The Duchess of Edinburgh's Charities and Patronages

[muriel]

Wonder who in the royal famly moght take up those patronages?

 

[ada]

I like Sophie a lot, but if she wants to be in touch with the real world and have people genuinely admire her, then her maternity leave and part-time work are over.

 

[Mermaid1962]

I'm going to withhold judgement until we know more about what's going on behind the scenes.

I like Sophie a lot, but if she wants to be in touch with the real world and have people genuinely admire her, then her maternity leave and part-time work are over.

 

[Winnie]

I like Sophie a lot, but if she wants to be in touch with the real world and have people genuinely admire her, then her maternity leave and part-time work are over.

There could be a real serious reason for all this -- one that we may never find out for a long time -- so I have to just sit and wait for the official notification. I am sure that it was not done lightly.

 

[Mermaid1962]

Exactly. Sophie's always been a hard worker at whatever she does.

There could be a real serious reason for all this -- one that we may never find out for a long time -- so I have to just sit and wait for the official notification. I am sure that it was not done lightly.

 

[Claire]

Okay I still haven't received any word with Buckingham Palace so I still believe it is a glitch. Reason - there is a spelling mistake right on top of the page, it might just be something with the datebase. But I did ask around and here might be some other solutions.

Sophie might be changing the direction of her efforts. All royals have specific fields that they target. Sophie's is specifically children and people with disabilities. It is possibly that she is simply moving in another direction.

All charities are actually checked on a routine bases to see if they meet strict regulations for royals to be associted with them. For example the must use a certain percentage of their income on charities and per minimum on admin. It is possible that Sophie's charities are still been checked out. This could be true of the smaller ones but I would think that the Girlguides would have all the right boxes ticked.
Many people don't know that in order to have a royal patron you need to apply directly to BP and then they decided which royal would best suit your needs and requirements. Sometimes they simply pass you by. It all comes down to matching the right royal with charity, somewhere where the royal can feel they can actually make a difference and where the charities times and efforts are not wasted.
All charity acception and rejections are approved by the palace. Many people don't realise that if Edward and Sophie wanted to leave the country or go on holliday in Bath they must get approval from the Palace. The matter also extends to the cancellation of engagements and even the making of them. SO if the website is right, than the Queen has been consulted and approved of the removal of those charities. Apparently shuffles of charities are not uncommon, in the late 1989 there was a large one it is just to ensure the people get the most out the royal family.
Other option - currently there is a bill at Westminister about the pay increases of the royal family, which of course get reinbursed by the Queen. It should be noted that Sophie has never been included in the list. When she married Edward, he received the pay increased as was already aggreed upon. So Edward has always been paid, Sophie works for free. (Although we can say that Edward is sharing) This may be a way to streamline and economise the royals.

But lets wait and see - personally I think that it is a mistake. Sophie would never give up Vision 2020 without one very good reason, you must remember that she was only president of Girlguides, the Queen been the patron.

 

[Claire]

It has been a while now and although the website has not been corrected. I am pretty certain that it is a computer mistake. Sophie will be undertaken engagements on behalf of Girlguides UK and the Greater London Fund for the Blind in the new year, both charities are no longer on the list.

 

[Parrothead]

According to the BRF Web site, a new site is in the works:

Thursday, 12th February 2009

The Queen will give a reception at Buckingham Palace to mark the launch of the new Monarchy Website.

This could explain what has happened with the CofW's patronages/charities.

 

[Claire]

All of Sophie's charities and patronages are BACK. And it is so nice to see them again on the royal website. Really sloppy that it has been wrong so long and they had to wait to switch to a new one to fix it. But still so glad they are back

 

[Mermaid1962]

Yes, good news indeed! Thank you for keeping us "in the loop", Claire.

All of Sophie's charities and patronages are BACK. And it is so nice to see them again on the royal website. Really sloppy that it has been wrong so long and they had to wait to switch to a new one to fix it. But still so glad they are back

 

[NGalitzine]

How many patronages does she have now in 2012?

 

[Countessmeout]

How many patronages does she have now in 2012?

