, with Periton adding “she is down-to-earth, unstuffy and engaged.”
Camilla is a dedicated reader who advocates for literacy across all age groups. She serves as Patron of 'Book Trust' and 'First Story', organisations that promote reading and writing among children.
Additionally, she is the Vice-Patron of the Royal Commonwealth Society, where she supports The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition.
In 2021, Camilla launched an online book club called @DuchessOfCornwallReadingRoom on Instagram. She was inspired by the way reading can unite people, especially during lockdowns.
Tracy Chevalier, the author of Girl with a Pearl Earring, praised the Queen for her love of books and recognized the abundance of emerging talent in the UK: "We are very lucky to have Queen Camilla. Being a passionate reader makes a huge difference to her work. I talked with her about the importance of books, how they can help us to escape. She knows exactly how to talk to everybody."
Camilla is the Patron of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and adopted both her dogs from there. She is also the Patron of HorseBack UK, an organization that offers Equine Assisted Learning to veterans and those in need through horseback riding and interactions with horses.
She is the Co-Patron, alongside her husband, Charles, of Elephant Family, a charity dedicated to saving Asian elephants, which was founded by her brother.
More recently, Camilla was announced as first royal patron of The Anne Frank Trust U.K. ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day 2024. It seems there are never too many charities to support!
As part of her acceptance speech, Camilla said
“Let us… learn from those who bore witness to the horrors of the Holocaust, and all subsequent genocides, and commit ourselves to keeping their stories alive, so that each generation will be ready to tackle hatred in any of its terrible forms. And let us carry with us the words and wisdom Anne Frank (a child of only 14 years old) wrote on 7th May 1944: 'What is done cannot be undone, but at least one can prevent it from happening again'."
Since 2006, Her Majesty has been a patron of Emmaus UK, showing strong support for their mission to help the formerly homeless and combat poverty.
She praised Emmaus SLC, calling it an "incredible charity" and encouraging others to witness its impact firsthand, saying “you won’t believe it until you see it”.
Queen Camilla is also President of the Royal Voluntary Service. This is a charity that offers services across Britain and encourages individuals to discover what is available in their local area.
In conclusion, it cannot be denied that Queen Camilla is using her position and her status as 'Her Majesty' in order to do good in the world. She is patron of so many diverse charities as well as carries out her (and now some of her husband's) royal duties... at the age of 77. Deserves applause.
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