His Majesty The King will remain patron of The Royal Parks charity

His Majesty The King has shared the news that he will retain patronage of The Royal Parks charity, in an announcement made to mark the first anniversary of Their Majesties’ Coronation.

The charity manages London’s eight historic Royal Parks covering 5,000 acres, and other important green spaces in the capital, welcoming everyone to experience and enjoy the nature and wildlife on their doorstep.

Through his life and work, King Charles III has publicly supported a wide variety of causes relating to the environment and has a long and personal relationship with the Royal Parks.

The King, as The Prince of Wales, became patron of The Royal Parks when the organisation launched as a charity in July 2017, and he visited Hyde Park to meet the staff, volunteers and horticultural apprentices responsible for keeping the parks looking their best. On the visit he took a tour of the Hyde Park ‘supernursery’ where 500,000 plants and shrubs are grown each year to be planted in the formal bedding displays across the Royal Parks. This includes the scarlet pelargoniums displayed outside Buckingham Palace, which are grown to match the tunics of The King’s Guard.

During the pandemic, the then Prince of Wales, together with the then Duchess of Cornwall, returned to Hyde Park in June 2021, to meet and thank The Royal Parks’ grounds staff, apprentices and volunteers for maintaining the Royal Parks and keeping them open throughout the pandemic, providing a green space lifeline for Londoners.

Loyd Grossman, Chairman of The Royal Parks, said: 

“We are deeply honoured to retain the patronage of The King who has provided our charity with unwavering and much-valued support over the last seven years.

“We are profoundly grateful for his tremendous knowledge and his passion for the vital conservation work that we deliver to protect, enhance and future-proof these precious natural landscapes in the heart of the capital, as we endeavour to anticipate and address the many pressures of climate change.

“We welcome everyone to discover, explore and enjoy the Royal Parks. Through caring for these incredible landscapes, we hope to inspire all to participate in our collective responsibility to build a sustainable environment for future generations.”

The Royal Parks charity delivers vital conservation projects to help nature and wildlife to thrive. This includes initiatives such as planting pollinator-friendly meadows, protecting the parks against habitat erosion and species loss, and managing thousands of trees and planting new ones to provide resilience in the face of climate change.