Prince Andrew’s patronage of several charities prior to his retirement from public duties had no discernible benefit to their incomes, according to new research.
The research, conducted by philanthropy advisor Giving Evidence, used statistical methods to investigate the effect of Prince Andrew’s several charity patronages, all of which ended shortly after an interview with BBC Newsnight in 2019.
It found his involvement had “no detectable effect” on the charities’ overall incomes and concluded that voluntary organisations generally “should not take on or retain royal patrons hoping to increase revenue”.
The study exclusively examined the 35 registered charities in England of which Prince Andrew was the sole royal patron.
Prince Andrew was patron of 64 UK charities overall, but some of these were excluded from the study for reasons such as other members of the royal family also being patrons.
According to the research, revenues for around half of the 35 charities rose after Prince Andrew’s patronage ended, falling for the other half.
Researchers compared the 35 charities with others in the country, and found “no material differences in revenue patterns when Prince Andrew’s patronages ceased”.
‘Charities should not spend time or money on royal patrons’
The research builds on previous research by Giving Evidence, published in 2020, which examined charity patronages of seven senior royals including Prince Andrew. It similarly found no effect on charities’ revenue.
Caroline Fiennes, director of Giving Evidence, said: “We have seen charities go to some lengths to secure and retain royal patrons, so it seems reasonable to ask whether (and when) royal patronages help them.
“This analysis corroborates our finding from 2020, that royal patrons may not help charities. Charities should not spend time or money on royal patrons because they may not help.”
Under Queen Elizabeth II, the royal family published a list – incomplete and “somewhat inaccurate”, according to Giving Evidence – of patronages held by its different members.
Since King Charles III’s accession, the list has stated that a review of royal patronages is ongoing.
However, Buckingham Palace announced last year that King Charles III would relinquish patronages held at hundreds of charities and institutions.
Meanwhile, earlier this year, Prince Harry stepped down as patron from a charity he had co-founded following internal disputes between its former trustees and the chair.
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