His Majesty King Charles III Retains Role As Abbeyfield Patron

The Abbeyfield Society has announced that His Majesty King Charles III will continue his Patronage of the charity. The decision follows a comprehensive review of more than 1,000 Royal Patronages conducted by the Royal Household after the King’s Accession in September 2022.

The King initially took up his role as Patron of Abbeyfield in 1979 when he was the Prince of Wales. Abbeyfield has grown considerably over this time and now provides support and care to over 6,000 older people worldwide, delivered by its large network of supported housing schemes, care homes and independent living complexes. More recently, the organisation in the UK has been represented on the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Housing and Care for Older People and has sponsored the APPG’s latest enquiry into the regeneration of outdated sheltered housing.

As Prince of Wales, His Majesty visited many Abbeyfield services, always taking the time to speak to residents and to thank staff and volunteers for their incredible efforts. He also lent his insignia to the organisation’s Royal Patron’s Awards, presented annually to a select few staff and volunteers who have made an outstanding contribution to Abbeyfield’s work.

Abbeyfield England Chair, Liz Potter, said:
“On behalf of the Board of Trustees and our Member Societies across the UK and around the world, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to His Majesty the King for retaining his Patronage of Abbeyfield. His Majesty was our Patron for nearly 45 years and has a deep appreciation of our work and the mission of our founder, Richard Carr-Gomm. I know that he understands the importance of Abbeyfield’s provision of safe, secure and stimulating environments for older people, where they can retain a sense of independence, forge new friendships and remain a part of their community, and we are all immensely grateful for his ongoing support.”