63 including her honorary military positions. The majority seem to fall in three categories I notice: disabilities (physical or learning) and blindness, the fine arts (ballet, a few galleries, architecture trusts, army singers), and sports. And most include kids in some way. Also community projects for homelessness.

 

[Iluvbertie]

They also include military appointments.

 

[julliette]

Mark Stewart ‏@RegalEyes
Sophie, Countess of Wessex has been announced as London College of Fashion's first ever patron, signing a three year patronage.

Mark Stewart ‏@RegalEyes
During her patronage of London's College of Fashion, the Countess of Wessex will champion the college's Better Lives campaign

Mark Stewart ‏@RegalEyes
Sophie will be involved in awarding scholarships, rehabilitation projects for women offenders and promoting Centre for Sustainable Fashion.

 

[annaelfka]

Sophie Countess Of Wessex Becomes London College Of Fashion Patron (Vogue.com UK)

The Countess of Wessex appointed patron of London College of Fashion - Telegraph

 

[roseroyal]

I am surprised they did not get Catherine for this.

 

[Dman]

Good for Sophie. I thought Catherine would've taken up something like this too.

 

[annaelfka]

I think Sophie is a perfect choice. I'm sure she'll do great job.
She showed amazing change of her fashion choices in the last few years.
The London College of Fashion gets the royal seal of approval as it names the Countess of Wessex its first ever patron | Mail Online

 

[Molly2101]

What a cool Patronage and I am glad Sophie has been chosen/chose to do it as opposed to Catherine.

 

[annaelfka]

What a cool Patronage and I am glad Sophie has been chosen/chose to do it as opposed to Catherine.

Me too, I like Kate, but I think Sophie is better choice for that specific patronage.
Not to mention Kate soon will be more into children fashion

 

[Dman]

Although it could be the case that Catherine turned down the patronage too. These kind of industries do look to the very young and high profile to help bring more focus to the industry.

 

[Dman]

Sophie is upset by oath vote:
AS SHE is the Queen's favourite daughter-in-law the Countess of Wessex is not relishing the quandary she has been placed in over her position as the monarch's representative as head of the Girl Guides:
Sophie is upset by oath vote | Adam Helliker | Columnists | Comment | Daily Express

 

[yukari]

Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, which Sophie is a patron, has been forced to close one of its facility in Hampton, South West London.

The Countess visited the facility in February just weeks before the lockdown.
Charles and Camilla officially opened the Hampton centre in 2006, before Camilla invited some of the children to Clarence House to help decorate the Christmas tree. While in 2013, Catherine also visited the charity at its former base in Middlesex (remember the little girl who asked to hug her?).

From Mirror:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/childrens-hospice-backed-royal-family-22060462

Children's hospice backed by royal family shuts after £2million coronavirus losses

A children's hospice backed by the Royal Family has been forced to close after Covid-19 blew a £2million hole in its finances.

Sophie, Countess of Wessex, patron of Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, has been left “incredibly saddened” after it shut one of two sites dedicated to helping 800 seriously ill kids.

Shooting Star Children’s Hospices' twitter account:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1242421097972277248

@SSChospices
COVID-19 EMERGENCY APPEAL: We have already had to shut one hospice and now face the real threat of closing completely. Please help us to stay open for the vulnerable families we care for. Donate today: https://lght.ly/4oejce #coronavirus #covid19UK

 

[Fem]

Incredibly sad news. And unfortunately, one we've started hearing more and more - this pandemic is a really serious blow to many institutions and businesses.

 

[HereditaryPrincess]

Sad to hear. Sadly many charities and small businesses (even larger ones) are facing the same problem. COVID-19 will be the last straw for a lot of struggling organisations.

 

[Countessmeout]

Sophie, in her role as patron of DEBRA, volunteered at their newest store on Wednesday September 23.

https://www.debra.org.uk/news/debra...kUpKe0sCPu6QmD7GBrtAZ38btoMMAGMGyFcFj77ZHVg-s

The newly opened store helps raise money for families who suffer from Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) which is a skin disorder.